Being a firemen includes more than just fighting fires and Trenton Fire Department firefighter/logistics officer Robert Romesburg continues to learn more about his profession every day.
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In fact, the 2010 Trenton High School graduate recently became the first local firemen to receive certification through the National Fire Academy at Emmitsburg, MD, getting training in presenting effective fire education programs to the public. The certification was held Sept. 9-16 at the academy headquarters, which is located just right outside of Washington D.C.
Romesburg, who has been working full-time with the Trenton department since 2010, took advantage of information he had heard about from other firemen, putting in an application last October to attend one of the many classes offered at the academy. It didn’t hurt to find out that cost for the academy would be paid for through Federal Emergency Management Association, with the only cost to Romesburg being his meals.
“It was a $189 meal ticket for three meals a day for seven days,” he said.
Romesburg was one of 20 firemen from across the U.S. (three from Missouri) to take the course at the academy, which has instructors coming from throughout the U.S. Current Fire Chief Rick Morris has been an instructor at the academy in the past.
Although Romesburg chose the public education certification because it was the first one in which he could get into, the Trenton firefighter said he has always had an interest in that area.
“I’ve enjoyed public speaking and I like working with the community,” he said, adding that he first got an interest in becoming a firefighter in 2008 when he joined the local Explorer organization.
Romesburg works with his fellow firefighters in various community programs that teach about fire safety, more specifically Fire Prevention Week at the area elementary schools. He said the information he learned during his days at the academy have given him several ideas as to how better present such programs to the students.
“One of the things we were taught is that you have to know your audience,” he said. “I got a lot of good ideas in how to make programs more effective for the kids.”
Romesburg said one of the individuals who attended the academy with them talked about how his community has a fireman at the school who teaches classes – a lot like what the DARE program is through the local police department.
“I want to be able to develop a program that makes fire safety more effective for the kids, then take it to the school and teach it,” he said. “I don’t want to just visit.”
Oct. 6-12 is Fire Prevention Week and he is scheduled to go to the R-6 School and talk to the children about fire safety. He is hoping to put what he learned at the academy to good use in that presentation.
Meanwhile, he is already looking at other classes he might want to take at the academy. The new year gets under way in October and Romesburg said he would like to take another class – maybe something as different as arson investigation.
“There’s a lot of classes that they have to make you a more effective firefighter,” he said. “I want to go back next year.”
The certification at the National Fire Academy is only one of several Romesburg has received since joining the department two years ago. He has received several certifications in a variety of subjects from the Missouri Department of Safety, ranging from handling hazardous materials and confined space rescue to live fire training and handling an LP gas emergency.