It`s one thing for a seasoned firefighter to see human suffering; it`s another for a 15-year-old boy, which is what Bryant Krizik was when he went out on his first call.
Nevertheless, ”you do what you have to do. You look at the big picture,” Krizik said. ”I was given an assignment and I wasn`t going to let anything stop me from doing my job.”
Despite Krizik`s level-headed response, he wasn`t even a firefighter at the time. He was a cadet battling his first blaze.
”I`ll never forget it,” Krizik said of that fire in an industrial building 12 years ago in which two people were injured. ”I remember it like it happened yesterday.”
Krizik is now a captain on the Posen Fire Department and on his off days works as a lieutenant in the Orland Fire Protection District. The 27-year-old credits his speedy climb up the departments` ladders of hierarchy to his years as a cadet.
”I was a cadet from 1980 to 1983. By the time I turned 18 and joined the (Posen) department I already had the training that a 21-year-old joining the department didn`t have,” Krizik said. ”It definitely gave me an advantage in my promotions.”
Krizik`s story is not unique. Countless firefighters in the southwest suburbs began their careers as cadets. According to John Krizik, Posen Fire Chief and Bryant`s father, approximately one-third of his department`s 31-full and part-time members served as cadets.
Although the program offers numerous rewards, it`s not meant for everyone.
”It`s a great learning experience, but you have to be willing to work hard,” said 17-year-old Steve Bires, who has been a cadet for nearly two years and will join the Posen department as a full-fledged firefighter when he becomes 18, in November. ”But sometimes it`s been difficult to keep up with my schoolwork and there`s been a lot of training involved.”
Chief Krizik readily agreed. He said the Posen cadet program, which originated in the 1950s, requires dedication from its participants. ”They have to realize there`s a lot of training, education and work involved in the program,” said Chief Krizik, who has been a member of the Posen Fire Department for 26 years and chief for the last 10. ”Not everybody can make the grade.”
To be eligible for the program, participants must be Posen residents who are at least 15 years old and not yet 18. They must obtain written permission from their parents and have a high school grade average of C or better.
Once they become members, they must maintain their grades, participate in fire station clean-up and attend training sessions. In addition to the 4-hour weekly training at Posen, many also attend CPR courses and hazardous materials classes. By the time they reach 18, most have received their Firefighter II certification from the state of Illinois, which requires 250 hours of training and makes them eligible to become firefighters. All of their efforts are voluntary.
Although the Posen cadets are allowed to accompany the department to fire scenes, they may not enter burning buildings. They do, however, clean up after fires and assist with the hoses, which can be an invigorating experience.
”I was the nozzle man once-that`s the person in front-and I really got soaked,” said 16-year-old Gene Cotillo, who has been a cadet for a year.
”And the very first time I held a hose I was knocked over. The pressure was incredible.”
The program can be physically demanding and few girls join. But 17-year-old cadet Jenny Banaszak isn`t daunted by the hard work. She regularly works out in the department`s exercise room in order to remain competitive with her fellow cadets.
”We have to build our muscles. They don`t want us falling down on the job,” Banaszak said. ”At first I thought I wouldn`t be as good as the guys, but now I feel I do as well as them. I`m pretty proud of myself.”
Jenny`s mother, Sandy, is proud of her daughter as well. She is also pleased that her daughter enjoys what she is doing.
”I`ve been out there (in the world) a long time and it`s hard to find something you like,” Sandy said. ”She really likes what she`s doing, and that makes me happy. It`s something she can always fall back on, even if she doesn`t do it full time.”
Although many cadets do make a career of fighting fires, not all do. Chief Krizik`s 24-year-old son, Mark, participated in the cadet program from 1984 to 1986 and now he is a volunteer at the Posen Fire Department and an electrical engineer at Motorola in Schaumburg. Although Mark didn`t make firefighting his career, his time as a cadet was well spent, and he said he would recommend the experience to anyone.
”It gives kids a different outlook on life. They`re more conscientiously aware of what life is all about,” Mark Krizik said. ”The cadet program teaches them about life. It teaches them about life-and-death situations. It gives them an edge. They get to see things from the trenches on up.”
Other departments in the southwest suburbs had cadet programs, but most of them have been discontinued. Jim Berger, a captain on the Oak Forest Fire Department, began his career as a cadet, but he said his department abolished the cadet program about four years ago due to a lack of interest.
Bridgeview still has a cadet program, although currently only one member, Chris Kreski, is in training. Kreski attends Argo Community High School and is a cadet through the school`s work-study program. Kreski said if he wasn`t a cadet he`d ”probably be getting into trouble.” But the program keeps him off the streets and gives him a reason to keep up his grades.
At Roberts Park Fire Protection District (which covers portions of Justice and Hickory Hills), all of the most recent cadets have graduated. Assistant Chief Ed Murphy said 15 cadets have participated in the program during the last seven years. He noted that the cadet program is the sort of alternative many youths are looking for today, but they need to be aware that the programs exist.
”Many don`t know that they have the ability to be cadets or they don`t know the programs are out there,” Murphy said. ”But those who join the programs learn respect for their fellow man. They also have the opportunity to help their community.”
While the membership in other departments` cadet programs continues to dwindle, the number at Posen remains steady. (The department has four cadets.) Chief Krizik attributes his department`s success to the fact that the cadets are allowed to participate fully in department activities. But David Dutkiewick, who became a Posen cadet at 16 in 1979 and is now a captain on the Posen department and a full-time firefighter in Orland Park, credits the chief with the program`s success.
”The chief really works with the kids,” Dutkiewick said. ”He takes them under his wing and helps them in any way he can.”
Lt. Mike Novak, who oversees the Posen cadet program, agreed. ”He gets more of a kick out of the program than I do,” Novak said. ”He takes the extra time to walk (the cadets) through and explain what`s happening. He`s very good with them. He`s very giving to the kids, but he expects a lot out of them.”
Cadet Frank Jenkot agreed. ”He encourages us a lot,” 17-year-old Jenkot said. ”He tries to make us be the best we can be.”
Novak said the program benefits both cadets and firefighters. He noted that while the teenagers gain valuable experience, the old-timers are learning a thing or two as well from the zealous youngsters.
”Their (the cadets`) drive and enthusiasm are infectious,” Novak said.
”And no one wants to look like an idiot in front of a 16-year-old. They really keep us on our toes.
”And we feel if we even keep one kid out of trouble for one year we`ve done something good.”
For Chief Krizik, the cadet program provides gratification and allows him to share his knowledge and experiences with generations of teenagers.
”I think it`s an honor to see the kids progress,” Chief Krizik said.
”It`s an inspiration and challenge to keep them off the streets and teach them something that`s really worthwhile.
”They learn that the challenge of fighting a fire and winning is just incredible. It feels like nothing else.”
