In addition to the usual textbooks for her physics and Spanish classes, Emily Stinaff carries in her knapsack an unusual manual for a high school junior: “Essentials of Fire Fighting.”
Stinaff, 16, of Arlington Heights, has spent about five hours a week at one of three Buffalo Grove firehouses since mid-September, studying the 500-plus page book and learning first-hand about firefighting and rescue work as part of a school internship.
After school, while her peers at Buffalo Grove High School may be working at a fast-food outlet or involved in a practice for a school event, the diminutive Stinaff can be found dressed in a uniform that’s slightly too big for her, riding in an ambulance or firetruck.
She’s not allowed to actively participate at the scene of accidents and fires, but as an observer, she gets an eyeful of real-life situations during the calls.
She also has taken part in training, and recently experienced the shooting flames and dense smoke of a flashover fire in a specially designed training structure.
“There isn’t anything that Emily hasn’t been able to do so far,” said Ted Strand, off-campus programs coordinator and a physical science teacher at the high school.
When the alarm sounds, the poised teen is eager to go, recently cutting short an interview to respond to a car accident call.
“I’m always excited because I want to see what’s going on when we get there,” Stinaff said. “A lot of times, it’s false alarms or nothing serious. Sometimes I want something to happen so I can be there.”
Stinaff became all too aware of the job of a firefighter in October 1996, when her family’s house caught fire and was extensively damaged.
She now finds herself at work with some of the same men and women who helped put out the blaze at her home.
“That got me interested,” Stinaff said, recalling how she watched the firefighters’ efforts from a neighbor’s house. “I just wanted to learn all about it.”
While the fire may have fueled her interest in the subject, Stinaff says she always has been fascinated by rescue workers’ jobs.
“Ever since I was little, when a fire engine or an ambulance drove past, I would always want to know where they were going, and I always wanted to be in the ambulance and know what they were doing,” she said.
Two mentors per shift are assigned to work with Stinaff to explain the firehouse routine and the events of a call to her.
“She gets to see what we do in real life versus what she might see on television,” said Deb Lezon, 29, a firefighter and paramedic with the department for the past six years and one of Stinaff’s mentors.
In addition to watching her mentors during calls, Stinaff assists with the less adrenaline-charged experiences that make up a shift at the firehouse, such as preparing meals and cleaning equipment.
“We train six days a week, three hours a day, minimum, which people don’t realize,” Lezon said.
Stinaff, the youngest of four kids, has two older brothers and she says that experience has toughened her up for dealing well with the firefighters, some of whom good-naturedly tease her as if she were their younger sister.
“Once you prove yourself, you’re one of the guys,” Lezon said.
Even though she may not participate in hands-on firefighting work, Stinaff could find herself in the thick of some pretty horrifying situations. But staff members say they are prepared to handle that.
“We’re exposing a 16-year-old to trauma and car accidents and it’s critical that she has an open line of communication with us,” said Deputy Chief Tim Sashko.
Lezon added: “If there’s something upsetting, even on a minor call, we’ll talk about it.”
