MONROE — Ciara Pape wanted to be a firefighter since kindergarten.
“I think firefighting is a great profession. … I just like the action,” she said.
Participating in the Monroe Fire District’s Explorer program brought Pape that much closer to her goal.
Pape, 16, of Maltby, joined the Explorers three years ago. She is the only girl on the team. “They treat me like a sister, and I treat them like brothers,” Pape said of her teammates. “It’s very fun. We all get along.”
Pape’s team and other Monroe Explorers last month competed with young people from across the state and brought home a bundle of awards from Washington Association of Future Firefighters Muster.
Explorers competed in how quickly they can connect a fire hose to a hydrant, put on breathing gear and meet many other challenges, said Ray Sayah, a Monroe firefighter and one of the advisers for the Explorer program.
The department has led the program since 2000. It’s a commitment that lasts a school year, but many students come back year after year, Sayah said. Some have grown up to serve the community as firefighters.
“It’s an excellent service to the young people as an after-school opportunity to be physically active and compete in something meaningful,” Sayah said.
The 16 Explorers in the Monroe program meet weekly with firefighters and volunteers who lead the program.
Besides firefighting skills, Explorers learn about discipline and friendship, Sayah said. They share in their teammates’ success and failure. They encourage and teach each other.
Explorers look forward to learning search-and-rescue skills and, as part of an exercise, hanging 40 feet up in the air. “It’s an exercise in having fun and conquering your fear of heights,” Sayah said.
Join in
Want to be an Explorer? Call your local fire department to ask about the nearest program.
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