What is Fire Service Exploring?

Fire Service Exploring is a program offered by Learning for Life that introduces major aspects of the fire service to young adults ages 14-21. Once enough training has been acquired, Explores can be allowed on actual fire/medical calls under certain conditions such as, but not limited to:

            *Explorers cannot enter a structure unless deemed stable and secure.
            *Explorers must maintain a safe distance from a structural fire.

Certain local, state, and federal laws as well as National BSA Regulations restrict the duties an Explorer can perform on a fire ground or a medical call.

What tasks can Explorers perform?

Fire Explorers are trained in relatively basic tasks that can be performed to assist firefighters working on the fire ground or the site of a medical emergency. Those tasks range from dressing hydrants to filling air bottles.

Do fire explorers receive any medical training?

Some fire exploring posts offer medical training which can be as basic as a simple first aid certification to as advanced as first responder certification.

Very rarely does an Explorer get tasked to an EMS call.  Such calls would have to be serious enough where to help is absolutely necessary such as mass causality incidents (MCI), ect.

As mentioned before, there are many limits as to what an Explorer can and cannot do.  The tasks are pretty much as simple as retrieving/returning equipment and possibly prepping oxygen tanks.  The tasks also vary depending on level of medical certification.

What uniforms do the Explorers receive?

Fire Explorers receive uniforms that identify the department that their in and mentions that the individual is an Explorer. The types of uniforms are listed below.

Exploring is a worksite-based program of Learning for Life, a subsidiary of the boy scouts of America, for young men and women who are 14 through 20 years old.  Exploring units, called “posts”, usually have a focus on a single career field, such as police, fire/rescue, health, law, aviation, engineering, or the like, and my be sponsored by a government or business entity.

The Explorer Motto is “Our best today for a better tomorrow!”

History

The Exploring program has a long history within the BSA. The program got its start in the 1930s as the “senior Scout” Division for boys 15 and older.  The Senior Scout programs included the Sea Scouts, Air Scouts, Explorer Scouts, Rover Scouts and a few others.  Explorer Scouts focused on advanced camping and worked on advancement leading to the Ranger award.  Sea Scouts and Air Scouts were nautical and aviation focused programs, respectively.

In 1949, the Senior Scout Division became the Explorer Division. Sea Scouts became Sea Explorers, Air Scouts became Air Explorers, and Explorer Scouts became just Explorers.  The Explorer program became less of an advanced outdoor program, and more a broader program for young men, with the minimum age lowered to 14 years old.  Explorers got a new advancement program leading to the Silver Award.

In 1959, the explorer Program was renamed the Exploring program.  Explorer advancement was dropped.  In 1964, the Air Explorers program was eliminated, and the Sea Explorer program had changes made.  The program was further changed to be more appealing to older youth, with career exploration becoming a bigger part of the program.

In 1969, the BSA allowed young women ages 14-20 to join special-interest Explorer posts, which caused many posts to be become co-ed.  The continuing focus on career exploration was expanded to a major emphasis, and as the years progressed, Exploring focused more on career exploration posts, though outdoor and sports-oriented Posts still existed and thrived as well.

In the early 1980s, posts that primarily consisted of seminars at high school with guests speakers were designated as Career Awareness Explorers posts.  This particular facet of Exploring was the fastest growing segment of Exploring and BSA during the 1980s.  posts were then designated as High school Career Awareness groups and the youth were no longer considered to be Explorers.

In 1998, the Exploring program was completely reorganized and split into two program categories.  All the carreer0ioreinted posts were moved to learning for life, while the rest became the new venturing program.  Exploring continues to be a worksite based career education program for young men and women 14 through 20 years old.