Do you know a young person interested in the fire service? Springfield’s Fire Explorer Post 300 is a program open to youth between the ages of 14 and 20 that provides a unique opportunity to experience the life of a firefighter firsthand. In partnership with Scouting America (formerly known as Boy Scouts of America), this program offers hands-on training, mentorship and real-world experience alongside professional firefighters. Students not only become familiar with career opportunities available in the fire service, they also gain real-world skills and a sense of responsibility for their community.
Locally, the program meets twice a month on Wednesdays from 7-9 p.m. and is led by Springfield firefighter Brad Miller. During these sessions, explorers are taught the basic skills of firefighting in hands-on lessons with supervision from instructors from within the department.
“When kids first join, they get suited up in proper fire gear,” Miller said. “We focus a lot on body mechanics in those first few sessions, how firefighters move around buildings, how they stay low and flexible. As they progress, they learn about how to do forcible entries, like breaking holes into walls for egress as well as fire suppression activities.”
Search and rescue training is consistently a favorite part of the curriculum, Miller said. “Students get to go in with full gear and crawl around a building and look for dummies. Sometimes one of the kids will shed their gear and pretend to be a victim so they can understand the difference in the feeling of a dummy compared to a human body, which is important.”
The Firefighter Explorers Program runs year-round with registration taking place in January and June. There is a $60 annual registration fee to participate, but thanks to fundraising and donations, Miller said no participant has ever been turned away for financial reasons.
Beyond learning the basics of firefighting, Miller hopes that participation in the Explorers program helps to develop a deep sense of responsibility and care for their community.
“We really work on building their core values,” Miller explained. “We use the acronym DRILL, which stands for determination, respect, integrity, loyalty and leadership. So even if they don’t stick with the fire service, we’re still building values that are going to help them succeed in any venture that they take on.”
In addition to wrangling hoses and practicing multi-person search and rescue operations, Firefighter Explorers also participate in community events such as the downtown Springfield holiday lights parade, Salvation Army fundraisers and dressing up in costumes for the Firefighters Lake Club annual Halloween trunk or treat.
This hands-on experience also offers a valuable leg-up in the hiring process if the participant ultimately decides to stick with firefighting, Miller pointed out. “If they test for the Springfield Fire Department, they get two preference points on the hiring eligibility tests. Two points doesn’t sound like much, but typically the top people on the list are only separated by a few points or even fractions of points, so those two points can make a big impact on whether an applicant gets hired or not.”
Miller explained that while benefiting the fire department is certainly a top priority, ultimately the real value of the Firefighter Explorers comes down to the benefit to the individual kids that they mentor through the program.
“I was a troubled youth, “ Miller acknowledged. “I made a lot of questionable decisions and ended up going into the military when I was 25. That experience really opened up my eyes, and a lot of my motivation in promoting this program is to prevent kids from making some of the same mistakes I did. We certainly can’t save all of them, but we’ll do everything possible to help these kids succeed in life.”
Miller continues to develop programs that can help inspire youth to become professional firefighters, such as an apprenticeship program, as well as potentially increase the preference points for those who have participated in the program.
For more information about the Springfield Fire Department Explorer Post 300, email Brad Miller at Boxcar1332@gmail.com or call 217-415-5391.
Ashley Meyer is a mom of two and freelance writer who lives in Springfield.
This article appears in Parent Spring 2026.
