TL Photo/GAGE VOTA From left, Allen Ketzell II, Claire Daubenmeyer and Allen Ketzell III pose for a photo at the Brookside Volunteer Fire Department, where four generations of their family have participated and volunteered.
BROOKSIDE — The Brookside Volunteer Fire Department recently welcomed the fourth generation of the same family to its fire department.
Claire Daubenmeyer, a 17-year-old high school student, began her journey as a cadet by enrolling in a basic volunteer course. Her uncle, Brookside Fire Chief Allen Ketzell III, approached her about enrolling in training.
“I walked up to her and said, ‘Hey, as long as you’re 17, you can take it like a high school student,’ and she said yes. So, since the first of June, she has been going to class every Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. She did everything from the academic part, the classroom part to the practical part and passed the exam,” Coser III said.
Daubenmeyer has been a certified lifeguard at Allen Pool at Memorial Park in St. Clairsville since he was 15 years old. She has expressed interest in training emergency medical technicians and plans to continue her education in the medical field.
Although Daubenmeyer passed the basic volunteer test, she will not receive her certification until she turns 18 in April.
Ketzell III’s father, Allen Ketzell II, a former Brookside fire chief, served in that position from 1980 to 1987. Ketzell’s father, Allen Ketzell, served with the Brookside Volunteer Fire Department in the 1950s and 1960s.
“I just remember how I rarely heard the phone ringing, and then these two guys (her grandfather and uncle) left, always wondering what they were doing,” Daubenmaier said of what made her think of Saida when she became cadet. “They always talk about it, and it’s interesting to me. I think it’s funny, it’s scary, but I think it’s funny.”
The Brookside Volunteer Fire Department plans to overhaul its cadet program after Ohio recently changed its law allowing 17-year-old high school students to attend the class.
“Our cadet program is on and off. It just depends on whether the kids show interest again. We’ll be posting about it on social media and things like that to try to get more kids involved,” Kozel III said.
“Because they need to do it when they have time. You know, they are so busy with sports, family, work, vacations and other things that it’s hard to find time.”
When eldest son Allen Ketzell first joined the Brookside Volunteer Fire Department in the 1950s, the department had a large volunteer base. According to Ketzell III, the department had 87 members in 1957—about one for every adult male resident of Brookside.
“We are working hard to bring it back. We don’t have the same numbers, no one has the same numbers as before. We’re working hard to bring that back into volunteerism,” Koser III said.
“When you look at Brookside, it’s a small area. These are brake lights instead of traffic lights. So when you grow up in this community, your fire station is where you come, and it’s like your syndicate is the same. when she was a granddaughter,” said Dawn Boston, Daubenmeyer’s mother.
The state of Ohio has teamed up with the National Volunteer Fire Council to create a program called “Make Me a Firefighter” to encourage more residents interested in volunteering for local fire departments.
“The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has launched the Make Me a Firefighter campaign to make it easier for potential volunteers to learn about available opportunities and connect with local fire/EMS services. We also provide departments with tools and resources to help them collaborate better. with the community and recruit volunteers,” according to the Make Me a Firefighter website.
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Post time: Jul-08-2024