For students at Eastern Technical High School in Baltimore, Maryland, a field trip this spring was not your average trip to the museum. Instead, students set off fire sprinklers, studied blueprints, performed hydraulic calculations and, best of all, might have discovered a new career field to pursue. Eastern Tech’s field trip was to the corporate headquarters of The Fireguard Corporation, and students not only learned about the fire protection industry, but they also learned how the industry presents many career opportunities.
“Fire protection is a niche within the construction industry, and there is little awareness of the career opportunities in the field. We wanted to provide the students with an overview of the industry itself and to expose them to the different positions available to them, especially with our company. We want them to understand that these are not just jobs, but in fact careers,” says Michael Bonanni, Vice President of The Fireguard Corporation.
Fireguard recently hosted 25 students from Eastern Tech, located in Eastern Baltimore County, for a four-hour field trip at its state-of-the-art training facility. Fireguard’s Director of Training and Continuing Education Dickie Delss choreographed a very structured day that began with an educational component to help the students better understand the fire protection industry. Later, they participated in highly interactive workshops where students could actually operate different types of fire sprinkler valves and activate and observe a variety of devices and equipment. Fireguard staff also discharged multiple sprinkler heads and had the students measure the coverage areas and identify different spray patterns.
“We actively recruit students from Eastern Tech; as a vocational school, it’s a perfect match for us, and as a growing company, it makes sense to bring them here for field trips,” Bonanni says. “I am fortunate as a teacher of the trades to have found Fireguard,” says Greg Sarris, an instructor with Eastern Tech. “This is the type of company that my school wants to see recruit our kids, and it’s the kind of company that will lead to successful lives for students that want to work with their hands but also be challenged intellectually. Thanks to the presentation, it is clear to them that this field not only offers jobs but careers for a lifetime.”
Bonanni adds that Fireguard has also hosted field trips for students from the University of Maryland Fire Protection Engineering program, one of the few schools in the country that offers degree programs in the field. Fireguard has also employed multiple students in this program as both interns and full-time hires. “It’s different to see a diagram in a book vs. actually operating the equipment,” he says.
