W
hen Chief Larry Smith first arrived in Fuquay-Varina in 2005, he presented an idea for starting an Explorer’s program within the Fuquay-Varina police department. Just a kernel of an idea, the idea quickly took shape with the help of officers and volunteers from throughout the community. With a handful of kids, they kicked off the first year in collaboration with the local Boy Scouts, and for ten years in Fuquay-Varina, the program has been steadily growing and improving what they do.
Several years later, the Fuquay-Varina fire department began a similar program for youth who were interested in fire science and community service, and the two programs have had a big impact on the career aspirations of many young people in our community.
Police Explorers
In 2005, Fuquay-Varina had no idea what an Explorers program looked like. But with careful organization and the help of the local Boy Scouts organization, they kicked off an Explorers program with about 10 local youth that has since doubled in size. The police Explorer’s program is a sanctioned Boy Scout troop, and the volunteer officers that work with the Explorers are registered Boy Scout leaders. The officers who work with the kids do so on their own time—it is a completely volunteer effort. But officers David Taylor and Brett Kane have made this program a labor of love, and gladly share their time working with young people who are exploring law enforcement as a career and/or just exploring life as a young adult.
The post meets every other Monday and includes a 30-minute touch base meeting and then offers a program on a variety of topics for the attendees. Outside of meetings, the Explorers help direct traffic, help shut down streets for major events and traffic detours, provide directions, and help with parking. They are issued uniforms and work the same jobs as many of the town’s actual police officers. Events such as the Christmas Parade, the Run the Quay 5K race, July 3rd fireworks event, and Teen Day use Explorers for additional help with some of the more basic customer service aspects of policing. The post has also adopted a section of Judd Parkway for trash pickup.
This experience for youth ranging from 9th grade through age 20 allows them to learn police procedures step-by-step, and gives them some experience in how a police department runs. It can help them make up their minds about career paths, or it can just provide them with a snapshot of how a police department works. The program takes youth from all walks of life—low income, disadvantaged households to more affluent teens all work together to learn about the role of the local police department in the community.
“The best part of this program,” shares Captain Jeff Dunn, “is that we get to interact with the kids on a police level. They get to hang out with us, and become part of us. They realize that we are approachable and they go out and share that with friends and family. They even will bring us information about activities in their worlds—they see that the police are normal, everyday people and trust us enough to share information.”
The other aspect of the Explorers program is vocational training. Through programs at their bi-weekly meetings, and additional training opportunities, the Explorers learn how to perform basic police procedures. In February of every year, the post leaders take the Explorers to Gatlinburg, Tennessee to compete as a post in the Winterfest competition, where they compete in drills designed to test their knowledge and skills. At that competition, the kids are given 15 potential scenarios to deal with when they arrive on Friday and complete their work by the end of the following day. In 2015, the Fuquay-Varina post placed first in the Traffic Accident Investigation competition out of 44 teams, as well as several 2nd place finishes, and several top 10 finishes. The post was recognized by the Fuquay-Varina Board of Commissioners shortly thereafter. “This extraordinary group of teenagers represented the Town of Fuquay-Varina with pride, professionalism and sportsmanship,” remarked Police Chief Larry Smith at that event.
This program is free to the youth involved. Even the competition in Gatlinburg is paid for by grants, the sale of a police calendar, and fundraising by the kids. Other programs across the country are much better funded than ours, but our youth continue to shine and make us proud. The program currently has about 20 Explorers, a significant increase from the original 10 in 2005, and the hope is to continue to expand as interest in the program increases.
“Eventually we will hire someone in our department who started in this program,” says Captain Dunn. “We know of a number of them who have ended up in other towns, but hopefully one day we’ll see someone come back to Fuquay-Varina to work and raise their family here.”
Fire Explorers
Not long after the Police Explorers program was started, the Fuquay-Varina Fire Department began a similar program for youth who are interested in fire service training and potentially becoming professional firefighters.
Similar to the Police program, the Fire Explorer program is open to high school-aged students who are looking for hands-on, practical experience as well as classroom training. Program advisors like Scott Daniel hold bi-monthly Explorer meetings in which all aspects of the fire department—from day to day operations and fire tactics to emergency medical care—are introduced. Training exercises include familiarizing students with fire apparatus, fire hydrant operations, sprinkler systems, and more. Explorers also get to meet and work with professionals who are already the lifestyle that they are interested in. Explorers get issued departmental gear similar to that worn by profession firefighters, and have the opportunity to go out on calls on the trucks as schedules permit.
Also affiliated with the Boy Scouts, the Fire Explorer advisors are registered scout leaders with appropriate Boy Scout-sanctioned training in addition to their professional expertise as firefighters. They take on this role with the Explorers as a volunteer community service within the department and devote countless hours to training and supervision activities. They hold two meetings each month on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights at one of three Fuquay-Varina fire stations. In addition to the monthly meetings, the post assists the department at events across town, including the July 3rd celebration, Celebrate Fuquay-Varina, Fire Prevention Week, and the annual Fire Department Open House.
There is always an opportunity for fun with this group, which helps build camaraderie and professional relationships. Cookouts, camping trips, and trips to Carowinds and other recreational venues are all a part of the program. Fundraising is also part of the program, as the participants raise money to attend the Winterfest competition in Gatlinburg, TN every February as well as other program expenses.
One unique aspect of the Fire Explorers program is the college assistance that is available to Explorers who wish to pursue Fire Training classes after they turn 16. Some funds are available through the Boy Scouts, as well as other sources. This is a great option for young people who are definite about pursuing a career in the Fire Service field.
Although the two Explorer programs are primarily separate organizations and operate annually on separate schedules, there has been a movement over the last couple of years to do some events and training together. This collaborative approach is a reflection of the sense of community in Fuquay-Varina, as these two groups collectively represent our town in Gatlinburg every year.
Anyone interested in either program should contact Lt. Mike Marsh at the Police Department (919-552-1434 or mmarsh@fuquay-varina.org) or Fire Marshall Wayne Sherrod at 919-753-1034 or wsherrod@fuquay-varina.org.
