Structural Fire Protection Intern Stories

Valley Forge/Hopewell Furnace Structural Fire Protection Intern Andrew Routhier helps clean up a hydraulic fluid spill at Valley Forge National Historical Park.

NPS/J Waterman

Andrew Routhier
2024 Structural Fire Protection Intern – Valley Forge National Historical Park and Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, PA
Fire Science Administration, Salem State University

Throughout my structural fire protection internship with the National Park Service, I have conducted many activities and numerous inspections/tests throughout Valley Forge and Hopewell Furnace which have improved the fire and life safety of the parks, including:

• Instructing a Stop the Bleed Course and fire extinguisher training for park employees
• Performing hydrant inspections and hydrant flow tests
• Performing monthly fire extinguisher inspections

One of the big things I decided to do was recalculate all the capacities of the hydrants around Valley Forge, and then repaint them to indicate their capacities in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 291: Recommended Practice for Water Flow Testing and Marking of Hydrants. As someone who loves the fire service, I've believed that upon pulling up to an emergency, you should know your hydrant water flow capabilities. With that, painting the hydrants their proper colors allow firefighters to know the estimated 'gallons per minute' of water that can be flowed from the hydrant, which can help with scene size-up and suppression efforts.

I've gained a lot of experience working alongside other coworkers in the National Park Service. This is the agency I dream of working for after I finish my last year of college and hope to pursue the fire service within it. With the great coordination between my supervisor and the fire management office at Delaware Water Gap, I was able to complete my S-130, Firefighter Training (Wildland). The staff at Valley Forge and Hopewell Furnace are some of the most experienced I've met in many different areas of specialties, which has provided knowledge not only within the fire prevention field, but also within other field pertaining to visitor services, maintenance, and planning.

As I prepare for the future, and what is to come, this internship has given me many opportunities to learn from the best and gain a lot of advice from talented individuals. In the end, these experiences and knowledge gained will forever be used.

Structural Fire Protection Intern Joseph Nytko checks the fire alarm control unit, during a fire and life safety inspection of the visitor center.

NPS/L STEELE

Joseph Nytko
2024 Structural Fire Protection Intern – Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM
Fire, Arson, and Explosion Investigation,
Eastern Kentucky University

During my structural fire protection internship through the National Park Service at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, I:

• Completed an evaluation of defensible space around historic structures
• Performed fire and life safety inspections on park buildings
• Located and recording all fire hydrant locations within the park
• Attended interagency meetings and working with the Carlsbad Fire Department and Eddy County Fire and Rescue on interagency plans
• Performed monthly portable fire extinguisher inspections
• Revised the portable fire extinguisher tracking spreadsheet
• Performed a fire and life safety assessment on Building #41, located in the park maintenance yard, and preparing a report of the hazards found and recommendations for repair

I also had the opportunity to earn my Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association license and take cave search and rescue training.

I held hands-on fire extinguisher training for all employees and met with the offices of Eddy County Fire and Rescue to create a park emergency evacuation plan, museum collection fire plan, and an emergency cave evacuation plan, which is needed to revise the park’s structural fire management plan.

I have learned so much through my time here in Carlsbad Caverns. Most importantly, effective fire and life safety protection starts before a fire, and its effectiveness relies on the care that is given from the employees. I loved spending my summer here and could not have asked for a more intriguing internship!

Halena Shirran completed annual fire and life safety inspections throughout Blue Ridge Parkway as part of her structural fire protection internship.

NPS

Halena Shirran
2023 Structural Fire Protection Intern – Blue Ridge Parkway, Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, and Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, NC, TN, SC
Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology,
Eastern Kentucky University

As a Structural Fire Protection Intern, I have gained more experience about fire protection, fire suppression systems, and how fire protection systems should be maintained. Throughout my internship, I have gotten the opportunity to do and see many things. I’ve performed portable fire extinguishing training. I’ve done annual fire and life safety inspections throughout Blue Ridge Parkway, Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, and Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, as well as monthly inspections on portable fire extinguishers. I’ve worked with some of the Blue Ridge engineers and maintenance workers to ensure all buildings, bathrooms, overlooks, and picnic areas are accessible to everyone, including disabled personnel. I’ve done trail maintenance at Sandy Flatts and Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I’ve directed traffic at Craggy Gardens Picnic Area and Craggy Gardens Visitor Center. Lastly, I’ve shadowed contractors performing five-year fire protection inspections on automatic suppression systems in the Blue Ridge Parkway.