The Plaistow Fire Department has a new tool in its arsenal to support its nearly one-year-old Plaistow Junior Firefighters Program.
Mike Jarvis of Haverhill’s Jarvi Productions has produced the 2024 Plaistow Fire Department Calendar to raise money for the program. Plaistow Fire Lt. Derek Travers told WHAV about the Junior Firefighters and the larger goal.
“They’re a group of young man and woman who are in high school Most of them belong to the Timberlane School District, however, we don’t turn any kids away. We do have kids from Salem, Haverhill, Hampstead who join the program as well. The goal is to try and create, grow our own fire department. Right now, we’re having recruitment and retention issues,” he said.
The calendars, which capture many scenes of Plaistow firefighters on the job, are available for $25 each, with all proceeds being donated to the Plaistow Junior Firefighters Program. Calendars may be purchased at the Plaistow Fire Station, 27 Elm St., Plaistow, N.H.
Travers said the program started last January with 17 students—ranging in age from 14 to high school graduation. One of whom, Christopher Nadeau of Haverhill, was named Cadet of the Year last June. Even after graduation, Travers added, students may remain with the training program as long as they have enrolled with the state fire academy.
Participants in the program attend the New Hampshire Fire Academy for one week during the summer and engage in weekly drills. These hands-on training sessions cover a wide range of essential firefighting skills, including hose training, water supply, search and rescue drills and more.
Travers detailed how money from the sale of calendars will help. “We do use the money for uniforms, for equipment. We use the money for props so we can make certain props like door props or entanglement props—things that we would use in the fire department for rea-life training,” he explained.
Jarvi Productions recently produced Haverhill Police and Fire calendars to support the annual “Heroes and Helpers,” a program, where the city’s first responders accompany children on a special Christmas shopping adventure.
The 2024 Haverhill First Responders Calendars are available for purchase at the Haverhill Fire Credit Union.