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By Claire Sachse
When she tries on the heavy turnout gear that firefighters wear on emergency calls,
Sarah Sprouse, 16, struggles to hold up and cinch the pants sized for men much taller and heavier.
What isn’t a struggle for her is to be the only female around the station. She is the first woman to join the Junior Firefighters Post 17, and the first woman to be welcomed into Landrum Fire Department’s firefighting community. All 24 volunteers, three paid staff, and eight junior firefighters are men.
“Being around the station is like having a second family,” Sprouse said, “and I’ve always liked firefighting.”
“My uncle was a firefighter and we got to go with him to fire competitions in Myrtle Beach. That was cool,” said the Landrum High School junior.
She also enjoys riding in the fire trucks when the sirens are blaring because “it’s just an adrenaline rush,” she said.
Sprouse has already completed one out of two semesters at Swofford Career Center for fire and EMT training. She would like to attend “rookie school,” as the fire academy is called, before she graduates high school. In college, she wants to study nursing.
For now, Sprouse likes the camaraderie and training exercises she gets through the junior firefighters program. In addition to learning all the specifications of firefighting equipment, she also knows her way around each of the trucks.
“I like school, and I get A’s and B’s, but this is what I really like,” said Sprouse about being at the fire station. “I know these trucks, I can find stuff, I know what everything does,” she added.
She rides on certain types of response calls, and when the area is safe, Sprouse and the other junior firefighters assist firefighters by putting out cones at accidents, as well as other duties.
The junior firefighters meet on the second and fourth Saturday of the month. They analyze firefighting training videos, practice attaching hoses to hydrants, and simulate fire scenarios with the station’s smoke machine. Washing the trucks is a regular routine as well.
“When we started the junior program we were looking for kids with an interest in service to the community and those with good character. I knew she would be a great fit for the program,” said Chief Warren Ashmore.
“As we got started with the program, we realized that it was historic for our department because she is the first female,” Ashmore added.
Sprouse is not phased by the first female label. “I have the same standards as the guy juniors,” she said. She added that she receives no special treatment at the fire department.
Sprouse also plays football for the varsity team at Landrum High. She is the second girl to join that team.
“I wanted something to do, so, why not play football?” she said. At five feet two inches, Sprouse plays guard. Her family worries that she might get hurt, but they support her, she said.
Phillip Davis, the junior firefighter’s post advisor, said Sprouse is a very dedicated addition to the unit.
“We can always count on her being here for the events that the unit hosts. She may seem quiet, but she is a fireball and is not afraid to tell the boys she will show them up, and actually do it,” said Davis.
“I believe she has been welcomed with open arms,” Davis continued. “It is our privilege to welcome such a driven individual to our family.”
Davis added, “When she’s trained and a senior firefighter, she’ll be unstoppable.”