SANFORD — They’ve raised and climbed ladders in full turnout gear, climbed innumerable stair steps ”“ again with turnout gear and airpacks on ”“ carried each other around on chairs to get a feel for what it’s like to rescue someone in a fire, and crawled through some pretty cramped, dark spaces.

Hard work? You bet, and the students in the new Fire Science program at Sanford Regional Technical Center appear to be loving every minute of it.

It isn’t all hands-on; there’s a thick textbook to be digested and lots of written work to prepare, too, but by the time the 16 students have completed the one-year program in June, they’ll have complete training for Firefighter 1 and 2 ”“ standards recognized throughout the firefighting world as essential first steps in a firefighting career.

Some students became involved with the program because it is in their blood: Various family members are firefighters or they’re already junior members of their local departments. Others have no background in the fire service, but just know it is a career they want to pursue.

“This is what I want to do,” said Corey Boucher of Lyman, who said a stint performing community service at Goodwin’s Mills Fire Department sparked his interest. “I liked it and I applied to join the program.”

“I always thought it was interesting,” said student Mackenzie Ahearn. “I wanted to do it and I don’t regret it.”

Ahearn, a junior, said next year she hopes to take the emergency medical technician course offered by SRTC.

Kathleen Levesque is the third generation of her family involved in firefighting; her grandfather, Dick Levesque, was a long-time Sanford firefighter, and her father, Todd, is a Sanford firefighter.

“He inspired me,” she said of her father.

The two new programs are among an array of technical career training programs offered by SRTC, which accepts high school students from Marshwood, Massabesic, Noble, Sanford, Wells and York high schools and Traip Academy.

Lt. Harold Smith, a long-time Sanford firefighter and volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Acton, instructs the fire science program, while Wendy Elliott is the EMT instructor.

Area firefighter Francis “Skip” Stewart-Dore, who previously taught EMS at Southern Maine Community College and is a former Sanford assistant fire chief, said the programs have been 10 years in the making. He said he approached two or three previous technical center directors with no result, but came up aces with Jim Stopa, the current director.

The two began the conversation in 2011. Stopa then sought and won the go-ahead from the group of superintendents from the seven districts that send students to the center, and also from the Sanford School Committee, with the result that the two programs kicked off in September.

A total of 275 students signaled interest in the two programs, and in the end, 40 applied for the firefighter program and 50 for the EMS program, for 16 slots in each, Stewart-Dore said.

Smith has been putting the students through their paces. He’s divided the group into companies, as fire departments do, mixing up the students so there are some from different schools, and students with some experience mixed in with those who have none.

The group is working with donated equipment, including two pumpers and most of the turnout gear, which they bring with them every school day. A training maze built in a truck trailer emulates what it’s like crawling in dark, confined spaces. And there’s the hose pull, where students pull 200 feet of hose, go 75 feet, then around a 90 degree turn, hose in hand, drop to one knee and pull 50 more feet of hose. They also practice pulling a 150-pound mannequin, wearing full turnout gear.

In June, Smith said, the students will be ready to take their state Firefighter 1 and 2 tests, which are a combination of written work and hands-on skills.

“It’s remarkable how well the programs are run and managed, and the students’ behavior is to be envied,” said Stopa of the two programs. “The support of the community is tremendous and the firefighters and EMTs have been wonderful.”

Goodwin’s Mills Fire Chief Roger Hooper said four of his department’s junior firefighters are enrolled.

“One thing this program does is get (students) interested and involved,” said Hooper, whose department, like countless others in Maine, relies largely on volunteers.

New fire department volunteers must be trained, which requires a hefty time commitment, and because volunteers usually work full-time jobs, it hasn’t always been easy to fill the ranks at volunteer departments. Hooper said when students graduate from the SRTC program, they’ll have the basic skills completed.

As well, the high school course is a good feeder program for the two-year fire science program at Southern Maine Community College.

“It’s a good program,” said Hooper.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.