Teenagers get the feel for fire

BRUNSWICK HILLS TWP. — Two area teens got an up-close and personal look at the day-to-day operations of a firefighter this week. Vincenzo Di Teodoro, a 13-year old middle schooler at St. Ambrose Catholic School, and his cousin, 15-year-old Berea Midpark student Tony Di Teodoro, spent Thursday shadowing the Brunswick Hills Fire Department. The opportunity presented itself through a partnership between St. Ambrose and the department. After Vincenzo, who has aspirations to be a firefighter, heard about the opportunity, he asked Brunswick Hills Fire Chief Anthony Strazzo if Tony, who also wants to be a firefighter and whose father is a Cleveland firefighter, could tag along. The chief obliged and the two spent the day seeing what goes on in the day of a life of a firefighter. "They got immersed in the regular duties of a firefighter," Strazzo said. "Everything from cleaning the station, checking the trucks, doing some training and they responded with me on a call. We weren't able to take them into the home based on the type of call it was, but they were able to go on a call to see what that was like." For Vincenzo and Tony, the experience only reaffirmed their desire to pursue careers in fire service. "It was great," Tony said. "That opportunity to see what it's like day to day reinforced (that desire), knowing what it's really like." Angela Di Teodoro, Vincenzo's mother, said the response she saw from her son after the day of shadowing said it all. "When he came back, he was really happy," Di Teodoro said. "He had a great time and he said the guys were so fun and nice. I think it's great that they can do it as early as they can so they can see what a job really entails." This is exactly why Strazzo and those within the department get excited when they are able to introduce those experiences to what will hopefully be the next generation of firefighters. "Right now, there are not a lot of people exploring becoming a firefighter," Strazzo said. "Any opportunity we have to do recruiting or foster interstate in the fire service, we try to make the most of those opportunities." Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.