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San Rafael Fire Commission hears Explorer program pitch aimed at recruiting local youth
Summary
Fire department staff presented the Explorer youth program, begun in March 2023, describing hands-on training, a 15-person cap, plans for a 2026 fitness standard and more community engagement to build a pipeline into EMS and firefighting.
Captain William Murphy, who identified himself as the D7 A-shift captain, told the San Rafael Fire Commission on Dec. 10 that the department’s Explorer program — launched in March 2023 — is intended to recruit local youth into fire and emergency medical careers.
"So we started the Explorer program in March, 2023 here," Murphy said in the public presentation, and described a mix of hands-on firefighting and EMS training, field trips and mentoring. He said the program currently enrolls 13 participants and that the department caps enrollment at 15 to keep trainings manageable: "We currently have 13 explorers, and we kinda cap the program at 15 right now."
The program focuses on ages 15–21 (the department said it prefers 16–20 for operational reasons), runs 24 trainings a year on Sunday afternoons, and is administered through the Boy Scouts BSA framework for insurance and event access. Murphy said the department pays the small BSA fee for participants (about $50 per person per year) so the program carries no cost for youth.
Murphy described the program’s skill set and safety requirements: participants learn CPR and first aid, ladder and hose skills, vehicle extrication and ventilation, and are given turnout gear for drills. He said the department will allow limited ride-alongs once young explorers meet two local criteria — they can don breathing masks quickly and can locate routine engine equipment — and that 24-hour ride-alongs require participants to be 18 or older.
Commissioners and staff asked about school outreach, participation rates and physical fitness. Murphy said school visits have been limited by capacity but the department attends career days; the program has substantial interest but limited slots, and the crew rotates training advisers across shifts. He also announced the department will institute a formal physical-fitness standard for the Explorer program in 2026, to be administered annually with practice opportunities during the year.
Commissioners expressed support and offered help with outreach. One commissioner suggested linking Explorer activities to community-service announcements and the Fire Foundation’s events, an idea Murphy welcomed. He also mentioned a recent field trip to the CAL FIRE air attack base as a valuable exposure opportunity.
The presentation also touched on a recent off-duty death of an Explorer known to program participants; Murphy said staff used it as a teaching moment about stress and coping and arranged a debrief with the unit.
The Commission did not take any formal action on the program during the meeting but encouraged staff to return with updates and asked how commissioners could help with recruitment and events.
