Sarah Palermo
Concord Monitor
CONCORD, N.H. — Next year, Concord High School students will have more opportunities to learn how to save others, and themselves.
Last night, the Concord School Board’s instructional committee approved two new physical education courses - advanced self defense and advanced CPR - and gave a preliminary thumbs-up to the Concord Regional Technical Center to start a fire science class.
Steve Rothenberg, director of the technical center, will present a budget for a fire science course at a future meeting, when the committee will consider officially approving it for next year.
The program will likely involve a close partnership with the Concord Fire Department - which was investigating a similar training program when he approached them this fall - and with the departments of the 25 towns that send students to the center, Rothenberg said.
The Concord Fire Department has more than a dozen certified trainers, so there might not be a need for additional personnel at the center, he said.
Like all technical center classes, it would be a two-year program, with probably 18 or 20 students next fall if approved, he said.
After the second year, the students would be qualified to take the firefighter I exam, which would enable them to become volunteer members of a department.
Paid positions are more competitive and usually require an associate’s degree or higher, Rothenberg said.
Dover High School houses the only technical center in the state offering a course in fire science, though others are considering it, he said.
Connecting students to the departments presents advantages beyond saving money on personnel and equipment, he said.
“It’s part of their culture to want to reach out to the community. . . . It’s a very healthy, close-knit culture in fire departments,” he said.
Committee chairman Erik Williams said he was eager to hear more about the program.
“It’s a great opportunity for the district,” Williams said. Rothenberg “really is constantly trying to think of how to move forward and change with the times, and I think it’s fantastic.”
The new physical education courses would be an added layer to what the department already offers.
The school provides a CPR class that includes basic first aid and helps students pass a Red Cross first aid certification test.
The advanced course would cover wilderness training and extended first aid care along with sports safety, which students said last night they want and need.
Joey Alexander, a junior, said he took the CPR course to earn the Red Cross certification for his work at the Boys and Girls Club.
“I feel like I can help the children when I’m there, and I want to learn more,” he told the committee.
Confidence was one goal of the self-defense class, though students said they also valued the opportunity for physical activity beyond playing games.
Kaitlyn Kelleher, a junior, says she’s “scared of everything, but I feel a lot better knowing how to defend against different things.”
The advanced class would likely cover how to defend against a group of attackers, while the first level gave the students strategies for dealing with one.
“I know I’m going to go to college and I don’t want to be in a really urban area, but I do want to be around people. I want to have that extra confidence,” Kaitlyn said.
All three courses were endorsed pending financial viability.
Copyright 2011 Concord Monitor/Sunday Monitor