AMY SZPARA

PHOTO CRAIG BOE is a junior fire fighter for the Reserve Volunteer Fire Department. RESERVE – The young man got the call that something had gone awry at a nearby dock and he hurriedly headed out to respond. Someone had fallen down into a 25-foot hole and split his head open. He met up with other volunteers at the site of the accident and did what he could to assist. The victim had to be med-evaced to the hospital, and the young man’s part in the incident was over. Craig Boe, 17, has been a junior volunteer fire fighter at the Reserve Volunteer Fire Department for two years, and Wednesday night he responded to the accident at the Globalplex facility. It’s just one of many of the emergency calls he has received since joining the department. A recent graduate of Brother Martin High School and employee of Don’s Country Store in Reserve, Boe said he decided to become a firefighter because a lot of his friends were also volunteers. Boe’s father, who works as a chemical operator at Shell, has been putting out fires in emergency situations for years and just recently joined as a volunteer in Reserve. Since Boe is not yet 18, he cannot fight fires inside structural dwellings, though he can respond to any call and provide whatever other assistance is needed. “I can go to anything. I just can’t go inside the building,” said Boe. “I usually get a call about once a day, but sometimes I get them all day on the weekends.” Boe responds to the calls he can, but could not go during school or working hours. He plans to go to the University of New Orleans to study graphic art design soon, but he will remain a volunteer and commute to and from school. Boe said a lot of the calls they get are to respond to vehicle accidents. “We help Acadian Ambulance. One time I helped get a lady out of her car. She got hit by an 18-wheeler,” he said. He has taken many training courses, such as venting classes and sessions on how to operate breathing equipment. He trains every Monday night at the Reserve Volunteer Fire Department. Boe said his first call was to a trash fire which had gotten out of hand. “We had to go back and put it out again because it wasn’t out all the way,” he said. One of several junior fire fighters, he said he doesn’t plan to make fire fighting a career, though he wants to always be a volunteer. “I have too much fun with art to do that for money. It’s a hobby,” he said. Boe is looking forward to his next big training session, First Responder Training, which he will do this summer. After that, he will know what to do if he is the first person on the scene of a accident or fire.