TULSA -- A Jenks senior is now the first intern at the Tulsa fire department.
"I’m hoping that I can be the start of a bunch of other people coming and doing this as well," said Savannah Essink, a Jenks senior.
Essink comes to the fire training center three times a week, and receives internship credit at Jenks High School.
"At least out here it’s a controlled environment where we can actually keep them safe and they can still learn about the fire service and how we operate," said Julie Lynn, Chief of Training for the Tulsa fire department.
As an intern, she's not making copies or going on coffee runs. She gets her own gear, learns how to work a hose line and operate a truck.
"We got a new shipment of trucks in so she was the first one to actually get in and play with some of our new trucks," says Lynn.
The Tulsa fire department recently lowered their age requirement to 18, which opens doors for this Jenks senior.
"It’s hard to find a female that has the right personality and the eagerness and willingness to give and to learn," said Lynn.
Those training her say she'll fit right in.
"If other girls want to be firefighters, I’m really glad I could be here and lift some spirits and get people excited for it," said Essink.
While her DNA doesn't tie her to this field, she hopes to become a part of the extended fire family.
"I really enjoy looking at firefighters and seeing how close they are and how they mess around and how they’re just another family and I would really love to be a part of that," said Essink.
While it's a brand new program, Tulsa fire officials are already working to expand it in the near future.
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