Yorba Linda youth invited to 'fire cadet' program; Sunrise Rotary Club's Lobsterfest sets return date

 

A new program for Yorba Linda youth ages 14 through 21 to serve as “fire cadets” with the Orange County Fire Authority and a return of the popular Lobsterfest fundraiser by the Sunrise Rotary Club merit attention this week.

The fire cadet program will hold weekly sessions at Station 32 on Yorba Linda Boulevard on Mondays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Applications will be sent to individuals who complete a short interest form on the Fire Authority website (ocfa.org and click on “residents”).

Requirements include maintaining a 2.0 or higher grade point average, having no arrests or convictions and adhering to fire-safe grooming standards. A complete background check is required for applicants age 18 and over.

A 10-week training academy will include nine weeks of instruction at Station 32 and a final examination at the Fire Authority headquarters in Irvine. A similar program is scheduled for Station 61 at 7440 La Palma Ave. in Buena Park.

“Upon successful completion of the trainee academy, participants will become full members in the fire cadet program and ride-along certified,” noted a statement on the website. Prospective cadets will be accepted for academy training three times each year.

Cadet activities will include pre-fire planning, hydrant maintenance, crowd and traffic control, public information programs, record-keeping, vehicle and station maintenance, door-to-door fire prevention contacts and writing minor standard reports.

Other activities: formal drills held at the station, field trips and participation as observers in ride-alongs. Cadets also will develop life skills, character, citizenship and leadership traits.

^          ^          ^

The famed Lobsterfest is scheduled to return on Saturday, Oct. 9, at the Yorba Linda Community Center, after a one-year absence due to the Covid-19-related restrictions.

The Sunrise Rotary Club-sponsored event had been scheduled for a 33^rd year in 2020 for the traditional third Friday night in May. Since the Lobsterfest is the club's only annual fundraiser, club members organized an “Ask” campaign for five weeks last summer.

For the drive, three club members offered to match up to $20,000, if fellow club members and Lobsterfest supporters could raise the same amount or more. A $41,000 goal was surpassed with a final total of some $61,000.

Over the 30-plus years of the event, more than $1.8 million has been raised to help support the club's 22 community and 11 international projects. The 2019 event raised $89,000 from 1,400 attendees, who feasted on the all-you-can-eat lobsters and steaks.

Among local organizations supported by the Rotarians are Love Yorba Linda Day, Meals on Wheels, Yorba Linda Food for Families, George Key School for Children with Special Needs, Families of Active Military and Miss Yorba Linda and Miss Placentia Pageant Scholarships.

The club also sponsors a generous grant program for teachers in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.