Junior Jack McKernan has taken his first step towards his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter: After months of training, he’s just completed his first ride along in a fire truck.

McKernan, who has been involved since the beginning of the summer, is part of the Marin County Fire Department Explorer program, which trains youth ages 15-19 in the skills needed to become a firefighter.

The Explorer Program is funded greatly by the Boy Scouts of America, who give the program a large amount of equipment and time to train volunteers like McKernan.

The Explorer Program meets every other Tuesday to discuss current fire issues, common fire causes, and necessary precautions to avoid the fires.  According to McKernan, the main concern during the summer was grass fires, but the focus is now turning more towards structure fires as the seasons change.

In the Explorer Program, after having trained for at least six months, the volunteers can take part in a “ride along” with the firefighters, which makes them eligible to do work at the station itself.

“You spend the day with them at the stations pretty much doing daily tasks and if they get a call, you go with them,” McKernan said.

Stationed at the Marin County Fire Department in Woodacre, McKernan said that some stations tend to get more calls than others.

“It depends on what stations. Some are more remote.  Sausalito, Marin City, and Woodacre get a handful of calls,” he said.

The Explorer Program is funded by the Boy Scouts of America, who give the program enough money to train volunteers like McKernan.