3 Junior Firefighter Camp Graduates Hired by Bridgeport Fire Department
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on August 01, 2026
Three graduates of the West Virginia University Extension Junior Firefighter Camp have recently achieved their goal of becoming professional firemen after getting hired by the Bridgeport Fire Department in Harrison County.
To prepare for their new positions, Justice Heater, Bryant Sponaugle and Gabriel Skidmore each attended Junior Firefighter Camp to learn the basics of being a firefighter. Held at the West Virginia State Fire Academy, youth aged 14 to 17 learn how to tackle a variety of emergency situations using the same methods and equipment first responders use every day to keep their communities safe.
Not only do campers build leadership and teamwork skills, they also take part in vehicle fire simulations, practice forced entry, receive live fire training, and practice with emergency gear like fire hoses and fire extinguishers.
Justice Heater of Lewis County said his first time at Junior Firefighter Camp was an eye-opening experience. At the time, he was just 14 years old, but the skills he learned have stayed with him throughout his firefighting career.
“A lot of those skills that we learned throughout that week is stuff that we're going to use for the rest of our life,” Heater said. “It definitely gave you the dedication and really tested whether or not you wanted to become a firefighter.
Although only 22, Heater has been a member of the fire service for 6 years, and calls firefighting “one of the greatest jobs in the world.”
Bryant Sponaugle, also of Lewis County, said his plan in life was always to become a career firefighter. With both parents, a grandfather and an uncle in the fire service, giving back to his community as an EMT and fireman felt natural to Sponaugle.
“I love the constant engagement with the community and seeing the impact I make on other people,” Sponaugle said. “Whether it’s a kid smiling as the trucks go by, or someone’s grandma who’s been lying on the floor for days, seeing their face light up is the greatest feeling in the world.”
During camp, Sponaugle said he learned more about how fire behaves like a “living, breathing thing.” He familiarized himself with how fires respond in certain circumstances, and he did it alongside his fellow campers. Because of their common interest in firefighting, Sponaugle said he and his cohort became close after just a week at camp.
Similar to Heater and Sponaugle, Gabriel Skidmore from Barbour County said he had wanted to become a firefighter since he was little. His dad, a paramedic and firefighter himself, was also an instructor at the WV State Fire Academy, and Skidmore spent many days at the Academy and with other firemen as a kid.
When he finally got to attend Junior Firefighter Camp for himself, Skidmore learned the ins and outs of being a firefighter, and the firemen and instructors he grew up around were happy to share their own tricks of the trade — knowledge that would be invaluable in his position at the Bridgeport Fire Department.
“I believe it’s one of the best, if not the best job in the world. It’s a tough job, it’s a very exhausting job, but I will say that it’s also the most rewarding,” Skidmore said. “We see people at their lowest, day in and day out, every day, and for me, I kind of just want to make that person’s day a little bit better if I can.”
Through Junior Firefighter Camp, Justice, Bryant and Gabriel were able to learn the foundational skills needed to turn their childhood dreams of becoming a firefighter into a real career.
For registration information or additional details on Junior Firefighter Camp, visit the camp webpage here.
If you want to learn more about WVU Extension, visit?extension.wvu.edu?or follow @WVUExtension on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.
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