Teens Follow Family Inspiration, Call to Fight Fires

Two borough teens are the latest to join the , after officially becoming the newest junior members in July.

While Matt Karr and John Gill, both 17, are just a few months short of being able go inside the fires, the dedicated teens are qualified to help extinguish fires by helping with the tools outside.

In Morris Plains, a firefighter must be 18 years old to get certification to fight the fires inside, and can become a junior member at age 14.

The rising seniors said they both plan to stay with the department well after they turn 18, and are eager to learn from the older members and get experience.

After only two weeks of joining the department, Karr and Gill said they have responded to several calls and are enjoying their time helping keep the community safe.

"It's pretty fun and exciting," Gill said. "Just getting to respond to all the calls with my friends and helping people out."

Both teens said their family's involvement in volunteerism played a major role in their inspiration to join.

Karr joined the department only a few months after his younger brother Nicholas, 15, . Although being a firefighter was something he's always wanted to do, Matt Karr said his younger brother motivated him to hand in his application.

Matt Karr's father, Jason, is a Morris Plains councilman and also took up volunteerism at an early age by joining the at the age of 16. Jason Karr currently volunteers with the 9-11 Committee, where he maintains and keeps the site in good shape.

"They're both excited about doing it, they're taking in as much in as they can," Jason Karr said about his sons. "Their hearts are really into it, and I think it's something they really like and want to pursue later on."

Matt Karr has been volunteering since he was about 12 around the community, and has helped his dad with the 9-11 Committee as well.

Gill, who just recently started volunteering, said it was also a family member who inspired him to join. His uncle is the fire chief in Newark, and seeing him work got him interested.

Another incentive to join the department, Gill said, was that some of his friends were a part of it too.

For Matt Karr, who is also excited to serve the community with both his friends and his brother, said working with his brother is nothing new. The two teens, only a year a half apart, showed discipline at an early age when they started their own landscaping business, which they still work at daily. 

Jason Karr said he feels fortunate that his sons work so well together and want to help the community in the same way he did when he was their age.

"I'm proud of both of them," Jason Karr said. "I'm proud of all the junior firemen and the older guys that take them under their wing and teach them everything they know. These are the future firefighters in our town."