An 18-year-old from Naples received her firefighter certification, joining the rest of her family as a volunteer firefighter at South Boundary Fire Protection District. 

Alexis Vandecoevering has been a busy teenager for the last few years as she dedicated herself to achieving her goals. Vandecoevering attended homeschool to complete her high school education, but also took on dual credit college courses in pursuit of an associate degree in criminal justice. At the same time, she spent two years training with the South Boundary Fire Protection District, eventually taking the course to obtain her Firefighter 1 certification.  

During the pandemic, along with most students, she began attending remote school and found that this worked well for her, so when the rest of the world returned to school and work, Vandecoevering continued her studies as a homeschooled student.  

The flexible schedule of homeschooling allowed the time for her to begin taking college courses.  

Completing high school education, college courses and training to be a firefighter may seem like a lot to juggle, even for the average person, but for Vandecoevering, the hard work was worth it. In fact, she only has two semesters remaining until she completes the college courses needed to receive an associate degree in criminal justice.  

In the meantime, Vandecoevering continues the family legacy as she joins her parents and three siblings as a first responder.   

“I have always enjoyed it.” Vandecoevering said about volunteering. “When I was in middle school, I was in leadership for all three years and that was a lot of fun volunteering and just helping.”  

Before receiving the Firefighter 1 certification, she was unable to go on all the calls, now that she is fully certified, she can go on all of them, including medical calls. As a junior firefighter, there are restrictions about which calls the junior firefighters can attend.  

 “I just like being able to help people because it is usually one of the worst days of their life, and you get to help … just a little bit,” Vandecoevering said, without hesitation, about what she liked most about volunteer firefighting. 

Vandecoevering would ultimately like to have a career as a first responder, but she is unsure which type she would like to settle on. The next step for her is to obtain her EMT certification to further her skills.  

"Alexis has been really fun to watch grow as a person, and as a firefighter,” Chief Allen Merritt said about working with Vandecoevering. “She has faced a lot of her fears when it comes to getting out and doing things that are out of her comfort zone. She has become a great asset to our fire department and will be a great addition to any department or team if she decides to join in the future. I believe Alexis is going to do great things. She works hard at everything and finishes at or near the top, in everything she does. It’s been an honor to be a part of her journey.”    

The South Boundary Fire Protection District has a junior firefighter program available for teens 14 and over to attend. The junior firefighters will train on the regularly scheduled training days with the other volunteers. Training days are Thursday evenings.  

Contact SBFPD for information or questions at 208-267-8052 or chief@southboundaryfire.com.

    Alexis Vandecoevering in gear beside fire truck
  

    Alexis Vandecoevering volunteer firefighter