Police and Fire Explorers

Woodbury Public Safety sponsors Police and Fire Explorer Posts. Exploring is a vocation-based program of Learning for Life, a subsidiary of the Boy Scouts of America, for youth ages 14 through 20. For young men and women who are interested in careers in the field of law enforcement or the fire service, Exploring offers experiential learning with hands-on activities that promote the growth and development of youth.

The Woodbury Public Safety Explorer posts are youth-led and supported by adult advisors dedicated to help youth develop leadership, master technical skills, engage in community service and experience the profession of public safety. It is the mission of Learning for Life to enable young people to become responsible individuals by teaching positive character traits, career development, leadership and life skills so they can make ethical choices and achieve their full potential -- Woodbury Public Safety supports that mission.

The Woodbury Public Safety Department has several officers and firefighters who began their career as Explorers. If you are interested in learning more about the Explorer Program in Woodbury, contact the Public Safety Department at (651) 714-3600 or by e-mail at police@ci.woodbury.mn.us or fire@ci.woodbury.mn.us.

Police Explorers
In 1992, the Woodbury Police Department became the sponsor of a Police Explorer Program. The Police Explorer Post is designed to provide its members with the experiences and training that will demonstrate the nature of law enforcement in order to better prepare these members in making a decision about entering the law enforcement profession.

During the school year, the youth meet once a week and learn about all facets of law enforcement. Some of the topics that are covered are traffic stops, search and arrest, hostage negotiations, bomb scene search, crime scene search, domestic crisis, traffic accident investigation, burglary response, crime prevention, emergency field first aid and decision making.

At the end of April the Midwest Law Enforcement Explorer Conference is held. At this conference, the explorers are able to apply the training they have received in practical scenarios to see how effectively they can handle different situations. There are approximately 400 explorers from all over the state who attend this conference.

The Woodbury Police Department has several officers who began their career as Police Explorers. If you are interested in learning more about the Explorer Program, contact the Woodbury Police Department at (651) 714-3600 or by e-mail at police@ci.woodbury.mn.us.

Fire Explorers
In 2006, the Woodbury Fire Department chartered its first Fire Exploring Post. This post is dedicated to introducing its members to the technical and team-oriented skills used in the vocation of firefighting, rescue and emergency medical services (EMS).

The group meets on most Thursday evenings throughout the year. Each of these meetings focuses on hands-on firefighting and EMS training, and culminates with their participation in a statewide Fire Exploring competition. The training follows the Firefighter I training curriculum taught to most rookie firefighters throughout the nation, and covers a broad range of emergency skills, including fire suppression, salvage and overhaul, search and rescue, and emergency medicine.

In addition, Fire Explorers serve the department and the community by participating in public education events, block parties, parades, drills and many other Fire Department activities. They also are eligible to respond to certain calls to support real-world fire ground operations!