Published September 29, 2026
BY CORA LANDRY
The new CHS Firefighting Club, run by a real firefighter, provides medical and fire-suppressing skills weekly with expert guest speakers visiting monthly.
In the club’s first meeting, senior president Matthew Thomas, a firefighter with Cachagua Fire, and senior vice president Matthew Villa, a volunteer firefighter with Menlo Park Fire Protection District, taught how to take respiratory rates, blood pressures and pulses from the wrist. Patient protocol and special procedures for infants were discussed, and members learned about medical equipment in emergency vehicles, like blood glucose and blood oxygen monitors, and how they work.
“Obviously, these guys know what they’re doing, and they’re showing other people, and that’s wonderful,” says club adviser Victoria Deckelmann.
In the second meeting, club leaders described how to fight a fire by hosing it down, creating containment lines with dozers and retardant, and performing managed burns to keep control of the spread.
As for the Timber Fire, Thomas said he believes it may go on for weeks or months until rain comes and emphasized that civilians should stay out of firefighters’ way in the meantime.
Matthew Villa and Matthew Thomas discuss the realities of being a firefighter. photo by CORA LANDRY
Rich Villa, a captain of Menlo Fire and Matthew Villa’s father, visited in September to speak of his work as a paramedic. Matthew Thomas’ father, Jon, an EMT and Cachagua Fire captain, is expected to visit in the following months, as well as Sierra Sans, a wildland firefighter transported by helicopter.
“The point of this club is to help people get a jumpstart into their careers and futures,” Matthew Thomas says.
But it is not only for aspiring firefighters.
“Absolutely, this club could be beneficial to people who want to be firefighters, EMTs, paramedics or doctors,” says Matthew Villa.
Most firefighting work in Monterey County is medical, the younger Thomas adds, so this club largely aims to build medical expertise. It will provide experience to many upcoming emergency workers and give an advantage in the job market.
Plus, with local fires raging, club leadership says all students should get to be as informed as possible.
The Firefighting Club meets every Monday in Room 34 to spread awareness in CHS about fire safety and first responder positions.
