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There’s a crew of students at Bellwood-Antis this year who have committed to serving their community by becoming volunteer firefighters.

Fifteen years ago Caleb Stephens was no different.

Stephens, who graduated in 2007, is currently working at AMED and is an Emergency Medical Technician. He has been employed there since the winter of his senior year of high school.

When Stephens was 14 he started running with Excelsior Fire Company of Bellwood, and currently runs with Hookies Blazing Arrow Fire Company of Tyrone.

Stephens became an EMT because he started out in the fire service.

“It was another way for me to help people,” said Stephens, who noted that he found personal satisfaction in being there for people who have reached  their worse moment of their lives.

Some of his hobbies include golf, reading, and doing activities with his step son.

His extracurriculars in high school included football and federation baseball, which has since grown into a true passion. Stephens earned his umpire certification last year and made the rounds last summer at many of the local baseball leagues.

“It was something I thought about doing for awhile,” he said. “It is a very different experience from playing the game, but you get to see the other side of it. Any decision you make affects each aspect of the game.”

It’s also an opportunity to teach generations coming up about the game, said Stephens, who credited a former co-worker with talking him into trying officiating out.

Stephens said his time in high school prepared him for adulthood by teaching him how to be a good listener, how to be compassionate about other peoples problems, and how to apply good study habits. Each of those skills acquired at B-A, he said,  helped him in his career as an EMT.

Stephens still visits Bellwood often for work, also to visit his family who lives in town. He married Tyroner Stephanie Miller, and the two now live there.