A coveted firefighter cadetship is teaching Figtree High students skills for life

Two separate hoses, 30 metres each, could easily snake together but they don't, these teens have got this.

The hoses are attached with one end fitted to the pump on the back of the fire truck. As the nozzle is attached to the other end and locked into position, Andjela Regulic pumps her fist into the air and yells - "water on!".

For the past 10 weeks, the 15-year-old Figtree High School student has been taking part in the NSW Rural Fire Service cadet program and she's loving it.

This is the first intake of cadets in the Illawarra since COVID hit, with 12 Figtree High students and teacher Aaron Kellaway signing up to take part.

Fellow Year 10 student Jess Dowell was at the end of the hose fighting pretend fires when the Mercury visited Farmborough Heights RFS Station on Wednesday, June 26.

"It was all just amazing," the 15-year-old said.

"Last week we got to see an actual fire being put out and that was amazing, it was really cool. We didn't realise how the heat just straight up came, we were a bit caught off guard by it.

"It was such a good experience to watch the actual firefighters put it out."

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The program has been built into the students' school curriculum, and in between firefighting drills, learning about fire behaviour and the phonetic alphabet, they're also gaining communication and teamwork skills and growing in confidence.

"It's the ability for the students to show skills that as teachers, we don't often see. They work in small groups, they take leadership roles," teacher Mr Kellaway said.

"It's an environment that requires teamwork [and] communication, it's all the fundamentals that as an employer you'd probably look for in a person."

During the 10 weeks Mr Kellaway has noticed a confidence boost among the students as they've faced and tackled new challenges.

"There was an unknown about what they were stepping into," he said.

"There's an element of confidence they've obtained from not only meeting all the people that are involved with the Rural Fire Service, but within themselves. An element of belief in themselves, being able to make decisions, even under pressure."

RFS Illawarra Sutherland district officer Jacob Trow said the statewide program has been a huge success among high schoolers.

"It gets them out of their comfort zone doing something new. It's everything about firefighting, without the fire," he said.

Many high schoolers who take part, such as Aleksandar Matic in this intake, go on to join the RFS' official cadet brigades. While teacher Mr Kellaway has joined a local brigade too.

"It's good for them, it's good for us. It's a double-edged sword," Mr Trow said.