Pilot program gives students taste of life as a firefighter

By: Chyna Broadnax | Statesville Record & Landmark
Published: September 21, 2011

Statesville High School student Tommy Barrett has daydreamed about being a firefighter — and all the big red trucks and flashing lights that come with it — since he was a little boy.

Now, thanks to a pilot program at SHS, Barrett is living the dream, albeit on a smaller scale.

The Statesville Fire Academy Program is currently being offered to students in grades 10-12. The course, which began at the start of the school year, covers Firefighter I and II curriculum and is taught by retired Fire Marshal Chuck Gallyon.

“I wanted to get better educated for fire service,” said Barrett, a 17-year-old volunteer at Ebenezer Fire Department. “I like helping people.”

The class is housed in a mobile unit at the rear of the school campus. On Monday morning, the 18 participating students got some hands-on experience and a close look at a fire truck. Firefighters from Engine 1 visited the school, took the students on a tour of the truck and answered questions.

Tyler Weatherman, 17, said the class provides students with a “learning opportunity for the real world.

“I’m taking this class because this is what I want to do,” he said. “I can help people, help my community and be something.”

Since the start of class students have learned about fire department equipment, chain of command, procedures and more.

Matt Talbert, 17, who volunteers for Cool Springs Fire Department, said the class opens up options for him.

“You get to explore a new career you wouldn’t have known about before,” he said.

Statesville Fire Academy is modeled after a similar program at Concord High School in Cabarrus County, according to Statesville Fire Chief David Bullins.

The idea of implementing such a program in the school came from the desire to expose the career field to a wide variety of ethnicities, Bullins explained.

Once students complete the program they will be partially certified, but will have to complete the remaining training once they graduate or turn 18 years old.

If the course is successful, it could be expanded to other high schools in the district.