KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A partnership between Knoxville and the city's fire department hopes to mold the next generation of firefighters. Through the partnership, students across Knoxville can get hands-on experience with some of the tools and techniques firefighters use to keep the community safe.
While hoping to inspire a generation of students to become firefighters, it also hopes to address a shortage of firefighters across the region.
"We go out in situations where, this is this person's worst day in their life. We get to help them out," said Darrell Whitaker, a firefighter of 32 years who teaches the students.
A firetruck was donated to Fulton High School recently as part of the program, used to show students how to navigate its several tools and functions. The school has a fire management program, in which students learn what it takes to be a firefighter.
The program shows them how to extinguish fires as well as ventilation tactics followed by search-and-rescue techniques.
Students in the program get the experience they can use right away to advance in a career. They may not need a college degree to start pursuing a career in public service.
"To walk right out here with the training they've got here, they've already got a foot in the door," said Whitaker.
KFD said it is searching for new employees and seeing high schoolers studying to become firefighters is bringing a new sense of hope. Through programs like these, they can more easily find recruits who already have the skills they need to serve the community.
"It's really having enough firefighters. We, just like everybody else in the country, have experienced employee shortages," said Mark Wilbanks, a spokesperson for KFD. "It's not cheap to develop a firefighter to hire, outfit and teach a firefighter. It's very expensive."