Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fire chief pitches junior firefighter program to Norfork School District board
Summary
Fire Chief Jeremy Campbell asked the board to gauge student interest in a junior firefighter pathway for 14–18 year‑olds that would teach EMR and firefighter 1 & 2 skills, address volunteer shortages and boost local departments’ readiness; no funding vote was taken.
Fire Chief Jeremy Campbell told the Norfork School District board he would like to establish a junior firefighter program for students roughly 14 to 18 years old that would combine Emergency Medical Responder training and firefighter 1 & 2 instruction as a school‑based class and career pathway.
Campbell said the program would give students who are not college‑bound a route into a skilled occupation and would supply local volunteer departments that are short on personnel. "I would like to gauge the interest in the kids," Campbell said, explaining that students would "take my class at school" so that "when they graduated high school, they would be prepared to take the firefighter one and two test." He described the sequence as EMR training first (about nine weeks) and then firefighter one and two.
The chief cited recent call‑volume pressures as a primary driver. He said Rodney Fire Department had about 108 calls last year and 87 so far in 2025; Salesville historically averaged about 90 calls and recently rose into the 285 range; Tracy has run roughly 160 calls this year but was able to respond to only about 86 because of staffing gaps. "We're just running into this problem more and more," Campbell said, and he argued the school program could help fill that pipeline and count training hours toward each department’s readiness and ISO community‑risk metrics.
Discussion with board members and administrators focused on logistics and costs. Campbell estimated books at about $130–$140 each and suggested local businesses and neighboring districts might sponsor materials; one attendee said a $1,000 local contribution was realistic. He noted that background checks would be required for outside presenters and volunteers, and that students who complete the course would take state certification tests at a regional site — a trip Campbell described as "about a 4‑hour drive" to Camden.
Board members proposed several scheduling options, including coding the class as work‑study or an internship so students could leave campus part of the day, and asked administrators to explore whether the district could fit the course into upper‑classmen schedules without displacing core classes. Campbell also requested closer coordination for fire drills and suggested training student 'fire marshals' to improve evacuation procedures.
Board members expressed general support and asked Campbell to work with school administrators to firm up staffing, scheduling and potential sponsorships; no formal fiscal commitment or vote took place at the meeting.
The next step is for Campbell to meet with school administrators to plan an open house to gauge interest, confirm background‑check procedures and identify funding or donated materials.
