High School Students Complete Live Fire Training

Saturday some Savannah high school students got a hands-on lesson in what it's like to be a firefighter. The students are part of the first class taking the Firefighter Training Program at Woodville-Tompkins Technical Career Institute.

It may look like a real fire scene, but it's a valuable training exercise for the students.

"We're going to start with a dumpster fire. It's a crawl, walk run technique that we use to build them up. We'll start with small fires then we'll work into the building," said Savannah Fire Captain Todd Heil, who is the program coordinator.

The students were excited about this chance to practice what they've learned, as instructors put them through the paces of how to put out a fire.

"I always wanted to be a firefighter since I was young. since when I was in elementary school they came to my school and let me ride around in the truck in all that, so that's what got me so interested," said senior Taig Herring, 17.

"Looks like a really fun job that could keep you interactive instead of just sitting behind a desk all the time, you're actually out there doing stuff," said Jonathan Gerbsch, 17, also a senior.

Fighting fires isn't the only skill they're learning.

"We try to school them in the actual what we call the art of being a firefighter, which is first responder, hazardous materials, and some technical rescue," explained Heil.

"This course taught me a lot about teamwork, plus it teaches me a lot about exactly how to save lives," said Herring, who says he plans to go to college before becoming a firefighter.

Organizers say these students will be ahead of the game when they get ready to find a job.

"We're excited about the fact that we will have a class that finishes this year that will be and can be firefighters," said Dr. Thomas Lockamy, superintendent of Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools.

"It gives you leaps and bounds. I mean these kids are going to be coming onto the job if they are hired. They've already had a year of firefighter training and experience," said Heil.

Next week, the students will take a state test to get their firefighter certification.

Thanks to a dual credit agreement, future students in the Firefighter Training Program will be able to graduate with their high school diploma and an associates degree from West Georgia Technical College.