Next generation firefighters sign on

Apr. 17—Ever since he could remember, Southeast Whitfield High School senior Noah Campbell knew he wanted to be a firefighter once he graduated — he just didn't know what the path to get there would look like.

But after months of training as part of the Northwest Georgia College & Career Academy's First Responders Pathway Program, Campbell, along with six other Whitfield County high school seniors, signed a contract with the Whitfield County Fire Department during a recent signing ceremony at the Career Academy.

"I came from a family of firefighters," Campbell said. "My grandpa and my dad were both volunteer firefighters at the Lebanon Fire Department in Virginia. I just wanted to follow in their footsteps, so this was kind of set out to be."

All six seniors began their training through the Career Academy program in January and are the second cohort of students to pass since the First Responders Pathway Program's inception in January 2023.

During the program, students participated in an all-encompassing, hands-on firefighting course, including physical training field exercises and classroom lectures.

"They come (to the Career Academy) every day from 12:30 (p.m.) until 3:15," said Sam Hammontree, the chief of training for the WCFD. "They actually go through an hour of PT (physical training), the same thing we do with our recruit class, and then they come in and they get the lecture."

At the conclusion of the program, Hammontree said students come out with their Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2 certification, which includes Hazardous Materials Awareness and Hazardous Materials Operations, "which gives them the state certification and allows them to be hirable at any fire department in Georgia."

Hammontree said all six students have worked hard to also meet their high school graduation requirements and reported to the WCFD's recruit class on Monday, April 15.

Out of the six students who signed WCFD employment contracts, one student came from Southeast Whitfield High with another attending Coahulla Creek High School. Four students came from Northwest Whitfield High School, including Hammontree's son Kody, who said it "means a lot" to be able to work alongside his father.

"I look up to him a lot and I've seen him go up in the ranks," Kody Hammontree said. "I've always wanted to work with him and I've just wanted to do this profession for forever. He definitely played a role in that. Every time I would go on calls and see them do their thing it made me want to do it more and more."

Ethan Hooker, also from Northwest Whitfield High, said becoming a firefighter is a dream come true.

"It hit me whenever I was real young and I saw firefighters in movies," Hooker said. "I thought it sounded really cool, so when I heard about the program, I decided to do it. A couple of months in, I'm loving it. It's been real fun."

Yoselyn Paez, an 18-year-old student from Northwest Whitfield High, had the distinction of being the only female signee of the group.

"This is pretty big," she said. "You don't see a lot of females as firefighters, so I think it's very important for me to shine a light that women can be in this type of work."

Paez said first hearing of the program led her to making her career decision.

"Before this pathway program, I would have never chosen to be a firefighter," she said. "I actually don't know where I would've been, so this has really opened up a lot of doors for me and I'm very thankful for that."

Also originally unsure of his post-high school aspirations was Northwest Whitfield High senior Riley Saylor.

"At first, I really didn't know if I wanted to be a firefighter," he said. "But, I signed up for the program and when I really got to see what they do for the community, that's when I decided that this was what I wanted to do as a career."

Coahulla Creek High senior Levi Lowery said he was "really excited" for what's to come.

"I'm ready to go out there, fight some fires and save people," he said. "It's a good, steady job. You make $50,000 a year almost and you get to help people while learning more."

During the signing ceremony, WCFD Chief Ed O'Brien congratulated the students on their success.

"It's exciting to see this group of young adults," O'Brien said. "You're getting ready to embark on the next big step in your life and you're only 18-years-old. The start that you've got from this school is going to send you a long way. You're a special group."

O'Brien said attaining state certification at such a young age, with "good pay and a good benefits program," should be lauded.

"You can't ask for much more than that," he said. "A lot of people talk about how the younger generation have no drive, but these people have done all this training on their own and for free. It's very exciting for us and it's a great day for them."

Whitfield County Administrator Robert Sivick gave advice to the new signees.

"Part of your job will be fun ... but a large part of your job involves danger," Sivick said. "We do appreciate you doing this. You are the people who resist that natural instinct to run away from danger. Instead, you run into burning buildings, because somebody has to do it."

Sivick said the training the students have been through and will continue to go through is "vital."

"It's important to understand that training is not only vital to you staying safe and alive, but, more importantly, it's vital to making sure the people you serve — the civilians out there — stay alive. You put their interests above your own. It does come with some risk and a price, so thank God for people like you to take that on. Congratulations."

Hooker said he along with the other students have seen "tough times and some easy times" as they progressed through the program.

"You've just got to push through the hard times," he said. "The part that makes it easier is you're doing it with your buddies. It helps you out. This job is really important. (We) just want to help people. Trying to prevent people from getting hurt and helping them out, that's all that really matters."