Building Future First Responders in Schools

Virginia’s rural fire departments are drowning in staffing shortages, but one county is turning the tide by training high schoolers to become EMTs and firefighters—building a pipeline of future first responders right in their classrooms. With limited budgets and dwindling applicants, Rockbridge County’s bold new program is showing early success, with most students passing tough certifications and some already hired. It’s a grassroots solution: partnering schools with local departments to spark interest before kids even graduate—and maybe even before they’ve seen a firefighter in action. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/2d3d5809309239e6