Fulton High School gets a fire truck to teach students these real-life skills
Holy smokes! A fire truck is on Fulton High School's campus, and it's for all the right reasons.
The school's Fire Service Education program teaches students more than just career skills. They learn how to stay calm in stressful situations, think critically and become problem solvers. Now they've got real equipment to explore even more.
The Knoxville Fire Department donated a retired fire truck to the school, located across from the city's new public safety complex on the city's north side.
The truck, with over 150,000 miles on it, is a 1997 Emergency One Hurricane Pumper and has a 500-gallon water tank that served the Bearden Community as Engine 18. It once saved lives in Knoxville and, now in its new phase, will help prepare the next generation of first responders before they even graduate high school.
Students in the program apply their newly acquired skills in real life, instructor Darrell Whitaker said, adding that he's had students of his put out kitchen fires with the skills he taught.
Whitaker retired from the Knoxville Fire Department after 32 years of service and now loves giving back to the community via the students he teaches. In his long career of serving in the military, fighting fires and as a paramedic, Whitaker has had people he has saved recognize him and thank him.
"It's a feeling of overwhelming gratitude," he said. "It's euphoric, and these kids are learning that."
The fire classes give kids the option to explore a career while they're thinking about their futures.
Fulton's diverse student population represents the city of Knoxville as a whole, said Jonathon Egert, principal of the public services academy at the school.
"Our community needs our kids. Our Hispanic population is expanding quickly," Egert said.
"So that's an incredible opportunity for the city to have ready-made bilingual firefighters."
About 31% of the school's 922 students are Hispanic and most of them speak Spanish, Egert said.
"This is the good stuff that's happening in education," Egert said.
What are the 865 Academies?
The fire program is part of the Knox County Schools 865 academies, a new initiative at high schools that puts emphasis on career training and preparing students for life after graduation. Students learn in small groups, partnering with community organizations.
Fulton has three academies - the Academy of Communications, the Academy of Health and Human Services and the Academy of Public Service.
Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AreenaArora.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Fulton High School gets a donated fire truck for career classes
