Campbell County Area Technology Center’s new fire science program trains students to put them two years ahead in their careers by the time they graduate with their high school diploma.
Students like Joseph Butke, a junior at Pendleton County High School, are taking advantage of the program that awards Firefighter Level 1 and EMT certifications by the end of their two years of training. The program was brought to the technology center this year after a need was identified for more regional firefighters.
“This is teaching me now to where as soon as I get my high school diploma, I can go work somewhere, and that’s really important because it takes away that two-year gap it would take to fully train a new employee at 18. And I’m 16,” Butke said.
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