On June 6, the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Certification Board barred students under 18 from enrolling in Fireground Ops 9, one of the final courses required for firefighter certification.
The rule takes effect on Dec. 31, reversing the Board’s previous decision, which allowed candidates under 18 to take the course if they had completed all other required firefighter training.
“It only lasted less than 12 months before they decided to stop it, which is very disheartening because if these kids are getting this program and their EMT on their last year of high school, they graduate job-ready,” White Cross Fire Department Fire Chief Phillip Nasseri said.
Firefighters must now be legal adults to enroll in Fireground Ops 9. The course teaches fire control and requires candidates to complete 14 practical skills N.C. Fire and Rescue Commission Deputy Director Brian Wade said. He said 12 of these skills involve extinguishing live fires in environments classified as immediately dangerous to life or health.
At an Oct. 8 meeting with the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, Nasseri asked the commissioners to write a letter to the certification board to reverse its June decision.
He said it is important for students under 18 to take the course because it brings them out of high school with work-ready vocational training and a pathway to earn money while pursuing a part-time college education.
The change could affect recruitment and retention in rural fire departments, which he said often depend on young volunteers transitioning into full-time roles. For candidates aspiring to work in smaller departments, he said delaying access to the course until after graduation might cost them an open position somewhere.
“I think they're going to end up hurting folks more than helping,” Nasseri said.
Wade said that allowing under-age candidates to participate in the course violates the commission's live fire policy, which requires participants to be at least 18 for live fire exercises.
