Hometown Rankin - June & July 2017

The CHALKBOARD
RANKIN COUNTY SCHOOLS
Richland High
Richland High School and the Richland Fire Department have
developed a working partnership to give students an opportunity to
learn valuable lifesaving skills and to develop the ability to work as a
team.Participants will also be provided with leadership abilities and
the capability to become confident, productive outstanding citizens
in our community. This unique strategy enables high school students
to have the experience and preparation necessary for them to earn a
professional firefighter certification.
This program takes the student from cadet level through
certification at the NFPA 1001-firefighter II level. It covers all
aspects of firefighting including fire behavior, protective equipment,
forcible entry, ventilation, salvage/overhaul, and fire attack. It also
includes CPR and first aid, incident command, hazardous materials
operations, auto extrication, rescue the rescuer, and physical fitness
training. Successful students will be certified as Firefighter I and II
by the Richland Fire Department within their jurisdiction.
In addition, daily hands-on activities are conducted in order to build
skill and enhance the knowledge gained. Near the end of the course,
students participate in comprehensive activities which require team
and individual efforts to accomplish their assigned “mission.” The
top graduates are recommended for employment with the Richland
Fire Department once they reach the age of eighteen. The other
graduates are allowed to become reserves within the department.
The program helps in developing the attitudes and skills necessary to
establish satisfying relationships and sets and achieves personal goals
while producing self-esteem and confidence. The main purpose of
the cadet program is to change the lives of our students, so that they
may change the lives of others in times of need.
Richland High School serves nearly 850 students from grades
seven through twelve. We are a Title I school with free and reduced
lunch ratio of about 63%. Many of the students from Richland
graduate and immediately enter the workforce. To prepare students
for this transition, RHS has continually sought assistance from
members of the community to have our student’s career or college
ready. As a result the graduation rate has increased from 60% to
nearly 90%. A key factor was the development of career interest
surveys, which led to the growth of curriculum that made a pathway
for students to graduate in order to pursue the career of their choice.
The Richland Fire Department indicated that they were interested
in developing potential candidates for the fire department and
approached RHS with a plan to develop an internal pool of
applicant who would be trained and available after graduation.
For students who had expressed an interest in becoming a fire
fighter, the timing was impeccable. The initial program for juniors
and seniors and has grown from eight to fifteen participates
since its implementation.
100 • June 2017