Employee Spotlight: College’s Public Safety Training director hopes to restart Fire Academy program

Blake Whitt, now the Director of Public Safety Training for Durham Tech, completed the College’s Fire Academy in 2012 and now is looking to bring the program back.

"The Fire Academy was an amazing experience for me,” Whitt said. “I still tell people about it today. The amount of experience I gained, whether it was a specific way to make an impact at the fire department or an overall life lesson, was unbelievable.”

After completing the academy, Whitt went to work at the Roxboro Fire Department for 10 years before moving to the New Hope Fire Department for three and a half years.

“I learned much from both departments. Lots of hands-on, situational lessons and even how to deal with people involved in emergencies,” Whitt said. “I got fire experience, but also responded as an EMT, so I gained that knowledge and skill set as well.”

It is because of his experience with Durham Tech’s Fire Academy that he wants to bring back the program that ended in 2017, adding an EMT component.

“The program was thriving back then. We had a program that would rival any in the state,” Whitt said. “Now without the Fire Academy, Orange County and Durham County fire departments are losing young people to other counties.”

Since coming on board with Durham Tech, Whitt has met with representatives from the cities of Durham and Chapel Hill as well county officials from both.

“I want to be sure we are consistently communicating with local fire departments and building those relationships,” Whitt said. “It’s important for the College, the departments and future students.”

Whitt says that all parties involved have been receptive because Durham Tech is more than willing to listen to understand what classes and trainings need to be offered to turn out strong firefighters.

“The departments want fully certified firefighters,” Whitt said. “Durham Tech can provide them, and with the resumption of the Fire Academy even stronger firefighters will emerge ready to go.”

For their part, the fire departments welcome Durham Tech fire and rescue students to the firehouses and provide access to the firetrucks and firefighting equipment.

“The departments are advocates of seeing things happening at their sites,” Whitt said. “People flock to activity. Seeing us out there training can only help bring on new recruits.”

The recruiting pool has increased in size with Durham Tech’s ability to welcome minors into the program. Students from age 16 and up are part of classes on campus but cannot be certified until they turn 18.

“We work closely with our high schools and our program is stronger with the addition of younger students,” said Whitt. “They can take classes while still in high school, so they are ready at age 18 to enter the workforce and become part of a fire department.”

Since coming back to the Durham Tech campus, Whitt has worked tirelessly to grow the program, reinvent and reinstate the Fire Academy and push newly trained recruits out into the local workforce.

“My biggest request when I came on to teach at Durham Tech was that I be allowed the freedom to build the program back to what it was when I attended and to ensure the program was successful for the college, but also for the students in the program,” Whitt said. “Thanks to Assistant Dean Charminique Williams and Dean Justin Long I have been allowed to work with local fire departments, local schools and my fellow instructors to do each of the things I wanted. We will get the Fire Academy back and through it we will do great things.”