July 28, 2026
By BARTON HENLEY & CORY ANN MICHEL
Rutherford County Schools
Students in the Rockvale High School’s Fire Management and Science program just got a major upgrade, thanks to the donation of a fire truck from Rutherford County Fire Department.
Since the program’s start in 2023, the inception of a fire truck has been a long-term goal of for the school. Director of Schools Dr. Jimmy was able to secure the truck donation late last spring through conversations with the County Commissioners and Fire Chief Larry Farley.
“Chief Farley, Commissioner (Pettus) Read and Commissioner (Robert) Peay were able to make it so that we are now the proud owners of a fire truck to help our fire science program,” Sullivan said.
The truck will remain housed at Rockvale High and will be assigned specifically to their Fire Management and Science program.
“The truck will be used as lab equipment to provide students with real world experiences in operating a fire pump apparatus, identical to what is being used by today’s fire service personnel on fire scenes,” said Brian Lewis with the school’s district’s Career and Technical Education Department.
All systems in the truck will be fully functioning, including the water pumping systems, the hoses, and gears for operating the truck.
“This really takes our new program to a whole other level,” Rockvale High Principal Meagan Turnbow said. We will have a ton of students interested in joining our new fire safety program, which, by the way, is the only one in the county.”
The truck along with all other fire safety equipment will be stored in the newly built Emergency Services building.
“There is a continued local and region‑wide need for a strong pipeline of trained first responders and firemen,” Lewis said. “Access to an actual fire apparatus allows students to gain hands‑on, real‑world experience with the equipment and teamwork skills used by local departments every day. We know in RCS that these kinds of experiential learning experiences help students better transition from the classroom into postsecondary fire academies and careers serving their home communities.”
The Fire Management program has a four-course program of study within the Civics, Public Service and Safety CTE Career Cluster and consists of the following courses: Principals of Fire & Emergency Services, Fire Prevention, Fire Science I, Fire Science II and Fire Management Career Practicum.