Digication ePortfolio :: The Fire Fighting Student: From the Classroom to the Fire Station

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

The Learner

"I'm a hands on learner. Coming into the fire service and then going back to college gave me more direction and more focus. Now I am setting goals with a specific purpose versus just going to school to be going to school"

Chaz Latson is a 26 year old Fire Fighter, who has been fighting fires for the past three years. Like most of us right after high school, he went off to a traditional 4 year school only to find that "college was just not for him." So, he made the risky choice to leave school with absolutely no plan. Then, on a hot summer day while working at a car wash back home, a veteran fire fighter began to tell Chaz about this career and how he should definitely get involved and the rest is history...

C. Latson has now re-entered college as a older and wiser student clear on his goals. I found it easy to select this learner simply because he is the only person I know that is truly spread even between two very different types of learning. Chaz, as a fire fighter is constantly responsible for earning several certifications and on-the job training while on the other hand as a college student he is in the classroom, learning all that is necessary to earn his bachelors degree. Although his time is spread thin, the learner still commits to earning Fire & Rescue certifications throughout the year to further his learning, in relation to this profession.

The learner is currently earning his certification in Trench Rescue, which is a three day, ten hour per day long course that combines hands-on training with classroom sessions. I had the awesome opportunity to observe the classroom portion of this certification along with observing him in the firestation environment. The interesting dynamic of learning from the firestation to the classroom creates an unique dichotomy, in which I desired to observe. Coming into this learning experience initially, I had the burning question of whether there were any connections to be made between these two very different learning environments. Luckily, my question was answered through this observation. Overall, this learning experience was a great one for C.Latson because he was able to learn new information and put it in action instantly, which is a type of learning "he definitely thrives in."