CTE Spotlight: Fire and Rescue program student Eli Smith

February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month and Blue River Career Programs will be spotlighting its programs and a student from each program Monday through Friday in the Shelby County Post during the month of February.

Today's CTE spotlight is the Fire and Rescue program.

Eli Smith comes to BRCP from Edinburgh High School. He is a senior who shows a lot of interest for the fire service.

Smith spends his free time job shadowing with the Edinburgh Fire Department. He works hard at keeping his studies a priority.

Along with attending BRCP and Edinburgh High School, he attends evening classes two nights a week obtaining his NREMT certification.

"To me this isn't just a regular class. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to come here, even though my school is out of the county," said Smith. "That means a lot to me. I've always wanted to be a firefighter and this class brings me closer to that dream. Being in this class means I'm preparing to make a real difference and give back to my community. It has taught me many things, gotten me more involved with my local fire department, and has given me a second family. And I'm thankful for the instructors who have taken the time and care enough to teach us about the best job in the world."

Blue River Career Programs' Fire and Rescue program focuses on the fundamentals of the fire service and EMS. Beginning junior year and returning senior year students have the opportunity to receive state certification in Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations along with Firefighter I, Firefighter II and national registry NREMT. 

These certifications combined enable the student to meet the state minimum requirements to begin a career or volunteer in the first service in the state of Indiana.