Covenant College Students Volunteer with West Brow Fire Department

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

Each year, a handful of Covenant College students spend their Thursday evenings with the West Brow Fire and Rescue team checking equipment, training for emergency response, and generally enjoying fellowship with the permanent residents of West Brow. Observing the students and the long-term volunteers, you wouldn’t know that they hadn’t been working together for many years.

Located at the northern end of Dade County on Lookout Mountain, Covenant College falls under the West Brow fire department’s territory. A number of years ago, the college had a volunteer program with the department. When Keith McClearn (head of Covenant’s Safety & Security department) joined the college in 2017, he had an interest in revamping the program.

McClearn said, “I’d talked to multiple graduates who participated in the program years ago, and their career choices and lives were significantly impacted by it. Rebooting this program was a no brainer. Chief Tim Sharp and Deputy Chief Kerry Phillips always take care of us. In 2022, West Brow responded to our campus on 45 occasions.”

As one example, various camps rent the college’s campus during summer break, and this past summer, one camper went missing. McClearn reported, “West Brow responded in such a positive manner. At a moment’s notice, they had 15 volunteers out on a Saturday night looking for this child, and the Dade County Sheriff’s Office was out in force.”

McClearn, alumni, and interested donors worked to get the program up and running again. Several alumni who had volunteered with West Brow and now work as first responders visited the college to speak with students. A donor provided funds to cover the cost of the Emergency Medical Responder course. Interested students signed up for the course, and over the last few years, word has spread among the student body about the opportunity.

Katherine Horn, a sociology major and psychology minor who graduated in May 2023, is one student who volunteered during her sophomore, junior, and senior years. Currently working as a corrections officer in the Dade County jail, Horn continues to volunteer with the department.

She said, “I hope to work in law enforcement long-term, and the opportunity to acquire first responder experience in preparation for that career led me to West Brow. I was initially just interested in the chance to gain medical training and respond to medical calls, but my first time showing up for training, they had me and the other recruits get dressed in full gear and sent us into the burn box. I was hooked after that.”

Horn continued, “Getting the chance to learn real-world skills at the same time that I earned my degree was a huge blessing. I graduated not only with a degree, but also with national firefighter, EMT, and other skill-specific certifications.”

Ethan Brown, a current senior studying environmental biology and minoring in history, added, “It’s taught me a lot of patience and how to listen to people’s needs when they’re in stressful situations. I think those people skills and problem-solving practice will be very helpful in any job.”

Brown said that the training courses and textbooks include many details, but they can never cover every situation. “We often have to think critically and make split-second decisions.”

While he is pursuing a career connected to environmental studies (such as a field biologist position with the Department of Natural Resources), Brown will happily join volunteer fire departments in the future if presented with the opportunity. “I’m not pursing a career in emergency response, but I don’t plan on leaving EMS all together. I want to maintain my EMT license, which I’ve been able to use on short-term mission trips in South America.”

In addition to the Fire One certification that each student volunteer earns, Brown earned his EMT certification last fall through Dade Rescue because of the connection through the West Brow department.

With close to 1,000 students plus many faculty, staff, and visitors on Covenant’s campus each weekday, the campus is one of the most concentrated populations in West Brow. The college produces a number of emergency calls, but sometimes these are false alarms. Having students on campus can save the volunteer fire department valuable time.

Tim Sharp (fire chief at West Brow) said, “We run more calls for Covenant than what we would normally run at a place like Thrive. Being there on campus, the students are able to read the alarm panel and assess the situation as soon as possible.” If it’s a false alarm, the department is spared the unnecessary response.

Additionally, having trained EMTs on the mountain (at both West Brown and the New Salem Fire Department) is lifesaving. Brown explained that because Dade’s ambulance service is located down the mountain, it can take much longer for the ambulances to reach the West Brow area. “With us being right down the road, we’re six minutes or less away.”

The students have responded to car fires, house fires, vehicle accidents, and many medical calls.

John Miglarese, a sophomore studying community development, started volunteering early into his first semester at Covenant. He and Jack Carlisle (a junior sociology major) are both finishing up their Fire One certification. Miglarese was already considering careers in the military or disaster relief before he heard about volunteering with West Brow, so finding out that he could learn related skills while in college was a pleasant surprise.

Miglarese said, “I really love being able to invest in this place, not just at the college, but all around the community. It’s always a fun time to go and quickly grab our stuff here and respond to calls.”

Miglarese and Horn also explained that responding to calls involving people they know personally can be emotionally difficult. Horn reflected, “It was always emotionally taxing to respond to medical and trauma calls on a small campus. Trying to comfort and help a classmate or friend while they are sick or in pain, especially when their friends are standing around scared for them, is a strange and difficult experience.” However, Miglarese appreciates being available to help his friends and finds comfort in knowing that there are trained first responders on campus.

All of the students agree that the West Brow Fire and Rescue team is like a family. Miglarese said, “It’s cool to have a place to get away from the college community and be in a community of people who are here permanently.”

Carlisle said, “I love the guys and girls at the department and hanging out with them. Working here, it’s kind of like a big family. They look out for us college kids.”

Brown appreciates learning from people in the department who have a lot of experience. “I feel like they’re invested in me, and my training, and everything I want to do.”

Sharp and his wife enjoy opening their home to the students. He reflected, “A volunteer department is more like a family than a paid department is. We have dinners together and watch football games. We feel like the Covenant students are our kids too. Watching them graduate is like watching them grow up.”

Sharp added, “We want them to make good grades and graduate. They’ve really been flexible at the college.” Brown explained that he speaks with each of his professors, letting them know that he may need to leave class to respond to calls. He prioritizes volunteering much of the time, but during exams, he places himself on off-duty.

Horn said, “The most challenging aspect of volunteering is definitely working around school or jobs. It was a challenge to balance the demands of classes and my school job with the demands of a fire and rescue station. Eventually, you learn which calls are going to require more volunteers and how helpful you with your skill level would be in the situation.”

The department also knows that they only have the students for part of the year, with many of them leaving during the summer and school breaks. Also, they are continually training new recruits.

Since she stayed in the area after graduating, Horn helps recruit new students. “As stressful and even frightening as volunteering can be, I would not trade my time at West Brow for anything, so it’s an honor to help other students find the same opportunity and community.”

Coming from a variety of states, the students have enjoyed experiencing Dade County and the Lookout Mountain culture. Brown reported that the mountain is much more rural than his home in Orlando, Fla. “It’s a nice change of scenery. I’ve noticed larger family structures in Dade County and a lot of really nice families, sometimes with several generations living together. There’s a lot of gratitude from the community up here.”

Carlisle is from Nashville, Tenn., so Dade County is also more rural than his hometown. “I enjoy getting to go into the community, seeing things from a different perspective, and personally connecting with a lot of people.” While back in Nashville this summer, Carlisle volunteered with a department there, and he plans to pursue a career as a firefighter after graduating.

McClearn concluded, “It’s great to see our students giving back to their community. The confidence and decision-making skills they gain from their involvement translates well into whatever career field they find themselves in.”