Franklin, TN — The Franklin Fire Department and the Williamson County Schools Innovation Center celebrated the successful completion of the inaugural Fire Management Program class during a student awards ceremony on May 20.

Developed through a partnership between the City of Franklin, the Franklin Fire Department, and Williamson County Schools College, Career & Technical Education (CCTE), the program was open to high school juniors and seniors who were required to apply for acceptance. Twelve students representing eight Williamson County high schools were selected to participate in the first class.

Throughout the 2025-2026 school year, students attended daily 90-minute classes focused on workforce development, career readiness, and hands-on exposure to the fire service profession. The program was taught by Franklin Fire Department Lieutenant Todd Wilson, along with several guest instructors, under the direction of Williamson County Schools CCTE Director Jeremy Qualls and Innovation Center Assistant Director Kris Schneider. 

Lt. Wilson congratulated the students for achieving a significant milestone by becoming the first high school students in Tennessee to complete Firefighter I state requirements as part of an approved public high school curriculum.

According to Eric J. Barlow, Executive Director of the Tennessee Commission on Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education, the Franklin Fire Management Program is the only active high school fire service program in Tennessee currently known to the Commission and the only program known to have an established partnership with local high schools that incorporates dedicated classroom instruction and scheduled training time within the school curriculum.

Students successfully completed Tennessee Firefighter I coursework requirements, including classroom instruction, hands-on skills training, fire behavior, personal protective equipment, fireground operations, safety procedures, and basic emergency response techniques conducted in accordance with applicable Tennessee firefighter training standards.

The curriculum also included specialized training opportunities such as a field trip to the Nashville Fire Department’s flashover simulator and a hazardous materials class taught by firefighters from Brentwood Fire & Rescue. Students who were 18 years old also participated in a live burn training day.

Students in the program were Julius Branch of Renaissance High School; Peter Brophy of Brentwood High School; Isaiah Brown of Fairview High School; Aiden Gardner and Kaleb Hollister of Centennial High School; Jonathan Hale, William Hale, and Cooper Mayatte of Independence High School; Wyatt Heck-McGinnis and Andrew Lantz of Page High School; Chris Johansen of Franklin High School; and Paityn Robertson of Summit High School.

During the ceremony, program leaders and Class Representative Andrew Lantz addressed students, parents, family members, and supporters while recognizing the class for its accomplishments. Franklin Fire Chief Glenn Johnson then presented certificates recognizing the students’ completion of the TN-approved 64-Hour Basic Firefighting Training Course, followed by the presentation of several student awards.

The top honor of the evening, the Rosenwald Recruit Award, was presented to senior Paityn Robertson for dedication to hard work, safety, and service. Retired Sheboygan Fire Captain Rick Rosenwald presented the inaugural award named in his honor. Rosenwald, father of Kris Schneider, inspired Schneider through his lifelong career in the fire service and helped influence the creation of the program.

Additional student awards included the Fire Science Scholar Award presented to William Hale, the Teamwork Award presented to Jonathan Hale, and the Axes and Action Award presented to Kaleb Hollister.

“This program represents the culmination of years of partnership, workforce development efforts, and youth outreach between the Franklin Fire Department and Williamson County Schools,” said Chief Johnson. “We’ve worked to build pathways into the fire service through initiatives such as our Explorer Program, summer camp, internship program, and now the Fire Management Program. It is incredibly rewarding to see students progress through those opportunities and begin pursuing careers in the fire service. We are especially proud that three students from this first class will continue their training with the Franklin Fire Department as interns beginning this summer. We’re grateful for this partnership.”

Johnson said three students from the program have accepted internship positions with the Franklin Fire Department. Aiden Gardner, Andrew Lantz, and Chris Johansen will continue their fire service training through the department’s internship program beginning next week.

Top Photo, L to R: Kaleb Hollister, Cooper Mayatte, Andrew Lantz, Isaiah Brown, Chris Johansen, Aiden Gardner, and Peter Brophy. 

Bottom Photo: Paityn Robertson

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