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Tulsa fire fighters help students make life choices

Posted at 6:17 PM, Jun 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-15 19:17:40-04

Some Tulsa firefighters are taking to the classroom to help students get on the right path.

It's been years since these Tulsa firefighters were officially in high school, but they come back now for good reason.

They're mentoring hundreds of students at Tulsa's, Will Rogers High School.

"The goal was at first initially was just to assist the kids that wanted to be a firefighter," TFD Captain Barrett Cramer said.

It's part of the rogers' summit program, designed to get students thinking about college.

All students here go through the program.

Cramer and his fellow firefighters took this opportunity very seriously.

"Basically we developed a career path to come on the fire department we show up at the first class there was eight girls and two boys," Cramer said. "I said 'who wants to be a firefighter? And nobody (laughs).'"

Now two years and hundreds of students later.

The firefighters still look at their mentoring as a way to get students interested in firefighting but the second half of the class now focuses on how important life choices are.
 
"What they've done for us is they've really helped us encourage our students not only in engaging in a very fulfilling career, but they've also helped our students see the value of character development at a young age," Rogers College Summit teacher Amber Smith said.

Working with the Tulsa firefighters have given Devan Wallace new perspective, but the guys from station 15 have learned a little something too.

"We can honestly do anything we put our minds to and being a firefighter takes heart and courage," Wallace said. "I think that's something I could do."

"In 15 years in the fire business this has probably been one of the biggest and best things that I've been part of, TFD Justin Weber said."