by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The student arm of the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) needs a home. The student firefighters have lodged together in Wiggins Hall for more than 20 years, and before that in McCrady Hall. The University has plans to move the photography program to Wiggins Hall.

According to Academic Dean Terry Papillon, Wiggins Hall was selected for its proximity to the Nabit Art Building in an effort to bring all studio arts collaborative partners together to promote interactions and engagement among faculty and students.

Importantly, the student firefighters likewise have a need for an environment fostering a close knit relationship.

“PTSD and suicide are far higher among firefighters than the general population,” said SVFD Assistant Chief Doug Cameron. “Living together allows the students to talk daily and decompress.”

Cameron sees the student firefighters as indispensable to Sewanee fire protection. “Of 300 fires each year, 200 are dorm fires. It can really wear you out responding to so many fires. The student involvement offsets the demand.”

“While many of the dorm fires are trivial like cigarettes or pizza boxes in ovens, all the calls needed to be treated as potentially serious incidents,” Cameron insisted.

“The student firefighters are often the first on the scene,” said student Fire Chief Travis Nadalini.

Of the 42 firefighters in the SVFD, 18 are students. Some of the nonstudent volunteers live in remote areas such as Altamont, Cowan, and Sherwood.

“If you look at the number of volunteers who live in town, more than half the nightshift volunteers are students,” Cameron said.

The SVFD formed in 1952 following the Thompson Union fire. Cameron’s father, Ben Cameron, organized the town folk who responded to the alarm. A young chemistry professor, Ben had firefighter training in the Navy. Following the blaze, the vice chancellor asked Ben to establish a fire department. A bicameral entity formed consisting of a student arm and a University shop crew arm. The shop crew only responded to fires when the students weren’t on campus. The remainder of the time, fire protection fell entirely to the students. In the 1980s, the two departments merged.

Cameron points to “synergy” as one of the SVFD’s greatest strengths. “We have experienced people who know the area and how houses are put together balanced by youth and strength.” Cameron’s quick to acknowledge many of the nonstudent firefighters are in their 50s and 60s—“I’m 71,” he said.

Like their nonstudent counterparts, the student firefighters undergo rigorous training. “Teaching them keeps our skills sharp,” Cameron said.

The students have certification in vehicle extraction, rope rescue, safe driving, and basic fire fighting. The majority also have controlled burn training. They drill two to three hours a week in simulated scenarios that include conducting live burns and cutting up cars with the jaws of life. On Sunday, they conduct inspection and maintenance of the department’s engines and other equipment.

Sophomores drive and do the heavy lifting; juniors are required to take an engineering course and are responsible for complex calculations such as the water pressure required in different circumstances; and seniors are the officers, student chief, student assistant chief, and training officer. There are six student firefighters from each grade level.

Freshman interested in becoming student firefighters undergo a rigorous eight-week tryout process composed of classroom work, physical tests, and oral interviews. This year, 30 students applied for the six slots.

“Another residence would be suitable so long as it provides us autonomy, and like Wiggins, has close proximity to the fire station,” Nadalini said. Speculating on options, Nadalini cited the Georgia Avenue townhouses, which are used as theme houses designated for occupancy by student groups with a shared interest.

But Nadalini stressed, “We are more than a theme.”

Cameron pointed to the new Ayres residence hall as another option.

Dean of Students Marichal Gentry, and Vice President of Risk Management and Institutional Effectiveness Eric Hartman have been in conversation with the students. Like Cameron, they see the first floor of Ayres Hall as a possible solution, offering space for the firefighters to be together and a location even closer to the fire station. They cautioned theme housing is in high demand.

Highlighting the need for the student firefighters to live together, Cameron noted the shared lodgings simplified swapping shifts to accommodate academic demands and, equally important, minimized disruption to other students when the firefighters respond to calls.

What if there were no student firefighters in Sewanee?

“It would probably necessitate forming a professional fire department,” Cameron said. “Volunteer fire departments all over the country are having problems getting volunteers.” Projecting the cost, he estimated a professional department would require four firefighters per shift, for four shifts, at an average annual wage of $45,000-$55,000 per person.

Sewanee firefighters receive no wage, with ball caps and T-shirts for perks.

“We are on this department due to a desire to serve,” said Nadalini.