The fire truck and the academy are a result of a partnership between CHCCS’s Career and Technical Education Department, the Chapel Hill Fire Department and Durham Tech Community College. Students can attend firefighting classes starting their sophomore year and earn credit toward an associate’s degree along with a certification.  

Superintendent Pam Baldwin said she believes the fire truck will be instrumental in providing students with first-hand career technical experience.  

“In education circles, we always talk about how important career technical education is for our students,” said Baldwin. “We talk about it all the time because we know how important it is for our students to have real experiences and to find their passion.”