The Chatham County Fire Department proudly hosted the third Company Officer Program, bringing together firefighters and future leaders from across the Southeast for a week of intensive training and leadership development.

Held at the department’s state-of-the-art training facility, the program focused on preparing company officers for the critical responsibilities of leading crews, managing incidents, and serving their communities with professionalism and excellence.

Over the course of six days of training, participants engaged in classroom instruction, scenario-based exercises, and leadership workshops designed to strengthen decision-making, communication, and command presence. The program also emphasized teamwork, accountability, and the importance of servant leadership in the fire service.

There were live fire training and truck operation exercises that tested participants and measured decision-making skills.

“Company officers are the backbone of the fire department,” said CCFD training Chief Joshua Anderson. “They are the ones who guide our firefighters on every call and set the tone for safety, performance, and service. Hosting this program reflects our commitment to building strong leaders for Chatham County and beyond.”

There were 11 graduates of the program from six different departments:

CCFD: Grant Flummerfelt, Jaden Jackson, Shalana Roemeling, Dustin Turk and Daniel Wohlert. Pooler Fire Rescue: Joshua Adams. Garden City Fire Department: Andrew Jacobson and Brian Underhill. Hardeeville Fire Department: Tyler Volz. Bryan County Fire Department: Clark Wenzel. Liberty Fire Services: Jeremy Yeargin.

Chatham County Fire would like to thank the following guest speakers who attended the academy. Swainsboro Fire Chief Alima Mims, Henry County Fire Chief Pat Wilson, West Columbia Fire Chief Marquis Solomon, Summerville Deputy Training Chief Chris Tennyson.

A special thanks to the following instructors, Pooler Fire -Resue Training Chief Ian Schulte, Hardeeville Fire Training Chief Woody Childs, Hornet Fire Training, CCFD Captain Jordan Johnson. Assisting throughout the academy include, Training Coordinator Jonathan Campbell, Firefighters John William Farrel and Alec Wogoman from Chatham County Fire, Michael Gordon from Garden City Fire Rescue and Charles Helton from Liberty Fire Services.

By investing in officer development, Chatham County Fire continues to advance its mission of protecting lives and property while supporting the growth of fire service professionals throughout the region.