Congratulations to Firefighter Kevin Holmes on his completion of Chester County's "Firefighter 1" course. Kevin made the commitment to attend the course over the last few months balancing working full-time, and a busy family life while still running calls and working events. He and his wife, Jennifer, also a KVFD firefighter, have four children.

"Firefighter 1" is a 172 hour “recruit” level basic firefighting course. The goal of the course is to provide a person with little or no previous fire service training or experience with the basic knowledge and skills required to function safely and effectively as a member of a fire suppression team functioning in today’s environment. Students will also receive training in Haz Mat Operations, CPR/AED, and Structural Burn. The final test will be for PA State Volunteer certification and National Firefighter I.

Kevin will be continuing his training this year and is working toward certification as a Safety Officer.

Way to go Kevin!

The Officers of KVFD are proud of Kevin's ability to maintain a complex schedule and still complete the Fire 1 program. Deputy Chief Gathercole assisted with the program through Chester County Training Center and had the ability to watch and observe Kevin continue to push forward in obtaining his certification.

Deputy Chief Gathercole states "It's not a easy task however, its a rewarding task when completed. The Fire 1 course which provides Firefighters with their first step in National Certification is one that begins your Volunteer and/or Career in this service. It's a great accomplishment to yourself and your community".

Photos by FF Jennifer Holmes.