When Dalton Hendricks graduated high school in 2022, he already knew firefighting wasn’t something he wanted to try. It was something he was ready to live.

Hendricks is one of three Jordan School District alumni who recently returned to share they not only found a career, but a lifelong bond through Jordan Applied Technology Center-South’s fire science program. Hendricks, along with Carson Russell and Dalton Timothy, turned the classroom experience into a sense of responsibility, service and family.

Purpose

For Hendricks, traditional high school felt limiting.

“High school was OK, but when I came here, it became fun because this is what I want to do,” he said. “The instructors are always willing to help you. As students, we wanted to put in the work and they gave us all the tools needed not just for the program, but for our careers.”

It was a recreational league football coach who put him on the path.

“My coach was a firefighter and he was always happy. He loved his schedule of having four days off and it sounded like a fun job so I enrolled here to see what it is like,” Hendricks recalled.  “The tools and skills I learned here set me up for camp. We did drills like pulling hoses, doing knots and that helped.”

JATC’s Fire Science program prepares high school juniors and seniors with training in safety, firefighting, equipment operation, maintenance and the principles of fire science. The coursework is derived from Utah State Fire Fighter Standards, National Fire Protection Association, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress and Unified Fire Authority standards. 

Those skills carried Hendricks through EMT training and into wildland firefighting with Unified Fire Authority. He also is hazmat tech certified. Now, Hendricks wants to be an engineer and drive trucks.

“I’ve driven some,” he said. “It’s different where you’re sitting. When you turn, you feel like you’re flying because the wheels are behind you.”

Brotherhood

Carson Russell, often called “the chief’s kid” grew up inside fire stations.

“It’s the family business,” said the fifth-generation firefighter. “I spent Sundays and Christmases at the fire station, been there during dinner meetings. I loved hanging out at the fire station; it was the coolest thing ever.”

It was at JATC-South he formed a friendship with Hendricks, nicknamed Baby D, and his friendship with Timothy cemented.

“I met Baby D here; he was a year ahead of us and our class lead. We became friends right out of the gate,” he said.

Timothy, known as “Sticks” since he only weighed 140 pounds when he entered the program, joined Fire Safety after exploring criminal justice.

“Once I got into Fire Science, I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life,” he said.

The brothers in red stayed connected even with different wildland deployments or routes in hazmat specialization and EMT work. Often, they were stationed at different fire houses across the Wasatch Front.

“We wouldn’t have become as close or stayed as close without this program,” said Carson, who has a younger brother also pursuing the career.

Job reality  

Firefighting quickly taught them the weight of responsibility. Hendricks remembers his first major call.

“I was a little nervous,” he admitted. “It was a cardiac arrest for an older gentleman, but I knew my job to do CPR, get compressions done.”

Wildland firefighting added another learning layer.

At Jordan School District’s fire science program, students learn the skills they need to be successful in the field. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

“We had long hours,” Hendricks said, remembering an overnight fire with 50-mile-per-hour winds. “We’re deployed where we were needed.”

Often, that means battling fires across the western states where there are long hours and no phone service.

“When you do wildland, you don’t have summers,” he said. “But I’ve learned a lot about teamwork, managing a team and communication.”

Carson recalled reducing flammable vegetation to decrease wildfires.

“Fuel mitigation work can be pretty grueling,” he said.

The hardest responses, Hendricks said, is a pediatric call because “they have yet to live up to their potential, their whole life is in front of them.” 

On the other hand, he cherishes when kids light up when meeting them in non-emergency situations: “I always have firefly stickers in my wallet for them; they love them.”  

Value

Firefighter Sean Garrett, who is JATC’s Fire Science coordinator, said the program teaches the skills as well as the needed mindset.

“They have to have initiative, pay attention to detail, solve problems in different scenarios – that’s what we’re teaching,” he said. “They understand fire behavior, they learn building construction, they practice communication skills.”

Unified Fire Authority Assistant Chief Wade Russell, Carson Russell’s father, said the alliance with JATC has created value to both partners.

“We have more than 50% J-Tech graduates, which has grown over time,” he said about UFA’s 700 employees. “What we found is people we can ‘home-grow’ from high school through wildland, we’re not losing them. The bridge program with JATC has given them a solid foundation they understand and they want to be here.”

JATC’s program also offers students advantages.

“These kids are getting their EMT certification for $500 or less and 16 college credits for $5 a credit,” he said. “They’re getting a great deal and a foot in the door.”

Family

While Hendricks say they’re trained to run toward – not away — from a fire, and it can be a rush, that’s not the best part. It’s belonging.

“The best part is the family we create,” he said.

Timothy agrees.

“Coming through J-Tech and finding a home at work is special,” he said. “I found something important in my life and want to stay here forever and stay with these guys; we’re family, even though we’re not blood, we sweat together and there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for each other.”