The Landrum Fire Department will initiate an Explorers program in conjunction with the Boy Scouts of America, thanks to a unanimous vote of confidence from the Landrum City Council at their meeting on Jan. 14.
“In Explorers, advisers teach youths about fire service,” said Philip Davis, a firefighter in the core group of the program. “We want to teach our youth the good ethics we have as far as fire service goes.”
The Explorers will learn firefighting basics from all of the firemen, led by a core group of Davis, Fire Chief Warren Ashmore, Shannon Dotson, Jimmy “Hambone” Camp, and Mark Rollins.
City Administrator Caitlin Martin noted that the program will meet a primary goal of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, which states: “The City of Landrum will promte the growth of its population through efforts to attract a wide range of age groups to improve the tax base, educational attainment levels, quantity and quality of the workforce, and diversity of the community.”
The department intends to finance the program, including equipment and insurance through BSA, through donations and fundraisers.
“It will give us qualified firemen to choose from when it comes time to choose new ones, and it won’t take away from any one or eliminate others from volunteering,” Davis said.