Las Vegas Fire & Rescue recently had its third member of the department receive a doctorate degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. LVFR a department of 600 plus members supports professional development and academic advancement of its members and staff. Dr. Nick Rhodes now becomes the third member of LVFR of this group that brings diversity, professionalism and higher education to one of Southern Nevada’s most recognized fire departments. Dr. Nick Rhodes specializes in firefighter health and fitness and has a podcast program that continually addresses the fitness and well-being of local fire personnel and first responders. Dr. Rhodes joins Dr. Mark Rivero and Dr. Jeff Buchannan who have been instrumental in bringing higher education from a national to a local level. Both Rhodes and Buchanan received their degrees in Public Policy while Rivero received his in Educational Leadership. Dr. Buchanan, recently retired as Chief of LVFR and has a background in areas of municipal government and specializes in emotional stress and development as firefighting personnel experience PTSD and emotional stress throughout their career. Dr. Buchanan brought the Firefighter Behavior Health and Welfare program to LVFR. Dr. Rivero created a professional development program to the department where the firefighters and department personnel are able to take certifications and courses and follow a pathway to degrees from the Associates to the Doctorate. With Rivero and Buchanan retired, the professional development opportunities still bring them back to assist LVFR with degree pathways that also include Rhodes’s efforts in fitness and health wellbeing. Dr. Rhodes podcasts are available on a scheduled basis and are very well received by the firefighting community. Dr. Rhodes now brings another avenue to address the demands and relief and recovery efforts as firefighters are seen as industrial athletes and the long term demands also require long term behavior health and fitness to unwind from the demands of the call volume and the relief to the variety of scenes that are dealt with over a career within the fire service. Higher education and professionalism in the fire service goes back to when the sole responsibility of the fire department was to put out fires and provide emergency medical services. Today where departments are dealing with multiple million dollar budgets its requirements for the chief position are requiring a Master’s degree or above. Also today, in the fire service its being asked of the local fire departments to become accredited or in simple terms, to be accountable for the budget and pay of the employees because the public demands answers as to why firefighters are making this amount of money and these are the examples that the higher education degrees bring to the public attention.
In conclusion, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue is applauded for its progressive views on offering all fire personnel the opportunity to advance both professionally as a first responder and as an individual. This skills and achievements that each employee brings to the department and their academic curiosity allows for diversity and recognition of a professional department that is continually moving forward and its employees are eager to develop academically and put these skillsets to work for that team and brotherhood aspect of the fire department that usually goes unseen by most of the public in which they serve.