Fire departments in Cherokee County need more help.
Numbers have been dwindling for the last few years.
"It's definitely a needed thing," Chief Jeremy Lee with the Centre Fire Department said.
All of the fire departments in the county are volunteer based.
So the need is crucial.
The City of Centre, Cherokee County Board of Education, Cherokee County Volunteer Fire Association, and the Cherokee County Commission are partnering together to form a new training program.
It will focus on high school juniors and seniors in the county.
The program is called the Cherokee County Student Fire and Emergency Services Training Program. It will begin this fall. "It gives students their certified volunteer firefighter, which is a 160 hour course with the Alabama fire college and includes first responders training," Lee explained.