From Cadet to First Responder, MMI's New Course

                   By Claire Sherling

This past November, Marion Military Institute (MMI) took a major step toward extending its training in leadership education to include opportunities for its students to obtain national professional certifications as firefighters and EMTs through a partnership with Tuscaloosa’s Alabama Fire College (AFC). 

To help offset tuition costs of the courses, COL Ed Passmore (Commandant of Cadets) and his wife Susan established the Fire Lieutenant Edwin E. Passmore 1^st Responder Scholarship, dedicated to his father, who upon retirement from the U.S. Army as a colonel dedicated himself to serving the community as a volunteer firefighter. This fall, their MMI Foundation scholarship benefitted its first recipient in 2017, graduate Chris Simmons.

COL Passmore spoke to us about the program and Chris Simmons:

“Although the fire program didn't officially kick off until August, Chris Simmons came to me and described his plan to continue his pursuit of the EMT certification to complement his firefighting experience.  Additionally, he could work as an EMT to help pay for his last two years of college. Although it seemed pretty straight forward, it wasn't. 

First, in our program the EMT course is offered in the summer. It was considered too demanding to put on top of a cadet's jammed schedule. The course is held 3 nights a week for 4 hours each session in Tuscaloosa. After talking to his academic advisor and TAC, we decided to let him try, but with the caveat that we would pull him out should it become too much to handle.

Then, we also had to tackle the other challenge—the cost. With uniforms and other mandatory costs due to the clinical rotations required, it put the program out if his reach.

So, my wife Susan and I decided to start the Fire Lieutenant Edwin E. Passmore 1st Responder Scholarship. The purpose is to assist EMT and fire students on a need basis. It was no brainer to offer this to Chris. 

Although he will be the first to tell you it wasn't easy, and there were days we had to do some soul searching about his continuing in the program due to the high level of stress involved, Chris was resilient, focused and determined to see it through, graduating strongly in both programs while maintaining his leadership position in the Corps.

Chris Simmons set the bar high for all those who will follow him,” said Passmore.

Simmons, who graduated from MMI this past spring, is heading to Kennesaw State University to major in Computer Security and Information Assurance and minor in Chinese. 

“Early on in life, I found the most pleasure was in helping others that need it most,” said Simmons. “Afterwards, I would like to work for the government in some capacity. I am taking this course because it falls in line with my five years of volunteer firefighting, and can also help with the hiring process should I pursue a career in the fire service." 

"This scholarship means more than I could ever put into words. I was not expecting to receive the financial support, which made it that much more amazing. I am so thankful for the support I have received from friends, family, and Marion Military. I would also like to say thank you to Colonel Passmore. Without him, none of this would have ever been possible, said Simmons” 

FUTURE:

Beginning in fall 2017, AFC will provide instructors, equipment, training aids, and materials, etc. necessary for the conduct of AFC courses at MMI and will also process cadet applications for AFC courses. MMI will, in return, help market AFC national and state certifications to the MMI community while serving as a testing center and training location for AFC courses.  Based upon Chris' experience and a strong interest from prospective students in an EMT-only track, MMI, in collaboration with the Fire College, has now made it possible to attend the EMT course at the Fire College via video teleconference, thus eliminating the hour-long commute to Tuscaloosa.