Charlotte Fire Leads the Way in Statewide USAR Training
Published on December 09, 2025
Participants from across the state proudly wear SCT hoodies bearing “Charlotte, NC” during a break between training rotations.
By Kevin Campbell, Charlotte Fire
Heavy equipment roared to life across the Charlotte Fire Training Academy as firefighters moved through a course built to mirror the devastation of a structural collapse. Concrete slabs shifted, cranes lifted twisted steel, and teams worked through dust and debris with quiet precision. This was not an emergency scene. It was the 2025 Structural Collapse Technician School, one of the most advanced rescue training programs in North Carolina, and Charlotte Fire once again served as the host agency.
Top: Charlotte Firefighter Dillan Parks takes a short break during a full day of breaching and breaking training at the Charlotte Fire Training Academy. Below: Raleigh Firefighter Corey Joe, representing North Carolina Task Force 8, joins dozens of firefighters from across the state working to earn their structural collapse technician certification.
For the first ten days of December, Charlotte Fire led the annual training that prepares firefighters from across the state to respond to the most complex rescue incidents imaginable. The program has become a cornerstone of the North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue system, and Charlotte is the only department in the state that offers the certification required for statewide deployment.
“For the first ten days of December we are running our annual Structural Collapse Technician School. It is not only for the Charlotte Fire Department but for the entire state of North Carolina,” said Charlotte Fire Captain Brad Fulk, who helps organize the program. “There are seven task forces in the state and every task force sends members to be trained here. This is the 8200 course required for deployment in North Carolina and we are the only place that offers it.”
A firefighter walks across the simulated rubble field at the Charlotte Fire Training Academy during the 2025 Structural Collapse Technician School.
The Structural Collapse Technician School includes three major components. Students rotate through concrete breaching and breaking, which incorporates metal cutting, and they work through heavy lifting and moving, which involves crane operations and technical search. They also train on the stabilization course known as the O course. A third section, located down the hill, focuses on shoring and other support techniques designed to make unstable structures safe enough for rescuers to enter.
“There are a lot of moving parts,” Fulk said. “Concrete breaching and breaking, heavy lifting and moving, and then the O course. The stabilization portion is down the hill and they do a little bit more on the support side so that we can go in and make the rescues. The three different sections of the class give firefighters the full 8200 certification.”
Firefighters train on rescue scenarios involving collapsed structures and trapped vehicles, simulating real-world emergencies.
While many people associate firefighters with structure fires and medical emergencies, the work taught in this school is often more demanding and far less predictable.
“The fire department is a one call, we do it all type organization,” Fulk said. “When we are called out, people expect us to fix everything. The things we do here are not something most people think firefighters do, but when a structural collapse happens someone has to be able to go in and perform the rescue.”
Charlotte Fire has responded to several such events in recent years. Fulk recalled multiple parking deck collapses, two house explosions and an incident Uptown where a concrete truck collapsed part of a deck. In each case Charlotte Fire was first on scene and responsible for stabilizing the structure, searching for victims and performing rescues.
“In all those incidents we had only one true victim that we had to deal with,” Fulk said. “But these are scenarios where if we are not capable of doing the work we would be waiting an extensive amount of time for a regional resource to respond. We are that regional resource, and we are the local resource for the city of Charlotte and the metro area.”
More than 70 firefighters from across North Carolina participated in the 2025 Structural Collapse Technician School, hosted by Charlotte Fire.
The pride within Charlotte Fire for hosting and leading this program is unmistakable. The department has housed the school since 2002, the year after the September 11 attacks brought national attention to the need for specialized urban search and rescue training. Every instructor in the program is an active duty Charlotte Fire member, a point that resonates strongly with those involved.
Capt. Jerry Rodgers observes students as they practice cribbing and stabilization techniques, a critical skill in structural collapse rescue operations.
“We have housed this program since 2002,” Fulk said. “The pride is that we have grown this program and built it to what it is today. Every instructor works for Charlotte Fire in operations and we are able to teach this class every year, keep the program going and keep raising the bar.”
This year carries added significance for the team. Captain Jeff Bright, one of the founding members of the program, is teaching his final class before retirement. Captain Jerry Rodgers is the only other remaining member from that original 2002 group who is still active with Charlotte Fire.
Captain Jeff Bright (left) and Captain Jerry Rodgers (right) stand on the training grounds where they helped launch North Carolina’s Structural Collapse Technician School in 2002. Bright is teaching his final class this year.
“Jeff Bright is one of our founding members. Captain Rodgers is the only other person we have left from that group who taught the original class in 2002,” Fulk said. “We are slowly losing those people and it means a lot for us to carry on their legacy and maintain the standard they set.”
Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson said the program reflects the department’s commitment to readiness and service.
“Our firefighters do not wait for emergencies to prepare. They build their skills every day and programs like this show the level of dedication they bring to the job,” Chief Johnson said. “The Structural Collapse Technician School benefits not only Charlotte but the entire state. This training ensures that when the worst happens there are highly skilled, highly capable firefighters ready to respond. I am proud of everyone involved, especially the instructors who continue to carry this important mission forward.”
Charlotte Fire Instructor Firefighter Tawni Chambers walks students through specialized rescue equipment used in structural collapse incidents.
The updated Charlotte Fire Training Academy provides a modern, realistic training environment for the course. Concrete towers, steel frames, rubble fields and confined space simulators offer students a full spectrum of collapse scenarios. Although the facility has evolved, the core purpose remains unchanged.
“This is about preparing for situations the public hopes never occur,” Fulk said. “We train so that when something does happen, we know exactly what to do.”
Firefighters from across North Carolina pose for a group photo during the 2025 Structural Collapse Technician School at the Charlotte Fire Training Academy. Hosted and led by Charlotte Fire, the 10-day program brings together USAR team members from every corner of the state for hands-on instruction in rescue operations.
For Charlotte Fire the program represents more than a decade of leadership in technical rescue and more than two decades of service to the statewide USAR system. For the firefighters who attend from across North Carolina it is a chance to learn from instructors who have performed real rescues in real emergencies. For the community it is another example of Charlotte Fire’s commitment to protect the city and the region with the highest level of skill and professionalism.
“This is what we do,” Fulk said. “We prepare. We lead. And we show up when it matters.”