The earliest record of training in the Charlotte Fire Department dates back to 1930. According to W.H. Palmer, the Fire Chief at that time, training drills were conducted for 30 days from 6:00 to 7:00 P.M. The instruction covered handling all equipment carried on the fire apparatus.

That year 48 men completed a fifteen hour course in first aid and the first request to build a drill school complete with a tower was made. There were 109 members employed by the department at that time.

The Palmer Drill Tower

In 1932 the request for the construction of a drill tower was resubmitted and in 1934 the school was authorized and money funded through public works. As a result of a ruling by the North Carolina Supreme Court , the project was dropped before construction of the school could begin. The Fire Chief requested that the City Council take all necessary steps to remove the legal technicality that was preventing the schools construction. In the years following training consisted of job skills training, a drill school in Durham, North Carolina, a school of scientific firefighting and administration in 1935, training in the use of ladders, pump operations, hose lays, tying knots, and the use of various equipment occurred from 1936 to 1937. The request to construct a drill school was submitted every year.

Eight years after the original request, the construction of a drill tower, a classroom and a clubhouse was started in 1938. That year special schools were held at each station to provide job skill training.

By 1939 drill practice in the various evolutions of using ladders, hose layouts, operation of pumps, tying knots, etc., had become a standard routine. The construction of the drill facility was completed and May 13, 1940 was the dedication date of the "Palmer Fire School"

Captain J.M.Munday was named drill master with private J.F.Morris as his assistant. Captain Munday was given complete charge of all training in the department.

May 14, 1940, the North Carolina Fire College and Pump School held its 12th annual school in  the Charlotte facility. It had attendance of 375 fire service people from across the state and South Carolina and was held each year thereafter in Charlotte for 19 years.

The same curriculum was continued for 12 years until 1952 when Walter J. Black was appointed training director. He adopted a new training program based on courses compiled from the Department of Trade and Industrial Education of Oklahoma A&M College.

Recruit training appeared for the first time in 1952. Eight new men were assigned to the training division as they were employed for a period of two weeks of training before they received a company assignment. Until this time, new men were assigned directly to a fire company with no training.

Birth was given to the N.C. State Fireman's Association sponsored pump operations school. It was sponsored by the Charlotte Fire Department. Instructors were assisted by engineers from leading apparatus manufacturer's at the time. Students came from three states and with its success came the decision to sponsor the school annually in the future.

In 1952, the Training Division was made responsible for public relations. Talks and presentations were made at churches and civic clubs, a special school was made for airline employees and 100 men attended that school.

W.O.Dowdy was appointed Training Director in 1955 and served as such through 1962.During these years job skills training continued. However, much greater emphasis was placed on fire control tactics and strategies.

In 1960, Captain H.E. Blackmon was assigned to training as an instructor. The Training Division was given the responsibility of securing, stocking, issuing and controlling uniforms and protective clothing for all personnel. They basically provided Logistics support. In 1963, H.E.Blackmon was appointed Chief of Training. J.R.Jamison and R.E. Blackwelder were Captain instructors. Blackmon served in that position until 1966. In that time the first college course, basic chemistry was scheduled for firefighters so they can attend the class. 50 men finished the course at Central Piedmont Community College. Sixty men completed a course in teaching methods and over 5000 man hours were spent in special schools in 1964.

R.L.Blackwelder was appointed Chief of Training in 1966. His instructors were Captains Leo Black and H.L.Wilson. During the ten years of Chief Blackwelder's tenure, man hours of training increased from a total of 33,871 in 1965 to 118,698 in 1975. Research testing was performed and procedures were developed for such things as large diameter hose, hose tender concepts, tandem pumping and relay pumping. During 1966, High level rescue techniques were adopted from the U.S. Army Special Forces mountain climbing techniques and 80 firefighters were trained and the training division remained responsible for public relations and uniform responsibilities.

Palmer building with drill tower in background.

A giant step forward was achieved when , in response to the continuous efforts of the Chief of Training, Central Piedmont Community College offered an Associate Degree program in Fire Science Technology.

Recruit training was extended to 5 weeks in 1967 and college credit was given for "Introduction to Fire Protection" taught as part of this training and gave each new member a start in the associate degree program.

The responsibility for public relations was removed from the training division in 1968 when L.I.Black was named Community Relations Officer for the department.

In 1968, recruit training was increased to 11 weeks and the training division was moved organizationally from the administration division to the operations division. The first request for a joint Fire/Police training facility was made this year.

The first six men from the Department graduated from CPCC with an Associates Degree of Applied Science in Fire Science Technology in 1971.

In 1972 the issuing, stocking, ordering, and control of uniforms and protective clothing was passed from training to a newly organized supply section. (Logistics) 

In January 1974, work began with an architect to design the first Fire/Police academy. Construction was started and the First Fire/Police Academy opened in September of 1977 located at 1750 Shopton Rd.

Captain F.L. Killian was promoted to Training Chief when Chief Blackwelder was appointed Assistant Chief in 1978.

When the Fire Department entered the Mecklenburg County Emergency Response system as first responder in the City in November of 1978, the Training Division took on the responsibility of teaching all firefighters to be emergency medical technicians . Certification of EMT-Defibrillation is now a job requirement for all firefighters.

Palmer building as it sits today.

The seventies was the decade of EMS and the eighties was the decade of Haz-Mat. Hazardous Materials response is a complex and rapidly changing field. The Hazardous Materials Response Team went out of service for two weeks in the Fall of 1987 for training which they in turn came back to teach the rest of the Department.

In the years to come, with the large amount of growth in the Department due to annexation, Recruit Training became a major emphasis within the Training Division. Now, the recruit training lasts sixteen weeks and cover EMT and all aspects of firefighting.

Under the direction of Assistant Chief H.L.Wilson the National Fire Academy's Incident  Command System was tailored to meet the needs of the Department and taught to all officers in 1984.

An Officers Candidate School was implemented in 1986 under the direction of Division Chief R.R.Weaver. The completion of OCS I has been, and still is, a requirement for promotion to Captain since April 1, 1989, along with a Two Year Associates Degree in Fire Science Technology or a Bachelors Degree in any Discipline. OCS II is now mandated as part of promotion to Battalion Chief along with a Bachelors Degree.

Battalion Chief K.E.Nantz was promoted to replace Training Chief Killian upon his retirement in 1988. Battalion Chief W.D.Summers moved to Training when Chief Nantz returned to the Operations Division. When Chief Summers went back to Operations in 1993, Training Captain Harley Cook was promoted to replace him as Chief of Training.

Many accomplishments were made during Chief Cook's tenure as the Chief of Training. Chief Cook retired in 2005 and was replaced by Battalion Chief Rob Kinniburgh.   Battalion Chief Kevin Gordon became the Chief of Training in January 2007.  After leaving training, Kinniburgh was promoted to Deputy Chief in January 2008.

As the City grows, the Fire Department adds services to keep up with that growth. The Training Division is charged with keeping firefighters trained to the levels required to handle any emergency. With that said, the Training Division has implemented many programs necessary for firefighters to keep up with the growth.

In addition to putting on two to three recruit classes a year, Training has worked to upgrade and instruct EMS services as much as possible to keep the best trained EMT's in the State. The training division also oversees and offers the instruction of Firefighting training, Rescue Technician training, Urban Search and Rescue Training (USAR),  Confined Space training, Trench Collapse training, Swiftwater Rescue training, Dive Rescue training, Driver Operator training, Fire Officer training, Haz-Mat training, ARFF training, WMD training, and much more.

The training division also assists in helping with the promotional process and administers the Firefighter Engineer promotional process.

Growth is a major issue facing the Training Division, both in the Department and in the size of the City.  Funding was approved for construction of a new, much larger facility on the current training grounds which serves both the Fire Department and the Police Department Training Divisions. It is now located in a  new facility that opened in July 2002.  The Fire Training Division occupies 40% of the 108,163 square feet building