A public servant’s heart, a passion to protect: Chapin grad races toward firefighting

At just 18, Ethan Bradley has done almost everything a professional firefighter does — except, technically, fight a fire. But that’s coming soon.

Many graduating seniors don’t know what they want to do after they leave high school. Bradley is not one of them.

Bradley has long known he wanted to become a first responder, but his experience at Chapin High School lead him to a somewhat unusual high school course, the fire and rescue program offered at Lexington-Richland 5’s Center for Advanced Technical Studies.

Through the three-year course, Bradley has already earned the certificates needed to become a professional firefighter in South Carolina. This past year, he’s interned at an Irmo fire station, doing everything a full-time firefighter would do — except, for liability reasons, the high school student can’t actually fight fires.

But the 18-year-old has received training with the rest of the fire crew and even gets to ride along on some calls. “The Honda dealership had a low water pressure alarm going off, and I was able to go up on the roof with the ladder company,” he said.

Bradley says the fire and rescue course gave him “hands on,” “real world” experience a normal classroom never could. Instructor Michael Levy had 10 students in Fire 1 and seven in Fire 2 this spring, where they learned fire suppression and CPR. The students train with equipment donated by local fire departments, including a retired fire engine the students can take for a spin around the parking lot.

Levy praised the work Bradley had put into the program.

“He had a tremendous upbringing from his parents,” Levy said. “He comes from a service family.”

Bradley’s father is a former Columbia police officer. His mother is a teacher.

Bradley is already qualified to work as a firefighter in South Carolina, his three years of high school training bypassing the need to go through the S.C. Fire Academy. But Bradley says that after graduation, he plans to pursue a degree in fire protection administration at Eastern Kentucky University.

He still credits the fire and rescue program for giving his vague ideas of public service a specific shape and direction for his future.

“One hundred percent, no doubt,” Bradley said. “I’ve learned so much here.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 5:00 AM.

Bristow Marchant

The State

803-771-8405

Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription