Long graduates Basic Firefighter School

Moore County volunteer firefighter completed 10 weeks of classroom, skills, and live-fire training

4:12 p.m. May 1, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Carson Long left Moore County as a volunteer firefighter.

Ten weeks later, he came home certified.

Long graduated from the Basic Firefighter School at the Tennessee Fire Service & Codes Enforcement Academy in Bell Buckle, the Moore County Fire Department announced in a release on Friday. Interim Fire Chief Hunter Case traveled to the academy to recognize Long’s graduation and welcome him back to the department with his firefighter certification in hand.

Long is a member of the Shelbyville Fire Department and also part-time with the Bedford County FD.

In Moore County, that kind of training is not just a line on a certificate. Volunteer firefighters are often the first people neighbors see on some of the worst days of their lives – at house fires, wrecks, hazardous materials calls, and other emergencies where training, judgment, and quick, calm decisions matter.

Long’s certification required hundreds of hours of state-certified instruction, including classroom work, hands-on skills training, and live-fire evolutions designed to prepare firefighters for the realities of structural firefighting.

The course covered the core work of firefighting: fire behavior, protective gear and air-pack operations, ladders, forcible entry, search and rescue, hose handling, ventilation, fire control, hazardous-materials response, vehicle extrication, and firefighter safety.

Recruits are tested through written exams and practical skills evaluations. They must also demonstrate proficiency during live-burn training in the academy’s burn buildings before they can graduate.

The work is demanding, and not just physically. Recruits live on campus, away from home and family, while training long hours in heavy gear under stressful conditions. The program is designed to test judgment, endurance, teamwork, and discipline.

Case said Long met that challenge.

“Carson put in the time, the effort, and the heart that this profession demands,” Case said. “Watching him cross that stage as a certified firefighter was a proud moment for our entire department. He is going to be a tremendous asset to the citizens of Moore County, and we are grateful he chose to serve his community in this way.”

In a county that depends heavily on volunteers, one more trained firefighter matters. That preparation means safer responses, better decision-making, and stronger protection for homes, roadways, businesses, and families across Moore County.

For Long, the certificate marks the end of 10 hard weeks. For Moore County, it means another trained neighbor ready to answer the call.