A lot of people got laid off during the 2008-09 economic downturn — and firefighters were no exception.
When Southwest Florida firefighters Chad Ketron and Jeromy VanderMeulen saw their laid-off peers struggling to find new positions, they began offering free training classes in 2009 teaching resume-building skills. Now, 15 years later, the pair runs Ricky Rescue Training Academy, a fast-growing fire service education company with a global clientele and a range of future higher education partnerships and opportunities at the ready. Ricky Rescue has trained more than 40,000 students since its founding, and has grown from three to 30 courses. Company officials decline to disclose revenue figures.
“In 2010 it kind of got hectic and we were so busy,” says Ketron. “We ended up establishing a formal business and started charging — and our rates have not changed since the establishment of the business. We were kind of the godfathers of online education for the fire service.”
The two serve as battalion chiefs for the Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District, and they each have almost three decades of experience in the field. They named their new venture Ricky Rescue in a bit of a wink to a firefighting inside joke.
“A Ricky Rescue is somebody in the fire service that wants everyone to know they’re a firefighter,” says Ketron, 48. “So from a branding aspect, we laughed when we first threw the name out there, and then we were like, you know what? That’s probably a great idea, because it’s already a well-known name, and it’s going to be easier for us to brand because it is kind of established already in the fire service.”
“It kind of fits us too, because we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” adds VanderMeulen, 46. “Obviously you have to with some of this stuff, but we like to create a more relaxed environment if we can.”
Today Ricky Rescue offers both distance learning programs online with open enrollment year-round and blended and in-person training at locations across Florida, with Fort Myers as its home base. Firefighters can take a range of classes that meet pre-certification requirements for positions like pump operator, fire officer, aerial operator and fire inspector, and EMS classes are also offered. The training academy has been approved by the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards and Training, and all courses meet or exceed the standards of the National Fire Protection Association.
The company has also expanded into the state of Tennessee, offering online classes using curriculum approved by the Tennessee Firefighting Commission. Once students complete the required courses in a series, they’re qualified to either test for Tennessee State Fire Certifications or to renew their certifications.
Ketron and VanderMeulen realized a need for an expansion like this as they attracted students located everywhere from Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona to Alaska, Abu Dhabi and the Cayman Islands. Different municipalities or states have different requirements for certifications, so while anyone can take the classes, certification may require a few more steps for students located outside Florida and Tennessee.
Word of mouth has been key to the firm’s growth. “We had to get our name out there,” says Ketron. “Part of the reason for us doing the blended classes and in-person classes and traveling to different areas was to get our name out there. So that they could see our faces, they could see the quality education that we put on…We wanted people to see how we were and what we offered.”
Ricky Rescue has trained more than 40,000 students since 2009.
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The company also has formal partnerships with Columbia Southern University and Waldorf University that allow students to transfer their Ricky Rescue training credits toward a fire science degree. Additional official agreements with colleges and universities are expected down the road as well, to further help firefighters build their resumes and advance in their careers.
“It never stops,” says Ketron. “In the fire service, you’re constantly taking classes to be updated. If you want to move so high in the ranks, you’re going to have to have some type of degree. Most departments require it. Once you become like a lieutenant or even any type of chief officer, you’ve got to have some type of degree.”
But getting that further education hasn’t always been easy for firefighters, who are juggling busy schedules and often can’t make fully in-person classes work, especially if they involve travel. “A lot of people were capped on what they were doing for their education,” says Ketron.
Ricky Rescue now makes continued training and career advancement easier, especially as the need for it grows. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of firefighters is projected to grow 3% from 2024 to 2034, with about 27,100 openings for firefighters projected each year. And advancements in the field mean there’s always something new to learn.
“They’re putting more time and effort into researching things, making building codes better and making houses safer and techniques to put out the fire better,” says VanderMeulen. “So I do feel like the need has kind of exponentially grown since we started, as far as taking classes and learning new things.”