By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

The Collins Chapel Fire Department had the first of many certification classes Tuesday night. The department is on the way to reopening after the Aug. 13 meeting to reorganize under new leadership.

Approximately 18 were on the roster to be certified, with only two returning from the department.

“We have several from other fire departments, and with a history in fire service,” said Jay Littleton, fire chief of the Collins Chapel FD. “They’re new to this department but not new to the service.”

The fire department had to shut down on July 28 of this year after its former fire chief was charged with stealing funds from the department. The community quickly took action to reopen the department under new leadership, and Tuesday was another step closer to their goal.

The certification Tuesday was only for CPR and basic first aid. According to Littleton, the department has fire-specific classes planned for the coming weeks.

“We do have a pretty aggressive training schedule we’re working on,” said Littleton.

In addition to training, the department is going to do some fundraising and community awareness events soon. Littleton said they hope to get the community involved with the fire department.

Until the department can get back up and running, the Jemison Fire Department will continue to provide coverage to the area. The best estimate for when the department will be fully operational is about two weeks from Tuesday, according to Littleton.

“It was a prominent fire department in the county and that’s where we want to get it back to. We’ve got a lot of new members, everybody’s eager to join and participate,” said Littleton.

He noted that many of the new volunteers are interested in going through EMT training and the department will try to facilitate that soon to see where it leads.