Collier County students attend first responders job fair

We rely on first responders to rush to our side when we need help, and Collier County needs more of those heroes.

More than 500 students were at the Collier County Fairgrounds Thursday learning first hand from professionals what it’s like to be a first responder.

This is something that Collier County Public Schools has hosted for the last 3 years.

The event features the North Collier Fire Rescue, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad, Naples Police and EMS to name a few.

Employment for these jobs is expected to grow over the next 10 years, which means there will be a need for more first responders in the future,  but not as many people are taking jobs in these fields.

The Southwest Florida workforce needs local first responders for safety and security.

Carlos Artime with CCPS says, “There’s plenty of talent here on the West Coast so if we did a first responders fair, we could introduce our students to the myriad of agencies that exist and hopefully get them interested.”