Several employees at the Greer Fire Department have been selected to attend the South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association Officer Academy, a leadership program designed to prepare officers to better serve their communities.
Capt. Derrick Davis, Capt. Brian Collins and Lt. Chase Bradshaw will attend the academy in Columbia from March 8–13, 2026. Additionally, former program graduate Lt. Tyler Collins was selected to participate in a Cadre Shadow role, allowing him to shadow the instructors so that he can come back and teach at the academy in the future.
According to Deputy Fire Chief Joshua Holzheimer, the South Carolina Fire Academy is a rigorous program that is limited to 25 people per program cycle. Applicants went through two application stages before final selection. Once in Columbia, the Greer Fire members will live on campus, participating in daily activities that include physical fitness drills, projects, hearing from guest speakers and live burn evaluations.
With these three new academy recruits, the Greer Fire Department now has six employees who have been invited to the program. Lt. Tyler Collins graduated in 2025; Lt. Robert South and Engineer Calem Upton graduated in 2023.
For more information on the Fire Officer Academy, visit their website.
