If you had asked a 19-year-old volunteer firefighter John Roper if he’d be leading his fire rescue department as a lieutenant in 15 years, Roper says he would have been shocked and proud.
He’s been working for Mountain View Fire Protection, in Longmont, Colorado, for 17 years and rose to the role of Lieutenant in 2014.
Part of his journey included earning his bachelor’s degree at Colorado State University while working as a firefighter to advance to a higher rank. He received his Bachelor of Science in 2012 from the online Fire Emergency Service Administration, or FESA, program.
“It just made sense. There was tuition reimbursement from the fire department, and I was at work two days a week. In my downtime, I could do homework or research and it was relevant to my job,” Roper said.
Coming Full Circle
In a full-circle move, Roper began teaching firefighters in the FESA online bachelor’s degree program at CSU in the spring semester of 2022.
The FESA curriculum allows career firefighters and first responders to develop their careers and prepare for promotion to an officer rank. Students from around the U.S. take courses like “Trends in Fire Science Technologies” and “Policy and Public Administration” from instructors with decades of experience in their respective fields.
Roper said he enjoys teaching people from various stages in their careers who are often learning from one another, including firefighters, firefighter paramedics, engineers, Lieutenants, Captains, and Battalion Chiefs.
“Having a diverse student group with folks of various backgrounds and leadership ranks, you get a colorful and productive discussion group going. What a fire department is doing across the country might be of assistance to help another department with a problem they are facing,” Roper said.
The path to teaching
After completing his Bachelor of Science in Fire Emergency Services Administration, he went on to complete his Master of Science in Organizational Leadership at Colorado State University Global, and in 2021 he completed his Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University.
As someone who has many family members who have attended CSU over the years, teaching at the university is a point of pride for Roper.
“It’s a big proud thing,” Roper said, “My family loves it and they are really excited. It’s been quite the journey, to say the least. And I hope it just keeps going.”