SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — On Thursday, Iowa Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg came to visit teachers and students in the Sioux City Fire Science Program.

The program provides an important recruitment tool for local fire departments that experiencing a shortage of fire science professionals in the community.

Gregg has been following the success of the Career Academy’s Fire Science program. He says the value of the program is filling a vital need for fire science professionals in Iowa.

“These are really outstanding individuals who want to serve others,” said Gregg, “They have an ethic of public service, and the Sioux City Career Academy and this Fire sciences program is giving them an outlet to that.”

One student indicated that he was glad he had an opportunity to try something different.

“I was big into just public safety, especially law enforcement and then I took some of these classes here and I really fell in love with the EMS side of it, just going out and helping people,” said Career Academy student Jason Ortiz, “I just get a lot of real-world experience from this academy, not just learning those fire science classes but actually practicing that in the real world.”

There are around 120 students in all that are involved in the Fire Science program at the career academy.