04/19/2026
NFRD full time FF/EMT Chris Nesbitt also serves as the leader of Plaistow Junior Firefighter program. His leadership in this program helps to create the next generation of firefighters in the state. Both NFRD and Plaistow are grateful to have Chris as part of their team.
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When Firefighter Nesbitt interviewed for this position, it was clear that he would take it to the next level. We couldn't be happier with his leadership, capabilities, and the direction this program is taking.
Leadership change reshapes Plaistow Junior Firefighter Program
By Jamie L. Costa [email protected]
Apr 17, 2026
PLAISTOW — Teenagers in Plaistow’s Junior Firefighter Program have trained over the last four weeks in firefighter survival, search and rescue, and CPR to build the kind of skills typically taught to adult recruits.
As part of their training, the students have crawled through a darkened maze of wires and debris and simulated the rescue of a downed firefighter before transitioning to hands-on drills like breaking down doors and learning CPR.
For the 20 students enrolled, the training is all part of a structured, academy-style experience that leaders say is shaping the next generation of public safety professionals. “This isn’t just showing up and having fun,” Fire Chief Chris Knutsen said. “They’re learning real skills, following a real curriculum, and understanding what the job actually requires.”
The program, open to students ages 13 to 18 in Southern New Hampshire, meets each Sunday and blends classroom lessons with hands-on training. Participants study fire behavior, practice search and rescue techniques, learn how to deploy and coil fire hoses, and even conduct controlled burns using a model house to observe how fires spread.
The program was launched nearly four years ago by firefighter Derek Travers, who reintroduced a junior program to the department after a long absence. Although the early effort helped spark interest among local students, it operated more informally and without the standardized curriculum now in place.
A leadership shift last fall marked a turning point for the program.
Chris Nesbitt, a firefighter and EMT, stepped in to run the program after volunteering as an instructor. He is currently enrolled in Instructor 2 and recently completed the required mentoring hours to receive a state fire instructor license by teaching at the New Hampshire Fire Academy.
Drawing on his experience with statewide youth fire-training initiatives, Nesbitt rebuilt the program with a formal Firefighter 1 curriculum, complete with a textbook, lesson plans, and a digital system that keeps students on track even if sessions are canceled.
“We needed standards,” he said. “You can’t just wing it when you’re teaching something this important. These kids deserve the same foundation they’d get at the academy.”
Rigorous framework
The revamped structure also enables students to earn up to two high school credits through the Timberlane Regional School District’s Extended Learning Opportunities program. That partnership required a more rigorous academic framework, including testing and clearly defined coursework.
The result is a full roster of 20 students from across the Timberlane district, including Plaistow, Atkinson, Sandown and Danville, with some commuting from neighboring Massachusetts.
Participants are issued their own gear and train with the same equipment firefighters use on calls, including air packs, Knutsen said. The goal is to prepare them to enter a fire academy and eventually the workforce with a significant head start.
Program leaders are working to align training with an “on your time” certification incentive that would enable 17-year-old students to complete coursework ahead of turning 18 and sit for their Firefighter 1 certification soon after.
Beyond firefighting skills, students also earn CPR certification and learn how to respond to emergency scenarios form start to finish, including locating a victim, removing them from danger and beginning lifesaving care.
“It’s about putting all the pieces together,” Nesbitt said. “Finding someone in a search, dragging them out, starting CPR. That’s real-world training.”
The program is continuing to evolve, with plans to add an emergency medical services track and potentially develop a career and technical education pathway to fire science that could one day offer college credits, he said.
To support that growth, Nesbitt recently established the program as a nonprofit, opening the door for grants and additional instructors. Despite the expansion, much of the teaching still falls on Nesbitt, who leads weekly sessions while also working full time in the fire service. “I got thrown into this and built it as fast as I could,” he said. “But the focus has always been the same,
give these kids a real education and help grow the fire service.”
That mission is already showing results. More than 50 students have gone through the training program, and at least five are now full-time firefighters, including a recent hire in Plaistow.
For Knutsen, the program serves as both a training ground and a recruiting tool at a time when many departments face staffing challenges. “It gives kids a chance to see if this is really for them,” he said. “Some love it. Some decide it’s not their path. Either way, they’re learning valuable skills.”
As the current class moves toward completion later this spring, Nesbitt said the long-term vision remains ambitious, a pipeline that could carry students from high school into certification, college
credit and careers in fire and emergency services. “We’re building something bigger than just a Sunday program,” he said. “We’re building the future of the fire service.”
