Battalion Chief Leonard Carmichael Jr., a Senior in the Fire Science program at NJCU was promoted on July 1, 2010, to the position of Fire Director of the City of Trenton, NJ, Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

Leonard, known as “Lenny” to his friends and family.  This was a childhood dream come true, resulting from years of hard work, commitment and sacrifice. Lenny’s interest in becoming a firefighter wasn’t born overnight, rather, he dreamt of becoming a firefighter as a young boy and as he grew in size, so did his interest in saving lives and protecting property. The more he discovered about the job of a firefighter, the greater he yearned to enter this exciting, noble and rewarding profession. In July of 1991, his dream became a reality as he began his professional career with the Trenton Fire Department. Now living a dream, Lenny approached his new job with great passion. Diligent and conscientious, as a true student of the job, he approached every day as a new opportunity to learn and share whatever he gained with his colleagues. As time passed by, his work ethic and performance earned him a reputation as an outstanding firefighter and fire officer. In an effort to further enhance his professional capacities, in the fall of 2006, Lenny enrolled into the Fire Science Program at New Jersey City University.

Lenny is a strong leader who fully understands and appreciates the importance of training his personnel to perform to their highest potential. Being an accomplished athlete, and having experienced the intense physical challenges of firefighting through his many years of service in active fire companies, Lenny is also a powerful advocate for physical fitness. Knowing what to do and being physically able to do it are undeniable co-factors that ultimately determine the degree of success at a fire or emergency operation.

A further expansion of his interest and focus on operational safety and performance-oriented training and education is his self-established and highly successful company, “Fire Training Associates”. As the CEO and lead instructor of his company, Lenny has delivered firefighter skill and operational training to fire departments across the nation. In recognition of his graduated level of expertise in this field, in 2008 Lenny was selected to deliver the prestigious keynote presentation at the renowned Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC). Additionally, he serves as an instructor with The National Fire Academy, Emmitsburg, MD, the Mercer County Fire Academy, the Trenton Probationary Fire School, and he is a member on the New Jersey Advisory Board for Firefighter I & II.

Becoming the Fire Dircetor in a large department such as Trenton is a prestigious position. When asked if he felt that the Fire Science program helped him in preparing for his promotion, he was quick to answer “definitely”. He continued to say that he felt that, “the NJCU Professors are real world. They come from different backgrounds and bring their knowledge and experiences to the classroom. They help in real life and also on the job.”

So why study Fire Science at NJCU? You could hear the enthusiasm in Lenny’s voice as he responded by saying “The classes are challenging and rewarding. The textbooks that are used in the classroom are the same textbooks that are used on the promotional exams. It’s a great program.”

When interviewed, Lenny felt the most rewarding part of being on the job was “helping people and helping to manage a competent department of individuals in order to ensure that all the constituents and transients that live and work in the city of Trenton remain safe.” As Lenny spoke one could see the dedication he has made to the job, his fellow firefighters and how important it is to help others.

Lenny did have one last word that he would like to express to aspiring students interested in the Fire Science program, “It’s a great experience, a lot of hard work, but it will be a rewarding experience for both (your) professional career and personal life.”