Locals find firefighting careers at Kemper Facility

Refinery Terminal Fire Company — the Kemper County energy facility’s full time, professional fire and emergency response team — recently graduated Recruit Class 29 — five locally recruited graduates who’ve endured rigorous world class training at Mississippi Power’s newest generating facility.

“I’ve been trying to find a job for a while close to home,” said Craig McDonald, of Lauderdale County, a recent college graduate and national guardsman.  “I thank God that I have this opportunity, and I plan on making the most of it.”

RTFC, based in Corpus Christi, Texas, provides fire and emergency response services at petro-chemical facilities throughout the world.

The Kemper plant is unique in that — while it is indeed a power plant — it’s also one of the first generating facilities in the world with a chemical processing facility attached to it.

The plant is capable of turning Mississippi lignite, not only into a gaseous fuel to power the plant’s combustion turbines, but also of processing emissions and turning them into saleable chemical products.

RTFC has made it a point to find trainable recruits locally and build upon their existing talents. Every recruit undergoes a rigorous course at the company’s Texas headquarters, ensuring they acquire specialized expertise that can be applied specifically at chemical plants.

Cole Thomas, a former volunteer firefighter who grew up in Kemper County, said the training leaves recruits with the ability to deal with structural fires and emergency rescue scenarios of an intensity not normally experienced by municipal or volunteer departments.

“It’s a real physical challenge and a bit nerve racking, but the job overall is worth it,” Thomas said. “This is one of the greatest companies out there.”

Ben Dudley, Kemper County’s emergency response coordinator, helped steer Thomas toward a career with RTFC.

“This is absolutely an asset to our county,” Dudley said.  “It’s great to know you’ve got guys with these capabilities and skill sets in our county, and I’m a big supporter of everything they’re doing.”