Community Partner usefulness

The community partner section of this course was useful.  I have not had much interaction with government actors and getting that hands-on experience was awesome.  It has definitely been a focal point of my college education.  In fact, I am continuing my internship with the Belmont Fire Protection District through the summer or until I find a full-time job.  Interaction with my community partner, and in particular, the newly retired fire chief, did help put the course into perspective for me.  On more than one occasion, I would seek help form the retired fire chief to write these blogs or my research paper.  A lot of the information that is needed to complete the blogs cannot be found through research, so asking the questions directly to the fire chief yielded more accurate answers.  I particularly like how some of the definitions in the book like: capacity, jurisdiction, or state-mandate can be applied directly to my community partner.  Researching the Belmont Fire Protection District has been a really cool experience and a vital part of the class.