Firefighting has a history of continuing in families, and Clark County firefighter Trevor Holliday is one of those.

Holliday is the first in his family to pursue it as a career, though.

“I grew up in a local volunteer fire department,” he said. “My dad was the chief before I was born. It’s like the family business for us.”

Holliday’s mother was a paramedic, and multiple other relatives are all volunteer firefighters as well, he said.

In Virginia, a person must be 16 to begin volunteering with a fire department. While going through high school, Holliday decided he wanted to make a career in the fire service.

“I always had an idea I at least wanted to volunteer somewhere,” he said. “Probably around high school, I had to sit down and start looking at career options.”

When the departments around his home in northern Virginia began requiring college degrees, Holliday enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University, eventually earning his bachelor’s degree in fire protection administration and a master’s in safety, security and emergency management.

“I had originally planned to go back to Virginia,” he said. “I came to Eastern to get my degree. I met my wife here and we never left.”

Holliday was hired in July at the Clark County Fire Department and is one of the newer firefighters for the county.

The two states certify firefighters and structure departments differently, he said. Virginia firefighters earn credits for certifications they earn, rather than a set number of hours in Kentucky, so the training is more uniform between volunteer and career firefighters, he said.

His home county has a number of volunteer fire departments, but there is some county funding and coordination between the departments, including staffing.

“It was a big culture shock,” he said.

The work and the rewards, though, are the same, including helping people and the community.

“I really like the instant result,” he said. “I like seeing the scene change. I like the adrenaline rush. I’m not going to lie.”