Seymour’s newest firefighter has someone close to him to look up to when it comes to career advice.

Cheaney Roll, 23, of Brownstown is following in his father Eric Roll’s footsteps by becoming a second-generation firefighter. Eric Roll has served as a Seymour firefighter for 27 years and currently holds the rank of battalion chief.

“I’ve grown up around the fire house,” Cheaney said. “The many respectable firefighters I’ve grown up meeting has made an image that I’ve always dreamed of becoming.”

That dream came true when Cheaney was sworn in Oct. 14 by Mayor Craig Luedeman at the board of public works and safety meeting.

He has spent the past year and a half working as an emergency medical technician with Jackson County Emergency Medical Services. The knowledge and skills he learned through his previous job will be utilized when dispatched on emergency medical calls, he said.

His first day on the job was Oct. 12, and since then, he has been busy studying and training, he said.

“There’s a lot of learning the materials and tools on the truck,” he said. “Another requirement is memorizing all the streets in Seymour.”

Training to be a firefighter never really ends, he added.

“It’s a continuous thing,” he said.

The best part about becoming a firefighter is being able to help others and the camaraderie with other firefighters, who become like brothers, he said.

“There are multiple ways to help the community,” he said. “So being able to do that in different ways is definitely something to look forward to.”

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Name: Cheaney Roll

Age: 23

Hometown: Brownstown

Family: Parents, Eric and Paula Roll; brothers, Keegan and Jaylen Roll

Education/work experience: Emergency medical technician at Jackson County Emergency Medical Services for 1½ years

Hobbies/interests: Music, spending time with friends and family

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