HARDWICK – Bailey Shepard vividly remembers the sense of belonging he felt the first time he put on a firefighter’s helmet. It was a weekend day, and his family was at the Berlin Mall. Out in the parking lot, the fire department had brought trucks and tankers for kids to see up close. Shepard eagerly slipped on a firefighter’s coat and helmet. “It felt amazing,” he recalled. “I still have a picture of that. I instantly knew that’s where I belonged.”
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Many departments allow recruits as young as 16. “I joined the minute I could,” he said.
Shepard showed up at the Wolcott Volunteer Fire Department, ready to work as a junior firefighter. “Junior means you’re the gofer, getting things from the truck,” he explained.
Shepard spent those first two years hauling equipment and learning the ropes before earning his spot as a senior firefighter. “Senior Firefighters are more involved in the scene. It could be anything from a smoke detector going off with nothing happening to an emergency response for a flood.”
A few years before he was able to join the fire department, Shepard attended a Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) leadership retreat at Vermont State University Lyndon. Offered by Vermont Student Assistance Corp. (VSAC), the SEED Training Leadership Program focuses on building skills like teamwork and resilience. It was through SEED that Shepard was motivated to keep building his abilities and his confidence.
“SEED training inspired me quite a bit,” Shepard said. “A lot of leadership is needed in firefighting and EMS work. In EMS you’re the one in charge of a patient. That program helped me build more leadership skills.”
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Shepard’s VSAC outreach program counselors, Michelle Legere and Lindsay Carpenter, worked with him through high school, helping him plan for a possible pathway to college. For a while Shepard thought he might go into music education. He played trombone and several other instruments, but eventually his passion for emergency response took over.
While in high school, he also completed construction technology training at Green Mountain Technology and Career Center, earning certifications and credits that gave him options after graduation.
“He is such a helper,” noted Michelle. “He’s been a devoted volunteer and community member from day one. I remember these business cards he made, advertising Shepard’s Helping Service. It really speaks to who he is, this great person who is always there and always helping others.”
In July 2023, as with many of his fellow first responders, Shepard found himself swimming through floodwater, checking on stranded vehicles. The night started with a call about a tree on a powerline and escalated as the storms overwhelmed local rivers. “You never know what’s coming,” Shepard said. “The whole night, we must have had 12 or more calls. . . That’s a lot for a volunteer department.”
In one case, a propane tank floated downriver, propelled near a home by the raging waters. Shepard suited up in full gear with a self-contained breathing apparatus to make sure the scene was safe.
That December, there was another flood in Wolcott. Shepard and another firefighter swam through the Lamoille River to reach a car stuck on Elmore Pond Road. “Someone came to the fire station saying there was a car flagging people down for help. We responded. I went in with someone else. We had to swim through the water to go rescue them.”
The floods were a landmark moment for Shepard and stand out to this day as his “why”: it’s the response work that resonates most with him and fuels his passion. Each call brings a different challenge; “You never know if it’s a stubbed toe or a house fully on fire,” he says.
Three-and-a-half years into firefighting, Shepard earned his EMT license and added ambulance calls to his schedule. “I knew I wanted that,” he says. After a free EMT class, he joined Hardwick Rescue, where he’s now volunteered for almost two years. He also serves with Woodbury Fire & Rescue, which covers both fire and EMS.
All of this work is carried out by volunteers. “Radios and pagers are always on me. Phone too. For Hardwick Rescue I have shifts. Woodbury I’m always on call,” Shepard said. “But we’re volunteers, and some days we don’t have coverage, and the call goes to a different department, further away. We’re always recruiting more people. We need them.”
On top of his two volunteer roles, Shepard works full-time as crew at Smugglers’ Notch Resort, doing maintenance and a variety of support tasks.
Today, Shepard’s goal is clear: he hopes to turn his volunteer service into a full-time career as a firefighter and EMT. “I’d love to do it full time. I’m just waiting for one to open up somewhere,” he says.
Through it all, he credits the support and leadership development he received from his VSAC Outreach Counselors and the SEEDS program. “A big part of the job is taking charge in emergency response situations. I use those leadership skills I built with VSAC almost every day,” he shared.
And even after long nights and unpredictable calls, Shepard still finds his greatest joy in sharing the excitement with kids. “It’s the best feeling in the world,” he said. “Showing a kid around a fire truck, in the back of an ambulance, putting the helmet on them. Their smiles are so big. If you have tough days, that’s what you have to go do.” It’s a full-circle moment for Shepard, whose own path began with that same early encounter.
The Vermont Student Assistance Corp. was created by the Vermont Legislature in 1965 as a public nonprofit agency. It advocates for Vermont students and their families to ensure they have the tools they need to achieve their education and training goals. VSAC grant, scholarship and workforce development programs create opportunity, help students re-skill or learn new skills and grow the economy. VSAC’s loan and loan forgiveness programs provide competitive education financing to students and families. Visit vsac.org for visit more information.
