Bryan Kerns

Dobyns-Bennett High School Fire Science

Bryan Kerns is a Math and Fire Science teacher at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, TN. Bryan has taught at Dobyns-Bennett for 18 years and has championed several unique initiatives, most notably the formation of the Dobyns-Bennett Fire Program. In 2018, Bryan had the unique idea to form a high school wildland firefighter club that has now grown into a full Fire and Emergency Services program of study. Mr. Kerns’ fire program includes three levels of fire courses, a capstone Work-Based Learning experience, and a Prescribed Burn Team. The Prescribed Burn Team is a one-of-a-kind educational experience in which the students conduct controlled burns in the region. In the Spring of 2024, Bryan and his students conducted eight controlled burns for a total of 97 acres, most of which were integral parts in native grassland restoration projects. Additionally, Mr. Kerns’ Fire Program has produced over thirty young men and women now working in the fire and emergency services career across the country. Bryan’s unique work in building the D-B Fire Program has earned him invitations to speak at both the NC and TN Prescribed Council Annual Meetings, The Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network Annual Workshop, The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, The East Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association meeting, and the Longleaf Alliance Bi-Annual Meeting. Additionally, the Dobyns-Bennett Fire Program was featured in Forbes Magazine in February 2024. Bryan serves as the President of the Bays Mountain Park Association Board and is the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network Landscape Lead for the Unaka and Great Smoky Mountains Landscape.