Volunteer firefighters are fueled by passion. Aaron Bilbrey knows that firsthand with his work at the Woodburn Fire Department in Warren County.

“We pour our hearts into it. Everybody that is here loves it,” he said.

Bilbrey’s fire helmet isn’t the only hat he wars. He is also a senior at WKU.

“I tried to balance my classes between two or three days a week and on my off days,” Bilbrey said. “I try to hang around the fire district and come to the station on my own time.”

Time management was one of the skills Bilbrey had to work towards. He knew in order to fulfill his passion that he would have to keep up with his course work.

“It is better to do things as soon as you get it because with the fire department, you never know when something is going to happen,” he said.

Bilbrey was inspired to become a volunteer firefighter because of a close friend. His parents were skeptical at first, but knew he’d have a team that would watch over him.

"Everybody here is super close. We take care of each other. It’s like a family here,” Bilbrey said.

Bilbrey plans to graduate from WKU in December. He wants to be a full-time firefighter after graduation. He has already applied to the Owensboro Fire Department.