Meet the Instructor

My name is Matthew Hardeman, and I am the instructor for the Public Safety Program at Eden Career Technical School, our program is named "Eden Public Safety Academy". I am originally from Ringgold, Georgia and moved here to attend JSU, where I received my Bachelor's of Science in Emergency Management. I selected JSU due to the Marching Southerners, I played the mellophone and marched for 3 years with the Southerners. I worked as a career firefighter and paramedic for 11 years primarily at Jacksonville Fire Department, but I have also worked for several other fire departments and EMS agencies. I am also certified through the Alabama Fire College in technical rescue, hazardous materials, and instruction. On top of my role here as an instructor I also am an adjunct instructor at the Alabama Fire College in Tuscaloosa. I met my wife, Katie, while working in this field while she was working as a scribe at the hospital in Anniston. We have been married since 2016 and currently live on a "farm" with her parents. We are the proud parents of two dogs, (Klaus and Severus) and two pot-bellied pigs (Lola and Juniper). Katie completed her medical residency in 2023, and now works as a family medicine Physician in Gadsden. 

Alabama Fire College
Firefighter I/II
Rapid Intervention Teams
Hazardous Materials Technician
Apparatus Operator: Pumper, Aerial, MWS
RT: Rope I/II
RT: Vehicle and Machinery Extrication
RT: Structural Collapse I/II
Fire and Emergency Services Instructor I/II
Fire Officer I