As Detroit Public Schools prepare for the first day of classes, they have something exciting to celebrate. This fall, a class of 30 Detroit High School students will become the first to be trained as firefighters as part of a collaboration between the Detroit Fire Department and DPS.
The two-year pilot program will train students as certified firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMT) by the time they graduate from high school. Historically, the majority of new hires for DFD tend to be suburban high school graduates because the firefighter training programs are widely offered by suburban schools.
However, with the new pilot program, Detroit is taking steps to ensure that more young Detroiters have the opportunity to serve their city.
“For the first time, we are going to provide a clear path for young Detroiters who want to serve their community as fire fighters and EMTs to receive their training and become employable right out of high school,” said Mayor Duggan. “It is our hope and expectation that these young men and women will become members of the Detroit Fire Department.”
Classes for the program will be held at Cody High School’s Medicine and Community Health Academy on Detroit’s west side. The practical training for the program will occur at the DFD Regional Training Facility, housed in the former Davis Aerospace High School near City Airport.
The program is open to DPS students across the city, as long as they meet program requirements. They must be at least 17 years old, and they must have a recent physical exam on file providing medical clearance for participation.
Currently, 30 juniors and seniors from Cody MCH have been identified as eligible participants for the program’s first class.
This academic year (2015-2016), the program will only offer firefighter training, which includes medical first responder training. DFD will help prepare the students for the full EMT training in the second year of the program.
Students selected for the program will attend classes three days per week at the Cody center, where they’ll receive academic training. Two days a week they’ll have practical training at the DFD Academy.
Curriculum for the new program is based on the Fire Fighter I and II and Emergency Medical Services curricula approved for professional fire and emergency medial servers training by the International Fire Service Training Association.
To ensure that students don’t miss out educational opportunities, the program will also include college academic preparedness.
