High School & Middle School – Future Firefighter Program

The Future Firefighter Program (FFP) was created in 2008 on the campus of Dorsey high school in southwest Los Angeles. The purpose of this program is to educate high school students about various life skills that they can foster and use in their adult lives and to recruit students into the public safety field in general and into the Fire Service in particular.

The curriculum used is a combination of life skill lessons, Emergency Medical Services and Fire Operational lessons. These sessions have been compiled from the work experiences of the firefighters and company officers of the fire service in the southern California region and the firefighting operations courses for high school students taught at the Career Technical Education (CTE) level.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has a recognized Career Technical Education partnership with the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). The Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation (Foundation) is a partner and stakeholder in supporting this effort. Currently, the FFP is taught on the campus of Dorsey High School as a part of their Fire and EMS Magnet program. The Foundation provides additional resources such as funding for uniforms and other materials to support the students and the program.

Some of our life skill lessons not taught or covered in school or in some cases in the home environment, are discussed and addressed in the Future Firefighter Program. The FFP steps in to support the students with some of these topics and conversations. The Foundation also provides financial incentives to students that have a desire to step in and lead the class in relevant topics.

Our program was evaluated by a member of the educational staff from the National Fire Protection Administration’s Community Risk Reduction team. It received high praise for the work that were doing.

Below is a list of other high schools where the FFP has been held:

• Morningside High School – Inglewood CA
• University Pathways Public Service High School – Watts CA

Below is a listing of the topics that are covered in our educational sessions and lectures. This program is available to meet one hour per week for a total of 6 or 8 weeks or through an entire school semester.

· Introduction to Future Firefighter Program

· Introduction to the Fire Service and Public Safety other Career Paths

· Time Management / Goal Setting

· Law Enforcement encounters

· Basic Civics (Federal, State, Local Gov’t)

· Map Reading (understanding directions, hundred blocks etc.)

· Military Branches

· History of Black Firefighters• History of Black Los Angeles

· History of Mexican Americans in Los Angeles

· History of Women in the Fire Service

· Financial Literacy

· Utilities / Tool identification

· The History of the local community

· Electrical Safety and hazards

· Various Emergency Medical simulations

· Other topics and subjects are also covered in this program

Elementary School – Junior Fire Cadet Program

The Junior Fire Cadet Program (JFCP) was created in 2003 as the very first program created by the Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation. The program started on the campus on Tom Bradley elementary school in the Leimert Park / Crenshaw district of Los Angeles and it grew to other elementary schools in the Los Angeles region.

The JFCP is a program designed to teach 4th and 5th grade students about the importance of good citizenship, physical fitness, domestic violence prevention, decision making and life skills.

The overall goal is to help students with their social and emotional wellness and to have them learn how to chart a path forward for their future. By using caring and professional firefighters from a diverse cadre pool, they can see themselves and therefore see their future.

Over the past 20 years, the JFCP has operated at the following elementary schools:

• Tom Bradley (formerly Dublin Ave. School) elementary school – Leimert Park area of Los Angele)
• Birdie Lee Bright (formerly 36th street elementary school) – Jefferson Park area of Los Angeles)
• Normandie Ave. School – South Los Angeles
• Loyola Village school – Westchester area of Los Angeles
• Woodworth School (Inglewood CA)
• 59th street school – Hyde Park area of Los Angeles
• Wisdom Academy school – near the Watts area of Los Angeles
• Freeman Elementary School (Inglewood CA)
• LaTijera School K-8 (Inglewood CA)
• Parent School K-8 (LaDera Hights CA)

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If you are interested in having this program come to your school site, please contact us at the contact us link.