High School – Future Firefighter Program and Curriculum;

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 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 courses, 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 southern California and the firefighting operations courses for high school students taught at the Career Technical Education level.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has a recognized Career Technical Education (CTE) 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 Magnet program. It is also taught on the campus of the University Public Services Pathways high school near the Watts community. The Foundation provides additional resources such as funding for uniforms and other materials to support the students and the program.

There are some life lessons that are not taught or covered in school or in some cases in the home environment, therefore the Future Firefighter Program 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. 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.

· Introduction to Future Firefighter Program

· Intro to the Fire Service and other Career Paths

· Time Management / Goal Setting / Introduction to Public Safety

· Law Enforcement encounter session

· 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. 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.

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 (Inglewood CA)

Parent School (LaDera Hights CA)

​