by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
At the beginning of the school year a new uniform was seen on 30 students at A. Philip Randolph Academies of Technology.
It’s the uniform of the new Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Career Academy and it’s the sixth specialized academy at the high school. Currently, there are 30 students that have been admitted to the program — one senior, two juniors, five sophomores and 22 freshmen.
The group is required to wear their uniform that consists of gray T-shirts (that must be tucked in), black pants and black boots. They also have red hats with yellow lettering, but they cannot be worn during their regular education classes.
The academy was made possible through a partnership between the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD), Florida Community College of Jacksonville, A. Philip Randolph High School and the Duval County School Board.
Fire and Rescue Chief of Rescue, Charles Moreland, said he and JFRD Director Dan Kleman met with the School Board in November 2006 with the idea of forming an academy designed to give students a greater knowledge of fire and rescue. The hope was the exposure would spur some of them to pursue fire fighting or a related profession as a career.
“Our goal was not just the need (for firefighters), but the need to get the community involved in getting young people interested in fire fighting,” said Moreland. “It is a great opportunity to look at an avenue to take young people who have a desire and have an opportunity to learn what it is like to be a firefighter.
“They may, in the end, become a firefighter and if we are successful in gaining employment from the program, that is just icing on the cake.”
The idea about adding the Fire & Rescue Academy to the school came from the JFRD, said Gregory Lawrence, district career academy coordinator for the school.
“The JFRD had identified the ongoing need to hire firefighters,” he said. “This will also help to meet the demands of new service plans for the next several years.”
Not only was the JFRD interested in starting the academy, but students were also asking about adding an emergency services academy.
“There was some interest expressed (by the students),” said Lawrence. “We have a public safety academy, but that focuses mostly on security and criminal activity.”
The Fire & Rescue Academy is a limited access program and the students are assessed before they are admitted. Part of the assessment requires that both the students and their parents be interviewed.
“It is a highly disciplined program to get accepted into,” said Lawrence. “There are certain academic requirements they must meet to stay in the program and they must maintain a high level of academic discipline and personal discipline.”
The academy is a four-year program and classes begin during the student’s freshman year, said Lawrence. He explained that the one senior and two juniors in the program will not receive their full certification, but they will gain more exposure to a career in emergency services.
The program will allow students to earn several certifications including CPR, First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician and Firefighter Certification.
After students have been admitted to the program, they begin with physical training classes during their freshman year. Lawrence said they will also go through intense training in the classroom during their sophomore year. As each year passes they will gain the opportunity to eventually have an internship with the JFRD.
“Once they become upperclassmen they will be assigned to a station in Jacksonville where they will do volunteer work and training with the firefighters,” he said.
When students graduate from the school and the academy the “cadet firefighter,” as the school calls them, will receive a certificate through the Division of the State Fire Marshal, Bureau of Fire Standards and Training for the State of Florida.
“It is a win for the city, a win for the school and a win for young folks who have a desire to be a firefighter,” said Moreland.
Lawrence said having this type of academy at the school helps fill a void in Duval County.
“We were able to address the needs of the city, because physically and logistically it fit into our facility,” he said.
When students graduate from A. Philip Randolph with their certificate they can go to FCCJ to receive their full certification, said Lawrence. He added they can attended any college of their choice to further their education, not just FCCJ.
“They will receive 75 percent of the qualifications at A. Philip Randolph to be hired for a career in emergency services,” he said.
One of the students, Ashlee, a freshman at A. Philip Randolph, heard about the new academy and thought it would be a good choice for her.
“It was something I thought I could do to put people before me,” she said. “I want to help other people before I help myself.”
Even though there are 30 students in the program, Lawrence said they can accommodate up to 150 students.
“Right now, these 30 students give us a good benchmark,” he said. “We have students on a waiting list and we have had several calls made to us expressing their interest in the academy.”
A. Philip Randolph is not the only school that has an academy like this.
“There is a school in Miami-Dade and they served as our mentor,” said Lawrence. “We visited their program and their district administrators gave us very good advice.”
The Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Career Academy is now the sixth academy at the school and Lawrence said they are in the process of adding an Early Childhood Education Academy in the very near future.
“If there is a need and if we can accommodate, we will bring it here,” said Lawrence.