A new, two-year pilot program will train Detroit Public High School students as certified firefighters and emergency medical technicians by the time they graduate high school, Detroit and school officials announced today.
“For the first time, we are going to provide a clear path for young Detroiters who want to serve their community as firefighters and EMTs to receive their training and become employable right out of high school,” says Detroit Mayor Duggan. “It is our hope and expectation that these young men and women will become members of the Detroit Fire Department.”
Classes will be held at Cody High School’s medicine and community health academy on the city’s west side, while practical fire training will take place on the east side at the Detroit Fire Department Regional Training Facility located in the former Davis Aerospace Technical High School next to Coleman A. Young International Airport.
Thirty Cody High School juniors and seniors will participate in the program’s inaugural class this fall. Only firefighter training will be provider for the inaugural class, and students will attend academic classes three days per week and practical training the other two days.
“We always are looking for good men and women to serve the Detroit Fire Department,” Detroit Fire Commissioner Edsel Jenkins says. “This new program will create a pipeline for us to be able to make sure young Detroiters have access to these opportunities.”
