We recently shared the following information about the high school Fire Academy launching in the fall of 2022. Attached is a TikTok video being released by DETCCA highlighting the new academy! https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8aDX9L...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LIT’s partnership with communities makes high school Fire Academy a reality, starting in 2022
BEAUMONT – A new dual credit High School Firefighting Academy/Emergency Medical Technician program is now a reality after a nine-month-long planning period, thanks to a partnership between Lamar Institute of Technology’s Workforce Education, the City of Jasper, Jasper Economic Development Corporation, Emergency Services District #4, and six Southeast Texas school districts. The new program is scheduled to launch in Fall 2022.
School districts involved include: Jasper, Newton, Burkeville, Kirbyville, Spurger, Woodville and Brookland. High school juniors will have the opportunity to take dual credit classes that will provide them eligibility to take the state certification test as Firefighter/EMT’s at the end of their senior year. Students who complete the program also will be eligible to graduate from LIT in May of their senior year with their Basic Fire Academy Certificate.
The new program will be housed in Jasper at the Deep East Texas College and Career Academy (DETCCA), which is located on the Jasper High School campus.
According to LIT’s new Public Service & Safety (PBSS) Department Chair Nicole Mitchell, “The City of Jasper has provided 18+ acres of land dedicated to the fire training facility and $500,000 in funding for infrastructure development of the property, which has already begun.” The goal of this program, she said, is to give students a head start in their careers with the hands-on “training, skills and tools needed to go to work in their communities.” Mitchell said LIT will be handling the curriculum requirements and processes.
“A separate EMT dual credit program for students will begin in Fall 2022 with specific required prerequisites. An EMT certification program for adults also is being planned with a tentative start date of January 2022.”
Dr. Miranda Phillips, LIT’s Associate Vice President Strategic Initiatives/Workforce Training, said, “LIT salutes our valued partners in achieving this goal, which does not reflect the countless hours of sweat equity poured into the project. The High School Firefighting Academy offers yet another affordable means for the next generation of high school students to achieve their goals and start their careers sooner.”