Philadelphia to offer firefighting, EMT course at four high schools

[NJFFSA16]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - High school students who want to become
firefighters or emergency medical technicians will be able to get
formal training, starting this fall.
The Philadelphia School District and the Philadelphia Fire
Department are joining forces to offer courses in those areas at
four Philadelphia high schools.
The school district and fire department will sign the agreement
this morning.
It will create a three-year course for sophomores at four high
schools, to be taught by retired firefighters. The classes will be
taught at the schools, with field trips to the fire academy.
At the end of the course, graduates will have a
nationally-recognized "Firefighter One" certification.
Students will still have to be 18 years of age, though, to get a
job with the Philadelphia Fire Department.

(Mike DeNardo, KYW-AM)

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[fuzzykiwi]

Will this be in addition to their math, science, english, gym, etc..?

[Safety33]

Some questions: Will these students get extra points if they do apply for the PFD? With the city talking about shutting down stations, who and when is the money going to come from?

It is a good start, but I think a lot more needs to be done first.