LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) students at Fairdale High School are getting more hands-on experiences in the classroom thanks to a donation from Louisville Fire.
Thursday morning, Louisville Fire donated one of its old fire trucks to the high school's Fire and EMS Academy. The moment was marked with a celebratory, traditional push-in, as students and members of Louisville Fire pushed the truck into the bay at Fairdale High.
Pictured: this image dated Feb. 8, 2024, shows a fire truck gifted to Fairdale High School by the Louisville Division of Fire going into a garage at the school at 1001 Fairdale Road in Louisville, Ky. It will be used to help train hopeful future firefighters and first responders. (WDRB image)
"It's still in great shape for these young men and women to be able to use it and learn about the fire service," said Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill.
According to Dan Shirley, chief instructor at Fairdale Fire and EMS Academy, the program has been around for years, helping teach students what it takes to be in these career fields.
"Basically, we train kids the same as firefighters get trained, the same as EMTs get trained," he said.
Shirley said the academy already has one fire truck, donated previously by Fairdale Fire. There's also an ambulance on site. Now with two fire trucks, he said that adds to the capabilities of what this program can teach.
"I want to run them in tandem. Just like a firehouse, most firehouses, you run two trucks out the door when you have a run," said Shirley. "I've got an ambulance sitting over there. I like to do a lot of simulation stuff with the kids. If I have two trucks and an ambulance, I can set up a lot of simulations and make it as realistic as possible."
O'Neill said there isn't a shortage of firefighters, but "it is kind of going that way."
"If you compare when I came on, 20+ years ago, there were over 3,000 people applying for 30 positions. Now, we're getting a few hundred people to apply and really, where the problem is, is qualified people," said O'Neill. "There's a lot of people that might want to get into the profession but they might not have that kind of base line physical ability and they might just not be exposed to what it really takes. So, this is a great chance for these young adults to get to see what it takes, if this is a route they want to follow."
According to Shirley, students going through this program are also able to take the CPAT, or Candidate Physical Ability Test. He said when he spoke with the International Association of Fire Fighters, he was told at the time, this was the "first and only" high school in the country with a CPAT license.
"With us receiving that license, I can now test the kids before they leave here and that puts them a step ahead going out the door to be able to get a job as a firefighter in the state of Kentucky," said Shirley.
Brandon Smith, a Fairdale senior, said he recently took the test and passed. He's now waiting to hear back on a job application from a local fire department.
"It'd make me feel good to stay close to home and be a firefighter around Louisville," said Smith.
Shirley said in addition to the experience and training students learn here, he hopes most of all they take away life skills like teamwork, overcoming challenges, and leadership, that they can apply to any career path they choose in the future.
"I don't expect every kid that comes through this program to be a firefighter, I don't expect them to be an EMT," said Shirley. "My goal of this program is, when they come through this program, when they leave here, they take something with them."
He said about 20 seniors are expected to graduate from the program in May.
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