Welcome to the SLPFTP official web site!
The program began in the fall of 2006 with an orientation for the first SLPFTP candidates at Forest Park Community College. This fall 2007 will add an additional fifty students as the first year cadets continue on into their second year.
All students will be furnished with uniforms and transportation to reach the training sites three days a week after school. The time commitment for students will be approximately six hours per week not including travel time. Opportunity for receiving an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license will be part of the summer component of the program taking place at the St. Louis Fire Academy.
For further details
of the program, important dates, entrance requirements, etc., click on the
links above.
Enrollment information and forms can be found at the "Program Details"
Link above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why a Police
and Fire Training program for high school students?
A: There is always a need for qualified police, firefighters, EMT's and paramedics
in the City of St. Louis and many who begin training find it's not what they
wanted. It makes sense to give students the opportunity to try a career, see
what's involved and make informed decisions based on experience rather than
wait and find out later that they made a poor decision.
Q: Will students
be in danger while training?
A: No, while training will be rigorous, students will experience some activities
and observe others in an attempt to give a broad overview and experience of
all that police and firefighters encounter while on the job. These experiences
are aimed at helping students to make an informed decision about whether they
really want to enter the field of public safety or not.
Q: If only one
uniform will be provided, will it be enough for the three after school nights
a week?
A: Uniforms are only worn on Tuesdays
and Thursdays while attending the police and fire academies. No uniform is
worn on Wednesdays at Forest Park College. The plan is to provide a daily
uniform, a dress uniform component and an exercise component.
Q: Will my child
ride a bus to the after-school sites?
A: Students will be able to walk, drive personal vehicles or ride public transportation
with passes provided by the school district. No school buses will be provided
to the sites. Students will be expected to arrive on time and should prepare
in advance for time needed to facilitate promptness.
Q: Why do I have
to attend both academies if I want to be a police officer?
A: Both careers are highly intertwined with one another. Police work with
firefighters on a daily basis as both are first responders to virtually any
emergency that occurs. It's important that they understand one another's duties
and responsibilities. It is also quite possible that one might change their
mind or even decide their original choice was far from what they envisioned
the job to entail and now would avoid the career they once thought was their
dream. Again, experiencing a career before becoming and adult will allow for
a well informed decision in the future.
Q: What happens
if I get in the program and decide after the first year it's not for me?
A: There is a process for withdrawing
from the program which requires letters, signatures and approval from your
parents. We want to be sure you have really thought it over for the right
reasons, as you can not enter back in once withdrawn. It will take planning
and commitment to agree to stay in the program throughout high school and
devote the three days a week, keep homework assignments from school, possibly
miss a few favorite TV shows, give up some possible after school programs
and not give into peer pressure if friends decide what you're doing is foolish
in their opinion.
Q: How much will
this program cost me to participate?
A: The program is entirely free. This means it will include a bus pass for
transportation, uniform components, tuition at Forest Park and textbooks.
You may want to buy more uniforms to avoid washings needed between Tuesday
and Thursday sessions at the academy. Tuition and textbooks alone amount to
more than $1,000, a large savings and head start to a college degree and a
full semester of study completed before graduating from high school.
Program Kickoff at the
Fire Training Headquarters
CONTACT:
(314) 345-4555 for further information
SLPFTP Coordinator
St. Louis Public Schools
Division of Career and Technical Education
801 N 11th Street
St. Louis, Missouri, 63101
Last Updated June 13th, 2007
St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education:
Mr. Peter Downs, President
Mr. David L. Jackson, Vice-President
Dr. Flint Fowler, Secretary
Ms. Donna Jones
Ms. Veronica O’Brien
Mr. William Purdy
Ms. Katie Wessling
Diana M. Bourisaw Ph.D., Superintendent
Frank J. Logan, Executive Director, Career & Technical Education