The Greater St. Louis County Fire Academy is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational corporation that contracts with the St. Louis County Fire Standards Commission to provide firefighter training for St. Louis County. The St. Louis County Fire Standards Commission controls the application process and sets the minimum standards.
St. Louis County has 43 different fire departments and fire protection districts. Each agency does its hiring and has its hiring requirements. Therefore, you would need to contact them directly regarding employment.
You must be certified through the St. Louis County Fire Academy to work at any of the 43 fire service agencies in St. Louis County.
There are two ways to go through the Academy. One way is to be hired as a full-time, paid firefighter by a fire department or fire protection district in St. Louis County. Anyone hired as such must attend the St. Louis County Fire Academy’s Basic Firefighter Training Program within six months of their employment date. Therefore, New Hires receive priority in seating in each Academy Class.
While some of the 43 agencies will hire individuals and send them through the Academy, others will only hire those individuals who have already gone through the Academy. In addition, most agencies that hire and send through the Academy require a Paramedic license for employment.
For your information, approximately 1,551 firefighters are presently working at the 43 different agencies in St. Louis County. Of those, 82% are Paramedics, 12% are EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians), and 6% have no EMT licensure. So, as you can see, a Paramedic license is essential when seeking employment within the St. Louis County Fire Service.
The second way to go through the Academy is to participate in the admission process for Self Sponsored Students. That process involves obtaining, completing, and submitting an application packet.
