Junior Public Safety Academy the Perfect Option for High Schoolers Interested in Fire, Police Department Careers

The Pasadena Police Department and Fire Department have opened up registration for this year’s Junior Public Safety Academy (JPSA) program, where Pasadena high school students are immersed in police and fire safety work with real police officers and firefighters for five days, and gain insights about the career opportunities available in the public safety field.

The actual seminar is from July 31 to August 4, but students are encouraged to register early online or by calling the Pasadena Police Department.

Yearly, the program takes in about 50 students from Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) high schools, ninth through 12th grade, and have them report between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. to the police and fire departments where they are get hands-on experience as the police officers and firefighters or paramedics perform law enforcement, firefighting and emergency medical response jobs.

The program’s participants also take part in physical fitness activities, fire safety drills, CPR and team building exercises during the five-day event. Sgt. Glenn Thompson, one of the officers who first started the program years ago, says the students get a taste of what police academy is like during the seminar.

“Throughout that week, we have different people come in from the department and talk to them about careers in the police and safety field and what the work is about,” says Thompson, now assigned with the police department’s Community Services Section. “We used to do it with the Sheriff’s Department, and then in 2005 or 2006, we started partnering with the Fire Department.”

Thompson serves as one of the instructions on the JPSA program. He also talks about how they thought of initiating the program and received his department’s support. Now, the program is supported by the Pasadena Police Foundation, among others.

“We wanted to bring in the youth because we figured that because they’re of the age when they wanted to become explorers and stuff like that, we could bring them in and teach them about different programs and they may want to go ahead and sign up with the Pasadena Explorers or the Fire Explorers to go further,” Thompson said.

To join the Junior Public Safety Academy, interested participants must be at least 14 years old but less than 18, must be a Pasadena resident or attend a Pasadena area high school, and be prepared to take part in physical activity.

To graduate from the program, a participant must attend all five sessions.

Registration for the program opened on Wednesday and will go on until July 13 at 8 p.m.

To sign up, call (626) 744-4551 or visit www.bit.ly/2mW4g3Q.