St. Louis County Fire Academy – Certification for Employment at St. Louis County Fire Service Agencies

St. Louis County Fire Academy

Practice | Education | Guidance

Self-Sponsored Students

43 FIRE SERVICE AGENCIES

To work at any of the 43 fire service agencies in St. Louis County, you must be certified through the St. Louis Fire Academy.

OUR FOUNDING

The St. Louis County Fire Academy opened on January 14, 1980 with the goal to “provide high-quality, standardized training for recruits entering services in the county’s (many) fire districts.”

FIRST CLASS INSTRUCTION

Our staff of lead and assistant instructors at St. Louis County Fire Academy include line firefighters and fire officers at all levels in the fire service.

ALUMNI

Over the last 4 decades, the St. Louis Fire Academy has trained and certified thousands of firefighters. See our fully searchable and exportable list of Alumni.

Welcome to the St. Louis County Fire Academy

About the Academy

Opening in 1980, the St. Louis County Fire Academy began training and certifying firefighters for the 43 different fire departments and fire protection districts in St. Louis County. To work at any of these 43 fire service agencies, you must be certified through us.

There are two ways to go through the academy. The first is to be hired as a full-time, paid firefighter by a fire service district in St. Louis County. The other way is to go through the Academy as a self-sponsored student.

MORE ABOUT THE ACADEMY

Diversity

Fighting fires and rescuing people is for everyone, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or other cultural socioeconomic status.

Employment

Upon certification, each individual seeks their own employment in the fire service. The fire service agencies in St. Louis County have their own individual hiring requirements. The STLCO Fire Academy does not hire firefighters, nor do they provide a job placement service.

Flexibility

We offer three classes each year, with typically 32 students in each class. Each class is a combination of new hires from St. Louis County Fire agencies and Self-Sponsored Students.

Crosstraining

94% of the 1551 firefighters presently working in the 43 different agencies in St. Louis County have either a Paramedics license (82%) or are E.M.T.s (12%). Other agencies in St. Louis County provide these important certifications.

Point Process

SELF-SPONSORED STUDENT ADMISSION PROCESS

MORE INFORMATION FOR SELF-SPONSORED STUDENTS

General Overview

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 maintains the waiting list, determines when applications are released, and sets the minimum standards. For admissions information, please go to the Application Process page on this website.

We currently hold three (3) classes a year with 32 students in each class. Each class is a combination of New Hires from St. Louis County fire agencies and Self-Sponsored students. If we have 10 New Hires needing to be rostered for a class, the balance of the seats, 22, would be filled with Self-Sponsored students.

Classes are held Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm with a few exceptions.

Each class runs 14.5 weeks in length.

Tuition is currently $4,135.00 per recruit ($4,000 tuition; $70.00 book; $65.00 PE clothes). However, there is no guarantee this rate will be in effect at the time you would attend a class. Effective January 1, 2023, the tuition amount will be $4,635.00 ($4,500.00 tuition; $70.00 book; $65.00 PE clothes).

Tuition is always due, in full, three (3) weeks before the first day of class. The Academy does not offer any type of payment plan. After class commences, there is NO refund of tuition if a recruit fails to complete the training program for any reason including excessive absences due to illness or injury, personal reasons, or is dismissed by the Academy for good cause shown. If a recruit repeats a class for any reason, the full tuition is applicable at that time.

Payment may be made with a credit/debit card (Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express) or cashier’s check. Card payments can be made over the phone. Personal checks and cash are NOT accepted. Please call in advance to ensure someone is in the office to accept your payment.

A 3% service fee is charged for all credit card payments. There is no fee if you use a Debit/Check card.

The St. Louis County Fire Academy has a Scholarship and Education Fund available for eligible applicants. Please call Betty Stoecklin at 314-889-8670 for further information.

The Fire Academy has been approved for G.I. Bill benefits effective July 7, 2013. To apply for benefits, please go to GIBill.va.gov. If you have never used the benefit before, submit VA Form 22-1990. If you have previously used the benefit, submit VA Form 22-1995. Once your application is approved, you will receive an Award Letter. This letter must be turned in to the Academy so that we can submit the necessary paperwork.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Betty Stoecklin at 314-889-8670. To determine eligibility for VA payments, call 888-442-4551.

ENTRANCE STANDARDS & TUITION

Age

Must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.

Education

Must have a High School Diploma or General Equivalency Diploma.

Police Record Check

Must not have been convicted of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or a felony under which the circumstances reasonably affect a person’s competency to perform the duties of a firefighter. Required to provide a fingerprint search based background check form the MO State Highway Patrol. Current cost is $28.30

Driver's License

Must possess a valid driver’s license.

Military

Separation must have been “Under Honorable Conditions.”

Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)

Must have valid and current C.P.A.T. certification.

Medical Insurance

Must have coverage for the entire duration of Class attended.

TUITION

Tuition is presently $4,135.00 ($4,000.00 tuition; $70.00 book; $65.00 PE clothes) per recruit. However, there is no guarantee this rate will be in effect at the time you would attend a class. Effective January 1, 2023, the tuition amount will be $4,635.00 ($4,500.00 tuition; $70.00 book; $65.00 PE clothes).

Tuition is always due, in full, two (2) weeks before the first day of class.

Payment may be made with a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express), a check card/debit card, cashier’s check, or money order. Personal checks are NOT accepted. Cash is NOT accepted. (A 3% convenience fee is charged for all credit card payments.) (There is no convenience fee charged for check card/debit card payments.

The Fire Academy does not offer any type of payment plan.

The Fire Academy DOES accept Department of Veterans’ Affairs G.I. Bill benefits. For information, please contact Betty Stoecklin at 314-889-8670.

RECENT NEWS & EVENTS

Oct132017

New Training and Burn Tower Ready to Use

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Well, it is FINALLY here and completed. The new Training/Burn Tower is ready to use. There are still a few things to complete around the area, but we will be utilizing the tower for the 100th Recruit Class Structure Burns next week. We would like to thank Phil Lopez for his tireless work, Kim Besserman…