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.
There are 43 different fire departments and fire protection districts in St. Louis County. Each agency does its own hiring and has its own individual hiring requirements. Therefore, you would need to contact them directly, regarding employment.
To work at any of the 43 fire service agencies in St. Louis County, you must be certified through the St. Louis County Fire Academy.
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 6 months of their employment date. Therefore, New Hires receive priority in seating in each Academy Class.
While some of the 43 agencies will hire an individual and send them through the Academy, others will only hire those individuals who have already been through the Academy. In addition, you will find that the majority of those agencies which do hire and send through the Academy require a Paramedic license for employment.
For your information, there are approximately 1,551 firefighters presently working at the 43 different agencies in St. Louis County. Of those 82% are Paramedics, 12% are E.M.T.s (Emergency Medical Technician), and 6% have no E.M.S. licensure whatsoever. So, as you can see, a Paramedic license is very important 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.
