Key West students graduate from Firefighters' Academy, earn certifications

Fourteen Key West High School students finished the Key West Fire Department’s Firefighters’ Academy and left with certifications that can carry them toward local fire service, emergency medical work and other public-safety jobs. In a place where response times can be strained by distance, traffic and weather, the class represented more than a ceremony. It was a workforce pipeline built in Key West.

Families, city officials and fire department members gathered on May 11 at the Alex Vega Key West Firehouse Museum, 1024 Grinnell Street, to recognize the graduates. The academy is a two-year program for students in their final two years of high school, giving them a route into first-responder work before they ever leave campus.

By the end of the program, the students had earned the equivalent of Certified Firefighter I training, city and school sources said. They also received certifications in Emergency Medical Responder and Hazmat Awareness. That combination puts graduates about halfway through the training required to become a Key West firefighter and gives them a practical credential set for jobs or further training in the fire, EMS and emergency-management fields.

The academy has become a recurring part of the city’s public-safety system, with archived city notices showing graduations in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025. City coverage from 2022 said 14 Key West High School students graduated that year, a sign that the program has been producing steady classes rather than one-off cohorts. City support has also been visible at past graduations, including appearances by Mayor Danise “DeeDee” Henriquez and City Manager Brian L. Barroso.

The training is not limited to classroom work. In February 2024, city posts showed Fire Academy students practicing fire extinguisher use at Station 3, where they learned fire safety procedures in a hands-on setting. Monroe County says the Joe London Training Facility in Marathon serves firefighter and medical training needs for Monroe County Fire Rescue, volunteer firefighters and municipal fire departments across the Florida Keys, tying the Key West academy into a broader regional system.

That regional approach matters in Monroe County, where Key West city emergency management operates under the fire department and coordinates disaster response with the county, especially during hurricanes. The academy gives local students recognized credentials and gives the Keys a better chance of keeping young people connected to the community in the jobs that matter most when seconds count.