Senate approves bill allowing student firefighter training to count for school credit
TRENTON, N.J. — The New Jersey Senate has approved legislation that would allow eligible high school students to receive health, safety and physical education credit for completing a course at a county fire academy.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Pennacchio and Sen. Anthony M. Bucco, both R-Morris/Passaic, is intended to help address a shortage of firefighters in New Jersey by encouraging students to become junior firefighters.
To be eligible, students would need to be between 16 and 18 years old, complete an examination to become a junior firefighter or equivalent, and commit to volunteering at their local fire department for two years.
“Many New Jersey communities depend on volunteer firefighters to keep families safe, but departments across the state are struggling to recruit the next generation of volunteers,” said Sen. Pennacchio. “By allowing junior firefighters to receive health, safety, and physical education credits, we are promoting valuable educational opportunities for students outside the classroom while strengthening the pipeline of future first responders.”
“Encouraging young people to become junior firefighters not only helps address the first responder shortage, it also provides a hands-on learning experience that builds leadership, responsibility, and a commitment to community service,” said Sen. Bucco. “This bill takes a creative approach to recruitment by recognizing the real-world training and physical demands of firefighting as part of a student’s education.”
