Welcome to The Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation page
The Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation (JFFYF) was founded in 2003, by Captain Brent Burton. Captain Burton is a career fire service professional, with over 30 years of experience with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The JFFYF is a community based and educational operation that assists various schools within the greater Los Angeles County region. Our two collaborating organizations are the African American Firefighter Museum and the Stentorians of the Los Angeles County and City Fire Departments.
The Foundation provides services on the campuses of several elementary and high schools, by providing a Junior Fire Cadet Program and Future Firefighter Program.
The Mission Continues
The Junior Fire Cadet program (JFC) is the signature program of the Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation. The JFC program was first created by Captain Kwame Cooper of the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1995. This program was very successful at a local Mid-City section elementary school in Los Angeles.
In 2001, the Stentorians of Los Angeles County used this idea to create a new Junior Fire Cadet program. Captain Brent Burton of the Los Angeles County Fire Department and then President of the County Stentorians, utilized L.A. County Fire Stentorian resources to run this successful program. This program was first partnered at the Tom Bradley elementary school in Leimert Park with Mrs. Sharon Dean, Bradley Healthy Start program coordinator.
Since 2001, the program has served over 800 elementary school students in 5 different elementary schools. The JFC program is a six-week program that meets once a week for one hour a day on the campus of selected elementary schools. The program targets 4th & 5th grade students.
The youngsters learn about Fire Department operations, Fire Safety education, discipline, the value of physical fitness and staying in shape. Students also learn about the importance of becoming a voter and staying civically involved in their community. Guest speakers are brought in to discuss personal development and basic life survival skills. Police officers from the Los Angeles Police Department are also utilized to demonstrate what is expected from the students if they ever happen to have an encounter with a Police Officer.
At the end of the six week program the students will understand basic fire safety principles, how the fire department operates and how important physical fitness is for them as they prepare to enter middle school and the strict physical education requirements that are taught. The students are presented with certificates of completion and receive recognition for their efforts and hard work.
The program utilizes off duty firefighters as positive mentors and role models especially for the male students, to address them and share the life lessons they learned when they were growing up in Los Angeles.
Future Firefighter Program Middle School and High School students
The Junior Fire Cadet program (JFC) is the signature program of the Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation. The JFC program was first created by Captain Kwame Cooper of the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1995. This program was very successful at a local Mid-City section elementary school in Los Angeles. In 2001, the Stentorians of Los Angeles County used this idea to create a new Junior Fire Cadet program. Captain Brent Burton of the Los Angeles County Fire Department and then President of the County Stentorians, utilized L.A. County Fire Stentorian resources to run this successful program. This program was first partnered at the Tom Bradley elementary school in Leimert Park with Mrs. Sharon Dean, Bradley Healthy Start program coordinator. Since 2001, the program has served over 800 elementary school students in 5 different elementary schools. The JFC program is a six-week program that meets once a week for one hour a day on the campus of selected elementary schools. The program targets 4th & 5th grade students. The youngsters learn about Fire Department operations, Fire Safety education, discipline, the value of physical fitness and staying in shape. Students also learn about the importance of becoming a voter and staying civically involved in their community. Guest speakers are brought in to discuss personal development and basic life survival skills. Police officers from the Los Angeles Police Department are also utilized to demonstrate what is expected from the students if they ever happen to have an encounter with a Police Officer. At the end of the six week program the students will understand basic fire safety principles, how the fire department operates and how important physical fitness is for them as they prepare to enter middle school and the strict physical education requirements that are taught. The students are presented with certificates of completion and receive recognition for their efforts and hard work. The program utilizes off duty firefighters as positive mentors and role models especially for the male students, to address them and share the life lessons they learned when they were growing up in Los Angeles.