The Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation

The Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation (JRFFYF) is a non-profit community-based organization founded by Captain Brent Burton, Historian of the African American Firefighter Museum and a retired 37-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Founded in 2003, this educational and school-based program serves as the youth mentoring arm of the AAFFM, and has done phenomenal work serving several elementary and high school campuses. The Junior Cadet Program and Future Firefighter Program comprise the JRFFYF. The Foundation’s mission is to mentor, train and develop young minds for the future. We provide educational lectures and exercises that stimulate young minds to make better choices to become productive citizens. The program utilizes off-duty fire service personnel and other public safety professionals as positive mentor role models to address the youth and share the lessons that these professionals learned when they were growing up. Other programs offered by the JRFFYF are career day speakers, live fire department demonstrations with personal protective safety gear, presentations on fire safety education, disaster preparedness, and the history of African Americans in the Fire Service.

The Junior Cadet Program

The Junior Fire Cadet program (JFC) is the signature program of the Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation. Captain Kwame Cooper of the Los Angeles City Fire Department (founding Museum board member) first created the JFC program in 1995. This program was successful at a local Mid-City section elementary school in Los Angeles. With the assistance of Principal Anna McClinn of the Marvin Avenue Elementary school and the members of LAFD Fire Station 68, youngsters in the 4th and 5th grades received more than an education. They received a skill set they will always remember. In 2001, the Stentorians of Los Angeles County used this idea to create the new Junior Fire Cadet program. This program first appeared at the Tom Bradley elementary school in Leimert Park, with Mrs. Sharon Dean, Bradley Healthy Start program coordinator, and Captain Burton. Since 2001, the program has served over 400 elementary school students at seven different elementary schools.

 

Future Firefighter Program

The Junior Fire Cadet program (JFC) is the signature program of the Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation. Captain Kwame Cooper of the Los Angeles City Fire Department (founding Museum board member) first created the JFC program in 1995. This program was successful at a local Mid-City section elementary school in Los Angeles. With the assistance of Principal Anna McClinn of the Marvin Avenue Elementary school and the members of LAFD Fire Station 68, youngsters in the 4th and 5th grades received more than an education. They received a skill set they will always remember. In 2001, the Stentorians of Los Angeles County used this idea to create the new Junior Fire Cadet program. This program first appeared at the Tom Bradley elementary school in Leimert Park, with Mrs. Sharon Dean, Bradley Healthy Start program coordinator, and Captain Burton. Since 2001, the program has served over 400 elementary school students at seven different elementary schools.