TCC, BAFD Create Internship Program For Aspiring Firefighters

The Broken Arrow Fire Department is teaming up with Tulsa Community College to create an internship for students who want to become firefighters.

By the time the internship ends, students will have earned essential certifications to get a job as a firefighter. That has current and aspiring firefighters excited for the future.

Joshua Sherman has wanted to be a firefighter since he was a little boy.

"This is the greatest opportunity for me," he said.

He is hoping his new internship with the Broken Arrow Fire Department will help him achieve his dream.

"I've lived in the city of Tulsa my entire life, graduated from TCC, and, through them, I've gotten this opportunity to work with Broken Arrow."

The Broken Arrow Fire Department partnered with Tulsa Community College for a Fire and Emergency Medical Services internship.

For the next 20 weeks, the interns will train day in and day out at the Fire Academy.

Chief Jeremy Moore said this is the highest level of training in the state of Oklahoma.

"When they finish our training academy they will graduate with our employees, and they will be prepared to be hired at any fire department here in northeast Oklahoma," Moore said.

That isn't the only benefit of the partnership.

Moore said, “We really felt like this was a win-win so that our employees could get training and college hours at TCC, and we can create a pathway for future fire fighters here at the Broken Arrow Fire Department."

It's an application process, and, so far, only five students have been accepted; Sherman is one of them.

"The road ahead has no guarantee of me being hired with Broken Arrow, but it does have a guarantee of being hired somewhere in the Northeast region," he said.

Moore said, "We may end up hiring some of these interns, and this gives us 20 weeks to evaluate their abilities and skills.

If Broken Arrow does hire an intern, the city will have $14,000 for each person because they've also completed the required training.