Frenship ISD begins second year of partnership with SPC firefighter academy - EverythingLubbock.com

The program runs through the South Plains College Fire Academy and lets Frenship students start as early as their junior year. To get in, interested students go through physical agility courses and a mock civil service exam, giving them a real preview of what the job actually demands before they commit to it.

Coordinator and instructor Phillip Grandon said the idea came out of research done around 2018, when he noticed other Texas school districts offering similar programs and started asking why Frenship couldn't do the same. That question turned into a working pipeline between the district and SPC, now rolling into its second year.

For students on the South Plains, this is a rare chance to get ahead in a field that typically requires post-graduation training, testing, and waiting. Entering the workforce with academy experience already under their belt is a real advantage in a region where fire departments are always competing for qualified recruits.

Texas has been expanding these high school fire academy programs across the state for years, and Lubbock's corner of it is only now starting to catch up.