PART 5 CLASS 18: IN SIGHT AND SOUND-THE JAMES SHERN FIRE ACADEMY/COMPTON FIRE DEPARTMENT

Most people know that Westlake Signal Groups roots are in our coverage of Southern Californias fire service. We started out with Engine Company X and continued with Then & Now: The LAFD. In between those great projects, we produced two films for the James Shern Fire Academy based in Compton, Ca and run by the City of Compton Fire Department. What is the James Shern Fire Academy? Well, it is an academy whose curriculum mirrors any FDs Drill Tower programs. Cadets are put through classroom instruction and drills using tools of the trade AND ALSO FIGHT LIVE FIRE. We produced films for the academys Class 17 and 18 (which was the last class the JSFA offered as of this time). Filming for this project took place over a series of months and pretty much began as the cadets were beginning their journey from the classroom to the actual drill tower. We followed every aspect of training and have some awesome images of cadets trying to survive drills in the fire room, car fires, rescues, and so on. We cap it off by showing the final payoff: Graduation. There are lighter moments that show that everyone does have fun even if they are in a paramilitary environment. The academy is run by committed firefighters from the City of Compton, the Los Angeles City Fire Department, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Many of the cadets who attended this academy go on to find jobs in the fire service throughout Southern California and other states in the U.S. Youll get to see what it takes to be a firefighter in this 1 hour 37 minute film. Can you handle it?

Please note, this film is being posted in MULTIPLE PARTS!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Compton Fire Department
• Compton
• California
• fire academy
• fire
• cadets
• learning
• firemen
• firefighters
• Westlake signal group
• filmmakers
• film
• video
• chin thammasaengsri

[WestlakeSig]

@mrgetinyoazz Good luck with your choice...I think both places are great, but I like the firefighting community. They have described themselves as a peacetime army serving on domestic soil and I think that is a really interesting take.

[mrgetinyoazz]

@WestlakeSig thanks for the info. I am thinking about either firefighting or the army.

[WestlakeSig]

@mrgetinyoazz This academy is not paid and the recruits go home at the end of their day. I know that if you go in the LAPD or LAFD academies, those are paid. I can't recall, however, if one or both have recruits stay overnight. I don't believe they do, but I will have to verify that.

[mrgetinyoazz]

so is academy paid like police or no? And do you go home at the end of the day or what?

[WestlakeSig]

We did indeed. The van came from a junk yard in relatively good condition. It was loaded with a lot of wood, foam, and other combustiblres. Then it was doused in gasoline & set afire. I always enjoyed filming those.

[farmboy123456789101]

did yall set that van on fire ?