44 Cambridge youth graduated from the first-ever joint Youth Police and Fire Academy graduation ceremony on Thursday, August 9
th. The special festivities concluded the six-week, 120-hour instructional Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program designed to expose participating youth, ages 14-18, to the various duties associated with public safety. 25 students graduated from this year’s Cambridge Youth Police Academy, which is in its ninth year, while 19 students graduated from the third Cambridge Youth Fire Academy class.
This year’s training included both classroom and hands-on, while giving students the opportunity to learn about the various roles of officers and firefighters, and also enabling better understanding with technology, procedures and the importance of wellness. One of this year’s highlights for both academies took place in mid-July when students taught “bystander CPR and bleeding control” to dozens of members of the community at Harvard Square and Brattle Square along with Pro EMS. Over the past three years, more than 1,000 people in the community have received training from both academies. Students from the Youth Police Academy took field trips to the Nashua Street Prison, U.S. Coast Guard and a rock climbing facility, while the Fire Academy visited the Massachusetts Fire Academy in Stow and the Mount Auburn Hospital, where they conducted a mock patient transport in conjunction with emergency room staff. Both academies also assisted with community events, including CambridgeSide Run & Ride and National Night Out.
“Through the Youth Police and Fire Academies, these graduates were provided with incredible opportunities to gain invaluable experience in the field of public safety,” said Commissioner Branville G. Bard, Jr. “We want to thank all of the instructors and supporters, particularly the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program and Massachusetts Army National Guard, for making this experience possible.”
“We are hopeful that this program sets the path for our young Cambridge students to embark on an honorable career as Cambridge Firefighters, Police Officers or EMTs,” said Acting Fire Chief Gerard Mahoney.
“We are thrilled that we are able to support these exciting summer programs, and that these young people had such an enriching experience,” said Ellen Semonoff, City of Cambridge’s Assistant City Manager for Human Services.
As part of this year’s presentation, Mark Miller, MS, NRP, the Director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, awarded a Massachusetts EMT certificate posthumously to Richelle Robinson, the 15-year-old young woman from Cambridge who passed away in July. The certificate was accepted by Ms. Robinson's family. Richelle had aspired to be an EMT and graduated from the Cambridge Youth Police Academy last year.
To view photos from the program and graduation ceremonies, please visit the
Cambridge Police and
Cambridge Fire Department’s Facebook Pages.
The Cambridge Youth Police and Cambridge Youth Fire Academies are two of the more than 125 different non-profits and government agencies that host more than 1,050 Cambridge teen employees through the city’s Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program. Teens work 20 hours per week for six weeks and participate in youth development workshops, college tours and financial education sessions.
The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 6 years ago.
