Joe London Training Academy

Joe London Fire Training Academy

Monroe County owns and operates the Joe London Fire Training Academy, located on Crawl Key in the Middle Keys. It is one of only 43 certified firefighting training centers in Florida. 

The facility is named after Joe London, the County’s Fire Marshal from 1984 to 2003. 

Classroom Training Facility

Fire Chief James Callahan (left) and Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new classroom building. 

Construction was completed in 2017 on the training facility’s new $1.96 million, 5,000-square foot classroom facility for educating and training firefighters.

“I feel very proud of it, and I feel very proud of the men and women we’ve hired and trained," Monroe County Fire Rescue Chief James Callahan said.

The training academy includes a training tower and burn building. Training includes basic and advanced level training up to and including certifying individuals to be state-certified firefighters. The academy also offers medical training for EMTs and paramedics.

The academy hosts a variety of courses throughout the year that are designed for Monroe County Fire Rescue firefighters, local volunteer firefighters, and members of the Keys municipal fire departments.

The new concrete building includes LED energy-efficient lighting, a two-bay garage, men's and women's showers, an office and a classroom. The classroom training used to be conducted out of a doublewide officer trailer with a leaky roof and no hot water.

All required ISO (Insurance Service Office) facility training is conducted at the facility. It includes 18 hours of facility training, live-fire training, vehicle extrication training, and ground ladder training. Using the facility’s drill tower, firefighters drag hoses and flow water with heat and smoked out conditions. Search and rescue drills are conducted in blacked-out conditions. Training also includes practicing ventilation techniques whether it be vertical, hydraulic, or positive and negative pressure.

It was funded with the County's one-cent infrastructure tax.

“All of this gives us the ability to practice under a controlled environment so that we can perform safely in the real world,” said Charlie Mather, Monroe County Fire Rescue’s Training Chief.

Hot Shots Training Program for Locals

The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners approved a Monroe County Fire Rescue program that provides free firefighting and first responder training for qualified Monroe County residents in exchange for a commitment to work or volunteer as a firefighter anywhere in the Florida Keys. For more information, click here.