Romeoville Fire Academy Partners with Endeavor Health

The Romeoville Fire Academy, which trains firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) from all over the US and internationally, is proud to announce its ongoing partnership in Endeavor Health's 2025 Community Investment Fund (CIF). This year, the Fire Academy has been awarded $380,000 for continued support of workforce development aimed at recruiting, training, and launching firefighter and EMT careers with a focus on young adults from diverse communities.

In 2024, Endeavor Health selected the Romeoville Fire Academy as a partner in their Community Investment Fund and awarded them $100,000. The partnership has been extended for 2025 and 2026 and the grant is increasing to $190,000 each year.

“We are beyond thrilled that Endeavor Health has chosen to increase their funding to support the partnership with our Fire Academy,” said Mayor Noak. “The fire service continues to experience challenges in recruitment. It's crucial to discover effective strategies to draw in and retain the next generation of firefighters and EMTs. This funding will provide new opportunities as we enhance those efforts.”

Endeavor Health selected the Romeoville Fire Academy as one of 44 local organizations across the Chicagoland area to collaborate on programs focused on behavioral health, food and housing insecurity and access to care.

“At the heart of the Community Investment Fund is our role as a convener, connecting organizations and fostering partnerships that amplify their collective impact,” said Kristen Murtos, Chief Innovation & Transformation Officer at Endeavor Health. “By bringing together diverse community groups, we don’t just fund projects—we create opportunities for collaboration that drive innovation, spark new ideas and deliver solutions that are greater than the sum of the parts.”

The nationwide shortage of firefighters and EMTs is an ongoing challenge. During recruitment sessions, the Fire Academy noticed students of different ethnic groups wanted to join, but would become discouraged when they heard the cost of getting through training. With the continued support from Endeavor Health, the Fire Academy will bring in more than 20 students of underserved communities in 2025 and put them through fire and EMT training with the hopes of successful job placement by the end of the year. In 2024, the grant helped more than 15 students that have completed programs or are currently enrolled in early 2025 programs.

For more information about the Fire Academy, please visit romeoville.org/153/FireAcademy. To learn more about Endeavor Health’s Community Investment Fund, visit endeavorhealth.org/cif.