The Austin Fire Department recently donated $70,000 worth of training equipment to AISD's LBJ Fire Academy. The equipment includes 15 sets of bunker gear (jackets, pants and boots) and nearly 70 NXG7 model Air Packs.

AISD high school juniors and seniors participate in the academy's two-year training program, where they learn classroom and hands-on instruction on firefighting and emergency medical services to obtain certification.

 "It's not just reading about the gear and reading about how it feels and how to use it, but it's actually going out and putting it on and learning how to operate it," said LASA junior Elexis Kalar.

With the certifications earned at the academy, students can immediately enter the emergency service as a firefighter or EMT. Students are also eligible to receive up to 12 hours of college credit upon graduating.

Watch below to learn more about the program.