VIDEO: The Monument and Black Forest Fire Departments are now fully staffed just in time for peak fire season. It's thanks to a new Joint Fire Academy with Pikes Peak State College (PPSC). The academy's first class of 15 helped bring Monument Fire District to 24 firefighters and Black Forest to 30. As smaller agencies, the two fire departments relied on larger agencies to train their new recruits, said Monument Fire Chief Andy Kovacs. "This year we didn't have that opportunity because the academies were full," said Chief Kovacs. That's when the two fire departments worked with PPSC to create their own 16-week training course. The academy gets students state fire certified so they can start working right after graduation.