Certificate of Achievement in Fire Protection

Program Goals and Objectives

The goal of the Certificate of Achievement is designed to prepare students for employment or career advancement in fire protection positions. It may be of particular interest to students with existing degrees looking for career changes. It is also available for persons who do not want to complete the general education requirements for graduation.

 

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Evaluate fire suppression and fire prevention systems that protect the public in various types of building construction
• Explain the topography, aspect, and environmental factors on wildland fire behavior, suppression, and prevention operations
• Analyze occupational safety and health concerns as they related to emergency services
• Describe fire agency organizational structures and operational levels
• Provide basic life support or advance life support assistance in medical emergencies

Catalog Description

Students completing the Certificate of Achievement will be eligible for career positions such as Firefighter, Fire Prevention specialists, Wildland Firefighter, Fire Investigator, Fire Engineer, Fire Hydraulics specialist, First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician, and Life Safety Directors in high rise buildings.

Fire Academy-48

Fire Science-24

F SC 17 Public Safety Emergency Medical Responder-48

Master Planning:.  More and more, entry level into the fire service requires at a minimum a two-year degree in Fire Science from a community college.  For many years, fire service training and formal education were pitted against each other. In the first half of the 20th century, firefighting was considered a physical trade with an established training regimen.

 

But as higher education gained hold in the fire service, the training-only philosophy was supplanted by a new approach.  An example of this approach is with the California Fire Technology Director’s Association(CFTDA) in California.  This is the lobbying group for California community colleges, and they work closely with he California State Fire Marshal’s Office of State Fire Training in two areas-entry level education, new-hire education, and promotional education.  Along with a partnership with IFSAC and ProBoard, students completing State of California Firefighter One training, can utlize their certification and training in many other States when applying for firefighter entry level positions. Today, we recognize that both training and education comprise essential parts of fire service competency.

 

Partof this capability is an educational process that prepares prospective employees with the pertinent education in specific areas of fire service public safety specifically.

 

City College will continue to be a comprehensive community college that will provide opportunities for student transfer, careerand technical education, basic skills, and English as a Second Language instruction as well as opportunities for lifelong learning and personal enrichment. City College willcontinuously align its Career Technical Education (CTE) programs with market realities in order to meet students’ educational needs.

 

Although CCSF can and does develop new coursesor programs in response to demonstrated industry need, the DWM frameworkrequires Colleges to interact, pursue and manage grants, and plan workforce and CTE offerings in a new way.  Colleges areexpected to follow a sector strategy model, work regionally to align programs with industry needs, leverage existing programs throughout the region, pursue funding through collaborative efforts, and report data on student outcomes onthe Launchboard, a statewide system.  New programs, Associate degrees, and Certificates of Achievement must be endorsedby voting members of BACCC which includes CTE and Workforce Deans from the 28regional colleges.

 

The CCSF Master Educational plan report compares degree and certificate offerings in the Bay Area, explores the breadth ofexisting programs in the Bay Area, and identifies those programs that are unique to City College and those programs that overlap with other, similar institutions.  This analysis uses 23 institutions labeled as “two-year or less” operating in a 25-mile radius of City College of San Francisco.  Future approaches willmore fully incorporate the Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC), our “competitors” and colleagues in collaborative efforts from 28 regionalcolleges.  These include Berkeley,Cabrillo, Canada, Chabot, College of Alameda, College of San Mateo, Contra Costa, De Anza, Diablo Valley, Evergreen, Foothill, Gavilan, Hartnell, Laney, Las Positas, Los Medanos, College of Marin, Merritt, Mission, MonterreyPeninsula, Napa Valley, Ohlone, CCSF, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Skyline, Solano, West Valley.  

 

There are 117,402 credit students enrolled in public and private post secondary institutions offering two-year degrees or less in a 25-mile radius of City College. Credit enrollment at the City College numbered 30,106, representing 26% of student population for two-year degree or less institutions within the 25-mile radius.  Two-year public colleges account for 95% of the total enrollment among all 2-year degree and less institutions in this radius.  The second largest set of “competitors” was private 2-year for-profit institutions at a combined percentage of 4%.

 

For a school of its size, it is not surprising that City College offers a large number of courses, as well as a large number of degree and certificate programs compared to other, neighboring institutions.  There are 53 programs offered at CCSF that are not offered elsewhere by two-year institutions in theBay Area.

 

City College of San Francisco has a robust Fire Science/Fire Academy program.  Hiringinto the fire service slowed literally to a crawl after the 2008 economic collapse that endangered the entire country. Many fire agencies across the state and country either stopped hiring or slowed it significantly.  However, as the economy as recovered in the last 8 years, hiring has resumed in greater andgreater numbers.  Many City College FireScience students have been hired into the San Francisco Fire Department, other bay area departments, and state agencies such as CalFire.  Similarly, peninsula and east bay community colleges have seen their students hired in ever increasing numbers into their local fire agencies.  This has really resulted in a more collaborative approach to fire service education in the bay area.  One solid example is the recent re-accreditation the College of San Mateo went through for their Fire Academy.  CCSF was contacted for advice and support in their process, and we eagerly supported them.  This was a positive payback for when theysupported us in 2007 when we were first accredited as a Regional Fire Training Program (ARTP). 

 

The CCSF Strong Workforce Program (SWP) 2017-2020 Strategic Plan (referred to as“Plan” heretofore), embodies this core commitment. The Plan provides a guide for how CCSF can support student achievement and career readiness through the strategic application of funds from the state Strong Workforce Program (SWP), a new source of workforce development funding available to public two-year colleges statewide through the California Community Colleges Chancellor’sOffice (CCCCO).

 

Enrollment development is designed to strengthen CTE outreach and enrollment. Program Enhancement is designed to focus on: strengthen existing CTE programs and occupational clusters at CCSF; address gaps in funding; encourage the development of innovative curriculum; support student success strategies, such as learning communities; decrease system barriers to completion, such ass equencing and program advising; increase job placement support; deepen industry engagement; fund updated equipment supplies and facilities.

 

Place of Program in Curriculum/Similar Programs

This proposed certificate complements other certificates in our Department: Administration of Justice, Forensics, Homeland Security, Fire Science, Fire Academy and Company Officer (Company Officer mirrors State Fire Training Company Officer certification) and improves career opportunities for our students. STEM programs at City College also prepare our students for the technical aspects such as computer intelligence and data analysis and development systems.

 

The Fire Academy program will be changing campuses in the summer of 2019. We have been at the CCSF Airport Campus since we started that program in 2008.  Due to SFIA taking over that land,the Fire Academy is moving to the John Adams campus, which is where the EMT and Paramedic programs are located.  This will result in improved educational programs, program specific training, and sharing of resources.  Both departments are eagerly looking forward to this relocation and provide mutual educational experiences.

 

Similar Programs at Other Colleges in Service Area

Local community colleges that have fire science and fire academy programs are College of San Mateo and Chabot in our immediate region, and Santa Rosa Junior College in the North Bay.  Due to the number of students attempting to get hired into the fire service, there is no impact on one school hurting for students at the expense of another. We are all full in enrollment and preparing our students for hiring into the fire service.  We also work closely and collaboratively to support each other. We are all members of the Regional Joint Venture for Public SafetyPrograms, as well the California Fire Technology Director’s Association.  In phone conversations with Chabot , College of San Mateo (CSM) and Santa Rosa Junior College, (SRJC), we all agree there is no negative impact from one program to another, and there are many positions to fill without affecting one another’s programs.

 

Labor Market Information (LMI)and Analysis

See document attachment prepared by the San Francisco Bay Center of Excellence

Advisory Committee:

Unable to attach file of 1/17/19 meeting minutes (included CalFire mid cycle accreditation report, and various program documents.)

NOTE:  Our next Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for November or early December of 2019.

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)

See box below

Courses Required for Certificate of Achievement in Fire Protection

Course	Units	Sequence
Required courses:
F SC 50-Introduction to Fire Science	3.00	Year 1 Fall
F SC 52A-Fire Protection Equipment and Systems	3.00	Year 2 Spring
F SC 53-Building Construction and Fire	3.00	Year 1 Spring
F SC 55-Wildland Fire Control	3.00	Year 2 Fall
F SC 57-Principles of Fire and Emergency Services: Safety and Survival	3.00	Year 1 Fall
F SC 61A-Introduction to Fire Prevention	3.00	Year 2 Spring
F SC 64-Fire Behavior and Combustion	3.00	Year 1 Spring
Total:	21.00
Choose one of the following required courses:
F SC 17 - Public Safety-Emergency Medical Responder	3.00	Year 2 Fall
EMT 100 - Emergency Medical Technician	8.00	Year 2 Fall
Total:	3.00 - 8.00
Total:	24.00-29.00

 

Year 1 Fall:  6 units

Year 1 Spring: 6 units

Year 2 Fall: 6 to 8  units

Year 2 Spring: 6 units

I was unable to upload our Advisory Board meeting minutes and a CalFire mid-cycle accreditation report. Please advise how to get them to the review committee?

I spoke with Michelle at CSM, Bob Buehl at Chabot and Randy Collins at SRJC and we all agree that we are not impacting each other in any way. We support each other. Our Fire Science, Company Ofifcer and Fire Academy programs aren't affecting them and vice-versa.