Higher Education
This web page is a source of valuable information about what is happening in fire service higher education today and in the future, including the NFA's Degrees at a Distance Program, downloads from the annual FESHE conferences, the FESHE discussion forum, fire-related research sites, emergency management degree programs, scholarships and financial aid, and much more.
Working with coordinators of two- and four-year academic fire programs, NFA has established the FESHE network of fire-related educational and training service providers. Through a series of annual meetings and active working committees, the FESHE members have made remarkable strides in building a national professional development model that integrates fire service personnel’s training, higher education and certification into an efficient process. This effort includes the development of model course outlines for fire science associate’s programs and collaboration with fire-related publishers to write textbooks that support these outlines.
For directors of fire-related training and degree programs and those who administer fire service certification programs, the International Association of Fire Chiefs Professional Development Committee’s Officer Development Handbook is a valuable resource. When coupled with the course outlines model, these two sources can transform an academic fire program into a national model. The professional development model offers core curricula for fire science and related degree concentrations. The Handbook offers recommended general education courses cross-walked against the NFPA standards for Fire Officer I–IV.
The optimal fire science degree model is one in which the core associate’s- and bachelor’s-level courses prescribed in the professional development module and the general education courses recommended in the Handbook comprise most of the degree requirements. For states that develop statewide professional development plans (see Building a Statewide Professional Development Plan),the opportunity to address NFPA standards through prescribed cross-walks to college (fire-related and general education) and training courses enables firefighters and officers to accomplish their career and learning goals more successfully and economically.
We hope you’ll take advantage of these resources provided by the U. S. Fire Administration.
Last Updated: June 23, 2004 01:35 PM
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