The Value of a College Degree
Education has always been important in the fire service, but now this is true more than ever. There was a time when intuition and common sense were all the education required to be a good emergency responder. A rapidly changing world has placed new expectations on firefighters. Brandman University has created a path of success for firefighters to meet the new demands.
Today's firefighters are faced with an ever growing list of new tactical as well as strategic decisions that must be made with rapid clarity, insight and intelligence. The disaster in Oklahoma City honed the requirements for the Urban Search and Rescue program. Those new techniques were further tested in New York City at the Twin Towers. Now firefighters in the Urban Search and Rescue programs operate under a new set of rules and equipment, like rock cutters and plasma cutters for slicing through steel found in bridges and cement vaults. Advanced learning in subjects such as hazardous materials prepares firefighters to deal with chemicals that when released from their containers cause health risks to our communities. Educational programs that cover wild life topography help firefighters who work on the line of urban wild land interface better understand and respond to the fires.
The world has changed and so must America's Firefighters and Emergency Responders. Education is the key to change.
If you are a student trying to get hired, an education looks great on your resume, and will separate you from the thousands of candidates looking for work. If you are in the midst of your career, educating yourself is becoming more and more the key to promotions. Many fire departments require a degree to promote to the officer ranks. A Bachelor's Degree is required to take a Captain's examination. To promote to Battalion Chief, you must have a State Fire Officers certification and a BA degree. To become a Fire Chief, many departments require a Masters Degree or Chief Officers certification. If you are a Captain and you want to stay one step in front of the firefighters you supervise, then you need to obtain your BA degree.
Fire fighters typically have a bucketful of credits from a variety of topics, such as Strike Team leader, Rescue Systems, Swift Water Rescue, Urban Search and Rescue, but no degree. Brandman University is one of the first colleges to recognize the importance of the California State Fire Marshals' certification courses and allow students to apply those classes as undergraduate work towards a Bachelor's Degree.
The price is right, the class schedules are flexible, now is the time.
"Invest in yourself before you invest in anything else," Frank Scotti, retired Battalion Chief of the Santa Ana Fire Department.
To find out more about Brandman University, visit www.brandman.edu or call (800) 581-4100.
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