Just one year ago, our nation received a lesson in the true meaning of public service. We watched together as one, when firefighters, police and emergency workers risked and sometimes sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. In career and technical education programs across the country, students are preparing today to become public safety professionals, so that they will be ready tomorrow to protect and serve their communities.
Being a police officer, firefighter or emergency medical technician means working long, irregular hours, bearing a burden of great responsibility and facing hazardous conditions. Yet, every day in our country, young people are embarking on a program of study in order to be able to do these vital jobs. Those who succeed in these careers will earn the gratitude of their nation and-since September 11, 2001-a respect that goes beyond words.
Among the programs training those who will protect and serve us in the future are those of the Wisconsin Technical College System. Fire science programs are in place at a number of the system's schools, and associate degree programs in the field are available at the technical colleges of Blackhawk, Chippewa Valley, Fox Valley, Gateway, Madison Area, Milwaukee Area, Northeast Wisconsin, Waukesha County and Western Wisconsin.
In Wisconsin, there is a statewide curriculum to teach firefighters, and the training is consistent throughout the state, with a minimum of 60 hours required for new firefighters. Additional courses are taken to prepare for certification, and although certification may not be mandatory for volunteers, most fire departments won't hire paid firefighters without certification.
According to David Brooks, fire education and training consultant for the Wisconsin Technical College System Board, 80 percent of Wisconsin's firefighters are volunteers.
Because of the time it takes out of their daily lives, volunteer firefighters in Wisconsin only stay an average of two-and-a-half years, and this constant turnover among 80 percent of the workforce means an ongoing need for training new volunteers.
Jim Burns with the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control finds similar retention problems among volunteer firefighters in his state. "You just get them up to speed, and then they're gone," Burns says.
In contrast, career firefighters often stay 20-25 years, in spite of the extreme demands of the profession. Brooks, who was a firefighter for 21 years, points out that, "It takes a lot of dedication. You have to truly love it or you don't stay."
Over the past four to five years, the Wisconsin system has received approximately 2,000 new applications into entry-level fire science programs. However, Brooks says that only about half go on to get Firefighter I certification, and then only about half of those go on to Firefighter II.
In New York, there has been a slight increase in applicants to become both volunteer and professional firefighters since the events of last September, although Burns notes that it is difficult to track exact statistics with more than 1,800 districts in the state. There is still a concern about recruiting firefighters and emergency medical technicians in New York, so the Office of Fire Prevention and Control is starting a pilot program in Ulster County that will be taught by Burns's staff. Next fall, they will be teaching an EMT course. Burns feels that it doesn't matter where he teaches, as long as it is being taught, and people are being recruited. "That's the goal," he explains.
According to the Bureau of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook, most calls to which firefighters respond involve medical emergencies, and about half of all fire departments provide ambulance service for victims. Thus, as part of their emergency training, firefighters in many departments are required to be certified as emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Because they are often the first emergency personnel on the scene, they may have to extricate an accident victim and then provide the initial emergency medical procedures.
At Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) in Wisconsin, the fire protection technician program is a 70-credit associate of applied science degree program that is shared with Fox Valley Technical College, another of the Wisconsin system's institutions. It is recommended by the school that students enrolling in the program should first join a part-time or volunteer fire department in order to acquire actual experience, access to fire certification training and an opportunity to provide community service. By the time a student graduates from the fire protection technician program, he or she will be prepared to face such challenges as fire suppression and prevention and hazardous materials or disaster planning. The program includes a basic, three-credit EMT course.
The criminal justice-law enforcement program at Waukesha is a 69-credit associate of science degree program that includes courses in criminal law, investigation, juvenile theory, ethics, traffic, police administration and patrol procedures. An associate of applied science degree in police science technology is now the basic requirement for those entering the field of police science, but with the transfer agreements WCTC has in place with Marian College and Marquette University, the path to a bachelor's degree in criminal justice is eased for the school's police science graduates.
The Wisconsin Technical College System's Youth Options program makes it possible for high school students with good academic and disciplinary records to take college courses at their local technical colleges. The 2+2+2 option can mean a seamless transition for Wisconsin students from high school, through technical college and on to a four-year college or university.
With the Youth Options program, Brooks says, "High school juniors and seniors in Wisconsin can go to our technical colleges and take courses and come out of high school with six to nine credits toward an associate's degree."
Opportunities for youthful aspiring firefighters begin in high school also. "Students 16 years and older can take firefighter courses if they have a fire department to sponsor them," notes Brooks. "The end result may be that they start working for their department. It's up to the fire department what the minimum age is."
Another of the Wisconsin Technical colleges, Lakeshore Technical College (LTC), offers associate degree programs for environmental haz-mat specialists and health physics technicians. The birth of the industrial age gave rise to new dangers in the form of hazardous byproducts that require special handling and disposal. Today's increasingly technological world produces even more danger in the form of materials used by or created by industries such as energy, manufacturing and health care. Specialists are needed to protect our soil, air and water.
The two-year, 66-credit environmental haz-mat specialist degree program at LTC includes courses on OSHA haz-mat and safety standards, environmental research, environmental/safety procedures and math, science and communications classes. With the classes held in the evening, it is designed for working adults, career changers and dislocated workers.
The health physics technician program is also an associate degree program but is held entirely online. Lakeshore Technical College is the only two-year college in the country offering the two-year associate degree health physics technician program, and the LTC program is recognized by the National Health Physics Society.
According to Rich Hoerth, the dean of public safety and business and industry services at LTC, many firefighters come to the school for the specialized haz-mat seminars offered by the school. Seminar topics include hazardous waste site worker training, industrial emergency response training, incident command, DOT haz-mat training and emergency coordination training. There are also seminars that address specific industry needs, such as dealing with ammonia, which is used in the refrigeration process by a large number of Wisconsin companies.
On the morning of the September 11 terrorist attacks, two groups of firefighters-both from nuclear power plants-were scheduled to start training at LTC. Although the classes were cancelled, the firefighters stayed until noon. "They sat together as a group, quietly talking," says Hoerth. "It was pretty emotional."
When asked how the events of that day have affected the training at LTC, Hoerth responds, "In reality, the training we are providing is exactly what is needed, whether a chemical plant is hit by a tornado or a terrorist. The process you go through to control and clean up is the same. Although other agencies like the FBI get involved if it is a terrorist act."
Other changes may be more related to attitudes and perceptions. "There has been some recognition of the importance of training because of September 11," Hoerth says. "And those who are coming are more appreciative and take it more seriously. It adds a sense of purpose to their training."
At Austin Community College in Texas (ACC), both an associate of applied science degree and a certification program in fire protection technology are offered. Dennis Haas, program coordinator of the Austin Community College program is another retired career fire officer with 20 years of experience. He has seen an increase in interest in the Austin program, particularly in the certification course.
"We have in excess of 150 applicants on the list for 24 openings for the fall academy certification program," Haas reports.
The state commission in Texas requires paid firefighters to be certified, so Haas says, "We have a fair number of people who come because they are volunteers and now want to move to paid status."
Since 1997, Haas has also taught fire and arson investigation at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md., which is primarily a federally funded national training center for fire protection. The academy teaches both entry-level and upper-level management courses. According to Haas, the students there are often from fire service and law enforcement agencies around the country.
"The reason it is so attractive to municipalities," says Haas, "is because the federal government pays the students" airfares and puts them up in the dorms at no charge to the municipalities."
Austin Community College also has an associate of applied science degree program in criminal justice designed to help students of the program obtain employment with the criminal justice system or go on to higher education institutions. Students of high school tech-prep programs articulated with Austin Community College can transfer approved courses to ACC.
Commissioned peace officers may be granted up to 13 credit hours for completion of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education Basic Peace Officer Course.
The California Charter Academy's Public Safety Education Center is a public high school of the state of California with a mission of providing students with both a rigorous academic high school curriculum and the opportunity to explore careers in the public safety field. Students attend the school, which is located in San Bernardino, for five to six hours a day and take two classes per semester as independent study.
The public safety education curriculum includes courses in fire science, law enforcement and first responder. The fire science course covers safety, industry practices, certification, theory and procedures for police and fire companies. Law enforcement topics include certification, theory and procedures for police departments. American Red Cross USDOT-approved first responder curriculum is used in the first responder course.
Classes at the school are taught by full-time educators, but specialized contract educators are also on the staff. These special educators are members of the San Bernardino fire and police departments.
Michael Dickinson, the director of the Public Safety Education Center, is a retired fire and arson investigator with the San Bernardino fire department. He was a fireman for 18 years and a paramedic for 20 years, so he knows the subject matter very well. As an arson investigator, he sometimes dealt with juvenile problems, and he sees this program as more than just an education in academics and job training. He sees it as a way of providing life skills and positive attitudes for young people who might not otherwise be given such important tools.
Dickinson hates the term "at-risk youth," although he acknowledges that is what many of his students might be termed by others. He views them instead as "people who just haven't been afforded opportunities prior to this." His mission is to see to it that they have those opportunities that will allow them to not only change their own lives, but the lives of their families and their peers.
"We're not going to train everyone to become a firefighter or a policeman," says Dickinson. "But we're going to give them skills that they can carry on in their lives, and that's what's important."
But some of them will go into public safety professions-something they might never have seen as a possibility before. "A lot of these kids would never have considered being police officers if they weren't exposed to it in a positive manner," Dickinson explains. And even if they don't become law enforcement officers themselves, their attitudes toward their communities' police officers can be changed by the education they receive. "Now they know these people are here to help," says Dickinson.
Helping is another lesson the students of the Public Safety Education Center are learning through the mandatory community service component. Seniors can be instructors, which not only reinforces for them the things they have accomplished but also allows them to teach some of the skills they have learned, such as CPR.
Dickinson has found that the education they are receiving at the center helps the students deal with their own peers in a way that will benefit the community. He has been surprised by the fact that so many of the students are committed to remaining in San Bernardino. "Most plan on staying to work in the city," he says. "These students are going to better the community for themselves and their families."
In Fairfax County, Virginia, the criminal justice program has generated so much interest that it is being expanded to additional schools. According to John Wittmann, the administrator of the Chantilly High School Academy in Fairfax, the program has been growing continuously since its inception in 1995. They currently have about 180 students enrolled in the criminal justice program at Chantilly with more on a waiting list. Due to the popularity of the course, Chantilly has added a second instructor in criminal justice.
"I don't know if it has anything to do with 9-11," says Chantilly criminal justice instructor Steve Kerr about this surge of popularity, "but I wouldn't be surprised."
West Potomac High School Academy, a part-time magnet school in Fairfax County also has a waiting list of about 40-50 students for its criminal justice program, and Fairfax's Marshall Academy is working on plans to open a criminal justice program there in the fall. Marshall already has more than enough students to fill such a program. The county's Centerville High School-which is a regular high school, not a career academy-had so many students who wanted to take a criminal justice course that they created their own program.
Wittmann points out that the program is not simply a career exploration program but also an academic one for the college-bound student. "Almost all local, state or federal law enforcement agencies require a four-year degree for their law enforcement officers," notes Wittmann. "But a lot of the students who are taking it plan to go into law itself and become lawyers."
As a suburb of Washington, D.C., Fairfax County offers its students some unique opportunities for field trips and visits by special law enforcement professionals. Every spring, the U.S. Park Police brings an officer and a horse to the academy to demonstrate crowd control. Last year it rained on the day of the demonstration, prompting the unusual sight of a horse inside the halls of the academy participating in a crowd-control demonstration with the Park Police officer.
The proximity of the F.B.I. Academy in Quantico, Va., makes it possible for the students of the Chantilly Academy criminal justice program to take field trips to the facility. They have also visited the headquarters of the F.B.I. and the Police Memorial in Washington, D.C., as well as the DEA Museum in Arlington, Va. In the fall, Kerr says they are hoping to go to the U.S. Customs facility in Front Royal, Va., where drug-sniffing dogs are trained.
There is much more than going on field trips and listening to guest speakers involved in the training at Chantilly Academy. "Most of the ways we try to get our point across involve practical exercises," Kerr explains.
These exercises may include role-playing scenarios in which students practice making arrests or intervening in domestic disputes. Students also participate in physical training in the mechanics of arrest, such as how to handcuff a suspect, how to take a suspect to the ground and how to work with a partner.
Kerr's new partner is Ron Keaton, the instructor who was added this year to help teach the additional students in the criminal justice program. Both are retired police officers, which means they know their subject very well. Kerr, who is retired from the Fairfax County police force, was an officer for 23 years, working on patrol, on the SWAT team, in the helicopter division and teaching in the police academy. Keaton has worked in the motorcycle division and undercover in narcotics.
Kerr says that the majority of his students want to pursue a career in federal law enforcement, so they continue on with their educations and work toward a four-year degree. However, some start with the Fairfax County Police Department, which they can get into through the cadet program at age 18. They can attend Northern Virginia Community College while working for the department and acquire an associate degree, which the police department will pay for as long as the students achieve a certain level GPA.
Kerr proudly points out that two of his former students went through the cadet program and are now police officers in Fairfax County. Three more are in the cadet program, preparing to carry on the tradition of service.
Dedicated instructors across the nation who are teaching in career and technical education programs devoted to public safety often have spent many years doing these difficult and demanding jobs themselves. Now they have taken on another hard task-teaching those who will protect and serve in the future. Having faced past challenges with courage and determination, they can now serve as both teachers and role models for the young people in their classrooms. These young people will become the guardians of our health and the protectors of our homes and businesses. They are needed now more than ever before-and they will be ready.
- The National Fire Academy
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
www.usfa.fema.gov/nfa/index.htm
- International Association of Firefighters
1750 New York Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
www.iaff.org
- National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
408 Monroe Street
Clinton, MS 39056
www.naemt.org
- National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, EMS Division
400 7th Street, S.W., NTS-14
Washington, D.C. 20590
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/ems
- Rural Crime and Justice Center Minot State University Minot, N.D.
The Web site reports the status of the Rural Law Enforcement Education Project, a cooperative effort with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
www.misu.nodak.edu/rlt
- Northwestern University Center for Public Safety
Established in 1936 as the Traffic Institute, Northwestern's Center for Public Safety is a national nonprofit organization that serves public agencies responsible for law enforcement, criminal justice, public safety, traffic management and highway transportation systems.
http://server.traffic.northwestern.edu
- Nova Southeastern University Criminal Justice Institute
The M.S. in Criminal Justice offered as an online program at Nova Southeastern's Criminal Justice Institute trains law enforcement personnel through an interdisciplinary focus. It requires successful completion of a 36-hour program that includes core courses, specialty track and electives.
www.cji.nova.edu
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