One of the most well-respected fire training facilities in Northeast Ohio, Cuyahoga Community College’s (Tri-C) Fire Training Academy has been a premier training ground since it was established in 1971. Located at Tri-C’s Western Campus in Parma, the Academy is accredited by the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Medical Services.
Tri-C’s Fire Training Academy curriculum meets and exceeds the certification requirements established in the Ohio Revised Code for career firefighters as well as the training and educational standards identified in NFPA 1001 of the current edition of Firefighter Professional Qualifications. To successfully complete the program, students complete 260-hours of coursework and a Practical Skills Booklet. One hundred percent attendance is required.
The curriculum encompasses both the academic testing and practical skills training for the entry-level firefighter positions and offers three different training options. Students can choose from the seven-week day academy, 10-week day academy or 17-week evening (full semester) academy. Typically, Tri-C offers four day and two evening start dates each year. With approximately 200 graduates each year, an impressive 99 percent of Tri-C’s Fire Training Academy graduates pass their state certification exam on the first try.
The fire services have evolved into a highly technical, complex and sophisticated career placing great emphasis on well-trained fire personnel. Students who complete the Fire Training Academy earn 13 academic credits toward an Associate of Applied Science in Fire Technology degree at Tri-C. This degree is transferrable through articulation with Cleveland State University and The University of Akron. The academic classes afford the student the skills required to advance their career in the fire service.
The Fire Training Academy program is very rigorous, reflecting the physical demands that firefighting requires. Students must pass a physical agility test in order to be accepted into the Academy, and each scheduled Academy class has its own scheduled test dates. There are five physical tasks that must be completed within seven minutes or less; so students are encouraged to take the physical agility prep class offering hands-on training with the equipment used in the testing process.
Completion of Tri-C's 260-hour Fire Training Academy earns:
- Certification in hazardous materials/WMD – Awareness and Operations levels
- 13 college credits toward Tri-C’s two-year Associate of Applied Science degree in Fire Technology. Courses completed during training include Fire 1100, Fire 1200, Fire 1500, Fire 2321, EMT 1310, EMT 1320 and EMT 1330.
- The practical skills training required for firefighter certification
At the conclusion of training all students take the State Firefighter 2 Exam, which is administered on the last day of class. The exam is required for State of Ohio certification as a Level 2 firefighter.
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