Fire Academy Level 1-NFPA Firefighter I/HazMat Certification (Technical Certificate)
Award: Technical Certificate
Specialization: Fire Academy Level 1-NFPA Firefighter I/Hazmat Certification
Program Code: 1207
The Fire Academy Level I Certificate is designed to prepare students for entry level employment in the Structural fire service as well as provide training and skills for individuals already employed in fire service that are interested in specialized training. The student must hold a current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Firefighter I Certification and a current NFPA HazMat Certification as admission requirements into this degree.
The Academy instruction includes lectures at CMU Tech/CMU by seasoned firefighters, and hands-on practice at state-of-the-art live burn facilities. The Academy student will experience operations such as house burns, car fires, forcible entry, and many others. If you are looking for a career in firefighting, or if you simply want to serve as a volunteer firefighter, this is an excellent place to begin.
Program courses will be offered in two formats, traditional lecture and lab activities and as hybrid courses (partially face-to-face and partially online). The Introduction to Structural Firefighting course is designed in accordance with the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) standards.
Specific Requirements of this Program:
- The student must hold a current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Firefighter I Certification and a current NFPA HazMat Certification and provide a copy of these certifications to the Registrar's Office prior to enrolling in the program.
For more information on what you can do with this major, visit CMU Tech's Programs of Study page.
All CMU/CMU Tech technical certificate graduates are expected to demonstrate proficiency in specialized knowledge/applied learning, communication fluency, and critical thinking. In addition to these campus‐wide student learning outcomes, graduates of this major will be able to:
- Locate, gather and organize evidence and demonstrate basic principles of determining area or origin, cause of fire, and application of sound investigative principles. (Specialized Knowledge)
- Apply Chemistry and Mathematics principles to solve fire protection problems and concepts and demonstrate those methods to analyze and explain issues in quantitative terms. (Quantitative Fluency)
- Effectively evaluate a real-time fire or rescue situation to develop and communicate an effective incident action plan to the rest of the team. (Communication Fluency)
- Assess a dynamic fire scene including risk management profile, rapidly changing fire conditions, and life safety concerns to establish and implement an effective incident management strategy. (Critical Thinking)\
The following institutional requirements apply to all CMU or CMU Tech Technical Certificates. Specific programs may have different requirements that must be met in addition to institutional requirements.
- Consists of 5-59 semester hours.
- Consists of 100-200 level courses.
- At least fifty percent of the credit hours must be taken at CMU/CMU Tech.
- 2.00 cumulative GPA or higher in all CMU/CMU Tech coursework.
- A grade lower than “C” will not be counted toward meeting the requirements.
- A course may only be used to fulfill one requirement for each degree/certificate.
- Non-traditional credit, such as advanced placement, credit by examination, credit for prior learning, cooperative education and internships, cannot exceed twenty-five percent of the semester credit hours required for a technical certificate.
- Pre-collegiate courses (usually numbered below 100) cannot be used for graduation.
- Capstone exit assessment/projects (e.g., Major Field Achievement Test) requirements are identified under Program-Specific Certificate Requirements.
- The Catalog Year determines which program sheet and certificate requirements a student must fulfill in order to graduate. Visit with your advisor or academic department to determine which catalog year and program requirements you should follow.
- See “Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees and Certificates” in the catalog for a complete list of graduation requirements.
Institutional Certificate Requirements
The following institutional requirements apply to all CMU or CMU Tech Technical Certificates. Specific programs may have different requirements that must be met in addition to institutional requirements.
- Consists of 5-59 semester hours.
- Consists of 100-200 level courses.
- At least fifty percent of the credit hours must be taken at CMU/CMU Tech.
- 2.00 cumulative GPA or higher in all CMU/CMU Tech coursework.
- A grade lower than “C” will not be counted toward meeting the requirements.
- A course may only be used to fulfill one requirement for each degree/certificate.
- Non-traditional credit, such as advanced placement, credit by examination, credit for prior learning, cooperative education and internships, cannot exceed twenty-five percent of the semester credit hours required for a technical certificate.
- Pre-collegiate courses (usually numbered below 100) cannot be used for graduation.
- Capstone exit assessment/projects (e.g., Major Field Achievement Test) requirements are identified under Program-Specific Certificate Requirements.
- The Catalog Year determines which program sheet and certificate requirements a student must fulfill in order to graduate. Visit with your advisor or academic department to determine which catalog year and program requirements you should follow.
- See “Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees and Certificates” in the catalog for a complete list of graduation requirements.
Specific to this program:
- Must hold current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Firefighter I Certification and NFPA HazMat Certification for entry into this program.
Program Specific Certificate Requirements
(6 semester hours. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Firefighter I Certification and NFPA HazMat Certification are required for entry into this program.)
| Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| FSTR 103 | Fire Behavior and Combustion | 3 |
| FSTR 151 | Driver-Operator | 3 |
| NFPA Certifications apply only to Fire Science Programs. | ||
| Students may earn only this certificate or the Fire Academy Level 1 certificate. | ||
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Semester Credit Hours | |
| FSTR 103 | Fire Behavior and Combustion | 3 |
| FSTR 151 | Driver-Operator | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
Advising Process and DegreeWorks
Documentation on the pages related to this program is intended for informational purposes to help determine what courses and associated requirements are needed to earn a certificate. Some courses are critical to complete in specific semesters while others may be moved around. Meeting with an academic advisor is essential in planning courses and discussing the suggested course sequencing. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to understand and fulfill the requirements for their intended certificate.
DegreeWorks is an online degree audit tool available in MAVzone. It is the official record used by the Registrar’s Office to evaluate progress towards a certificate and determine eligibility for graduation. Students are responsible for reviewing their DegreeWorks audit on a regular basis and should discuss questions or concerns with their advisor or academic department head. Discrepancies in requirements should be reported to the Registrar’s Office.
Graduation Process
Students must complete the following in the first two months of the semester prior to completing their certificate requirements (for one-semester certificates, complete in the first week of class):
- Review their DegreeWorks audit and create a plan that outlines how unmet requirements will be met in the final semester.
- Meet with their advisor and modify their plan as needed. The advisor must approve the final plan.
- Submit the “Intent to Graduate” form to the Registrar’s Office to officially declare the intended graduation date and commencement ceremony plans.
- Register for all needed courses and complete all requirements for each degree sought.
Submission deadlines and commencement details can be found on the Graduation web page.
If a student's petition for graduation is denied, it will be their responsibility to apply for graduation in a subsequent semester. A student's “Intent to Graduate” does not automatically move to a later graduation date.