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Fire Science Technology program ready to launch for fall semester
A new Fire Science Technology program at Athens Technical College will provide area fire fighters a tool to help them earn promotions, said
Glenn Henry, dean of the college’s Life Science Division, and the administrator who oversees the Emergency Medical Technician and
Paramedic Technology programs.
“The Fire Science Technology program will allow for many people who are already working with fire departments to afford upward
mobility,” Mr. Henry said. “Many fire departments have created career development ladders that require a degree or some form of postsecondary education in order for someone to be eligible for promotion.”
“This is an excellent vehicle for doing that, and with its programming, it will provide a way for those who don’t necessarily want to get a
degree to get very specific training with the result being officer certification or a diploma,” said Athens-Clarke County Fire Chief Iby George.
The program will include an associate degree, diploma, and embedded Technical
Certificates of Credit (TCCs), Mr. Henry said.
The program also will offer a good way for people interested in fire service to see what it’s like and what it entails, Mr. Henry added. A
unique aspect of the Fire Science Technology program is that the college will offer credit for prior learning to enrollees. If, for example, a
firefighter has a certification as a hazmat tech, he may get credit for that class.
Fire Science Technology will begin this fall and be held in the evenings on the Walton County Campus of the college, Mr. Henry said. Mr.
Henry added that he expects the college to offer several classes of 1 ½- to 2-hours each, and the classes will be taught by area firefighting
professionals, including Chief Iby George, Morgan County Fire Chief Mark Melvin, Walton County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief of Training
Jon Marsh, and J.W. Thaxton, a firefighter with the Gwinnett County Fire Department.
The new Fire Science Technology program has been on local fire chiefs’ wish-list for several years, said Chief George.
“We’re excited that we have the opportunity for some additional education in the fire chief area for our folks,” Chief George said.
Mr. Henry’s persistence deserves credit for getting the program started, Chief George stated.
“Glenn Henry, bless his heart, kept working and working to see if we could get the program in here,” Chief George said. “He put a group of
us together to work on the curriculum and other details.”
Courses for Fire Science Technology will be formatted strictly as classroom settings and will focus on administrative responsibilities and the
science behind fire safety practices, Mr. Henry said. Students will study hydraulics to learn about how many hydrants might be needed for fires
of different sizes and about water volumes and pressure for pump trucks. They also will study topics such as placement of sprinkler systems and
about building structures and will learn about building inspections to determine ways to prevent fire.
To augment the Fire Science Technology instruction, the college received a $5,000 grant from the Walton Education Foundation to purchase
a NIMS City Tabletop ICS Training System comprising a miniature replica of a town that will allow students to run fire scenarios in the
classroom.
Photo caption: ICS Toolbox representatives provided this photo of a NIMS City Tabletop training class at a Virginia EMS symposium in 2010.
Don Nelson
706 227-5460
Athens Technical College * 800 US Hwy 29 North * Athens, Ga * 30601 * 706-355-5000 * A Unit of the Technical College System of Georgia
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As set forth in its student catalog, Athens Technical College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, age, political affiliation or belief, genetic information,
veteran status, or citizenship status (except in those special circumstances permitted or mandated by law). The following individuals have been designated to coordinate the college's implementation of nondiscrimination
policies: Keli Fewox, Director of Student Support, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator, Office H-748, 706/355-5081, [email protected], Dr. Leslie Crickenberger, Executive Director of
Human Resources, Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX Coordinator (Employees), Office J-211B, 706/355-5140, [email protected], and Andrea Daniel, Vice President of Student Affairs, Title IX Coordinator (Students),
Office H-774, 706/355-5029, [email protected], 800 U.S. Highway 29 North, Athens, GA 30601.
http://www.athenstech.edu/Spotlight.cfm?i=459
7/10/2013
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