Fire Academy

Drax

Forum Captain
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Tried a search but didn't see what I was looking for,

Can someone give me an idea as to some of the basic of fire academies? I assume none are exactly the same, but...

Is it similar to Basic Training in which you stay at the academy for the duration of the training?

Do you go home during this time?

Is it accredited? Do they teach you like Fire I there?

What is the common length of a fire academy?
 

STXmedic

Forum Burnout
Premium Member
5,018
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Tried a search but didn't see what I was looking for,

Can someone give me an idea as to some of the basic of fire academies? I assume none are exactly the same, but...

Is it similar to Basic Training in which you stay at the academy for the duration of the training?

Do you go home during this time?

Is it accredited? Do they teach you like Fire I there?

What is the common length of a fire academy?

The answers will be very variable between academies.

In general:

- Typically it's a Monday through Friday 8-5 class (though we had to be very early and usually left considerably later). I know of some that are weekend courses, night courses, and have only ever known one that had you stay at the Academy throughout the duration, having to sleep in dorms (they have since changed this format to an 8-5).

- See first answer.

- The ones around here will grant you credits towards a Fire Science degree at an accredited college. The courses down here also certify you for the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP), which in turn would grant you IFSAC seals for Fire 1 and Fire 2.

- Length for the M-F 8-5 classes was roughly 6 months or 1 full time college semester.

To get the most accurate responses, figure out what specific academy you want to go through, and hopefully someone here has been through it and can give you specific answers. If nobody on this forum has been to that specific academy, you may want to try Firehouse.com. Simply calling up the program you're interested in is always an option, also...
 
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Drax

Drax

Forum Captain
264
25
28
The answers will be very variable between academies.

In general:

- Typically it's a Monday through Friday 8-5 class (though we had to be very early and usually left considerably later). I know of some that are weekend courses, night courses, and have only ever known one that had you stay at the Academy throughout the duration, having to sleep in dorms (they have since changed this format to an 8-5).

- See first answer.

- The ones around here will grant you credits towards a Fire Science degree at an accredited college. The courses down here also certify you for the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP), which in turn would grant you IFSAC seals for Fire 1 and Fire 2.

- Length for the M-F 8-5 classes was roughly 6 months or 1 full time college semester.

To get the most accurate responses, figure out what specific academy you want to go through, and hopefully someone here has been through it and can give you specific answers. If nobody on this forum has been to that specific academy, you may want to try Firehouse.com. Simply calling up the program you're interested in is always an option, also...

Thank you for quick response!
 

CFal

Forum Captain
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My fire 1 academy was 2 nights a week, 4 hours a class so 8 a week plus 40 hours of practicals on weekends. Havn't taken the hazmat yet though
 

DeepFreeze

Forum Lieutenant
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Like what other would say: I'd go with firehouse.com


Its not as active as here, but a great place to start.

It all depends on which academy you are looking at. Currently MA fire academy is around 10-13 weeks. The NH FF1 was about 2-3 months of two nights a week and every other saturday.
 

46Young

Level 25 EMS Wizard
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In rural areas with small departments, you may see an academy with recruits from a number of different departments. Large FD's will typically have their own fire academy, and should train to FF1/FF2 and Hazmat Ops.

M-F business hours are typical, with an occasional Saturday for a house burn, or the occasional night ops training. During practical evolutions, the recruits may be offered the option (non mandatory) to stay after class for an hour or two and get extra practical training (the instructors make a lot of OT this way). My academy is accredited by Pro Board.

If you want to see what an acdemy is like, check out The Academy - OCFA, free on HULU:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/103208

This was similar to my academy in many ways.
 
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