Comprehensive Guide to Florida State Fire College Programs

The Florida State Fire College (FSFC) stands as a cornerstone for fire service training and education in the state. It offers a wide array of programs designed to equip both aspiring and seasoned firefighters with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in their profession. This article provides an in-depth look at the programs offered by the Florida State Fire College, resources available, and the importance of these programs in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of fire service personnel.

Overview of the Florida State Fire College

The Florida State Fire College plays a vital role in standardizing and advancing fire service training across the state. The Training Section is available to assist with classes offered at the Florida State Fire College, curriculum, course and instructor approvals, class offerings, and instructor requirements. The FSFC has four full-time instructors who also serve as program coordinators, and approximately 50 part-time instructors who are subject matter experts in their respective fields.

Even during challenging economic times, the facility has remained active, training students in various critical areas, including:

Firefighter programs
Fire Officer programs
Fire Inspector programs
Fire Investigator programs
Fire Instructor programs
Hazardous Materials Technician programs
Technical Rescue programs
Pump Operator programs

Statistics for Fiscal Year 2021

To illustrate the scope of the FSFC's impact, here are the statistics for FY2021:

Number of Classes Offered: 234
Number of Students Trained: 3,112
Student Contact Hours: 159,678

These numbers highlight the significant role the FSFC plays in providing high-quality training to a large number of fire service professionals.

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Resources and Support

The Training Section continues to assist community colleges, fire departments, and instructors throughout the state with curriculum, and provide a resource for anyone needing guidance or up-to-date information. The goal remains to provide high-quality instruction at the Florida State Fire College as well as provide current resources to field instructors.

The Training Section has maintained its involvement in conferences and training seminars throughout the year. These included; the Instructor Professional Development Seminar, the Health and Safety Seminar, Volunteer Week at FSFC, Great Florida Fire School, and the North West Volunteer Firefighter Weekend. The Bureau also presented updated information at Fire Rescue East, and the FACAP Conference was held at FSFC for investigators and lawyers. During the week-long event, Fire College instructors assisted with training evolutions. The Training Section also continues to assist as speakers and instructors as requested by customer groups.

Firefighter Certificate Program

The Firefighter Basic certificate program prepares students to meet the State of Florida standards for Firefighter I/II. The course provides fundamental information on fire department operations. Students are trained in the performance of the duties of a firefighter during both emergency and non-emergency operations. This training includes hazardous materials, vehicle extrication, wildland, ropes, ladders, and extinguishing fires.

Employment of firefighters is projected to grow 7 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Ricky Rescue Training Academy

For over a decade, Ricky Rescue has been a prominent name in online fire certificate courses and hybrid or blended fire education. The Ricky Rescue curriculum has been approved by the BFST at the Florida State Fire College. Ricky Rescue Training Academy offers courses that satisfy the Florida State Fire pre-certification requirements for Pump, Apparatus, and Vehicle Operator, Aerial Operations, Fire Officer, Fire Instructor, Fire Inspector, Fire Investigator, Safety Officer, and Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC). Ricky Rescue also offers continuing education and recertification courses and exam preparation for Fire Officer I, II, and III.

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Key Features of Ricky Rescue Programs

Continuous Enrollment: Open enrollment for all self-paced, SACS Accredited online and blended firefighter courses.
BFST Approved: Curriculum approved by the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training at the Florida State Fire College.
Comprehensive Coverage: Courses cover a wide range of pre-certification requirements.

Detailed Course Offerings

Ricky Rescue offers a variety of courses catering to different specializations within the fire service. Here's a detailed look at some of their offerings:

Fire Inspector Series

Fire Inspector 1 Series - Part 1 (E-Learning): This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Fire Inspector 1. It includes courses such as Building Construction, Fire Prevention Practices, and Private Protection Systems 1.
Fire Inspector 1 Series - Part 2 (Traditional): This in-person course completes the Fire Inspector 1 pre-certification requirements.
Fire Inspector 1 Series (E-Learning/Blended): This comprehensive series includes both online and in-person components, covering Building Construction, Codes and Standards, Documents and Plans Review, Fire Prevention Practices, and Private Protection Systems 1.
Fire Inspector 2 Series (Learning - Online/Blended/Traditional): This series satisfies part of the pre-certification requirements for Fire Inspector 2 and includes courses such as Fire Chemistry, Private Fire Protection Systems 2, and Ethical and Legal Issues for the Fire Service.

Fire Instructor Series

Fire Instructor Series (E-Learning): This online series satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Fire Instructor 1, Fire Instructor 2, and Fire Instructor 3. Courses include Fire Service Course Delivery and Fire Service Course Design.

Fire Officer Series

Fire Officer 1 Series (E-Learning): This online series satisfies part of the Florida State Fire pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 1. Courses include Building Construction for the Fire Service, Company Officer, Firefighting Tactics and Strategies 1, and Fire Service Course Delivery.
Fire Officer 2 Series (E-Learning): This online series satisfies part of the Florida Fire College pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 2. Courses include Fire Prevention Practices, Fire Service Course Design, Tactics and Strategies 2, Private Fire Protection Systems 1, and SERP.
Fire Officer 3 Series (E-Learning): This online series satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 3. Courses include Analytical Approaches to Public Fire Protection, Chief Officer, and Ethical and Legal Issues for the Fire Service.

Pump Operator Series

Pump Operator Series (E-Learning/Blended): This series satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Pump Operator. It includes courses such as Fire Service Hydraulics and Apparatus Operations.
Pump and Aerial Operator Series (E-Learning/Blended): This series satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for both Pump Operator and Aerial Operations. Courses include Fire Service Hydraulics, Apparatus Operations, and Aerial Operations.

Safety Officer Series

Safety Officer Series (E-Learning): This series satisfies part of the Florida State Fire pre-certification requirements for Safety Officer. Courses include Florida Health and Safety Officer, Florida Incident Safety Officer, and Legal Issues for the Safety Officer.

Individual Courses

3780 Analytical Approaches to Public Fire Protection: This online course satisfies part of the Florida Fire College pre-certification requirement for Fire Officer 3.
1302 Apparatus Operations: This blended course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Pump Operator.
703 Aerial Operations: This blended course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Aerial Operator.
2120 Building Construction: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 1, Fire Inspector 1, and Fire Investigator 1.
9516 Chief Officer: This online course satisfies part of the Florida Fire College pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 3.
2720 Company Officer: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 1.
1510 Codes and Standards: This in-person course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire pre-certification requirements for Fire Inspector 1.
Crowd Manager Training - Fire (For Fire Service Personnel Only): This online course prepares fire service personnel to work as crowd managers in assembly occupancies.
Crowd Manager Training - for (For Non-Fire Service Civilians Only): This online course prepares civilians to work as crowd managers in assembly occupancies.
2521 Documents and Plans Review: This in-person course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Fire Inspector 1.
2770 Ethical and Legal Issues: This online course satisfies part of the Florida Fire pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 3.
1740 Fire Service Course Delivery: This online course satisfies part of the Florida pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 1 and Fire Instructor.
2741 Fire Service Course Design: This online course satisfies part of the Florida pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 2 and Fire Instructor 2.
1301 Fire Service Hydraulics: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Pump Operator.
6742 Florida Incident Safety Officer: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Safety Officer.
Florida Health and Safety Officer: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Safety Officer.
2111 Fire Chemistry: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Fire Inspector 2 and Fire Investigator.
16701 Florida Training Manager: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire pre-certification requirements for Fire Instructor 3.
7529 Legal Issues for the Safety Officer: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College pre-certification requirements for Safety Officer.
9896 NFPA 1/101 Update: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire College renewal requirements for Fire Inspector 1.
1505 Prevention Practices: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 2 and Fire Inspector 1.
1540 Private Fire Protection Systems 1: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 2 and Fire Inspector 1.
2541 Private Fire Protection Systems 2: This online course satisfies part of the Florida State Fire pre-certification requirements for Fire Inspector 2.
2706 Public Information Officer: While previously recognized, this course has been removed by the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training as a pre-certification requirement and is no longer recognized for CEUs.
9572 SERP (Statewide Emergency Response Plan): This online course satisfies part of the pre-certification requirements for Fire Officer 2.

Firefighter I/II Program

The Firefighter I/II program is designed for students seeking state certification as a firefighter. Classes are offered on both daytime and nighttime schedules in the Fall and Spring terms of each academic year. The program follows the curriculum established by the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training of the Florida State Fire College in Ocala.

Part I (Firefighter I) Curriculum

Orientation
Safety
Fire behavior
Building construction
Protective clothing
SCBA
Portable extinguishers
Ropes and knots
Building search and victim removal
Forcible entry tools
Construction and techniques
Ground ladders
Ventilation
Water supply
Coupling, loading, and rolling hose
Laying, carrying, and advancing hose
Water fire streams
Class A, C, D fires
Vehicle and wildland fire control
Sprinkler system fundamentals
Salvage, overhaul, and protecting evidence of fire cause
Fire department communications
Equipment and techniques
Fire prevention and public fire education
Awareness-Level Hazardous Materials Training

Part II (Firefighter II) Curriculum

Part II prepares the student to meet the requirements to become a state-certified firefighter. Subjects include:

Implementing the incident management system
Construction materials and building collapse
Rescue and extrication tools
Vehicle extrication and special rescue
Hydrant flow and operability hose
Tools and appliances
Foam fire systems
Ignitable liquid and gas fire control
Fire detection, alarm, and suppression systems
Fire cause and origin
Radio communications and incident reports
Pre-incident survey and wildlife firefighting - 5130 & 5190

Certification and Requirements

Students who successfully complete the program may participate in the state exam for certification as a Firefighter II. This exam encompasses both written and practical skills tests. Students must:

Take the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) exam if not exempt from TABE testing.
Successfully complete all courses listed in the catalog for this program.

Successful completion of this Certificate Firefighter Program allows the student to take the state certification examination. The student will earn 3 college credits towards the A.S.

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Ensuring Quality and Safety

The Florida State Fire College and its approved training academies like Ricky Rescue are committed to providing high-quality instruction and resources. This commitment ensures that fire service personnel are well-prepared to handle the challenges they face in their roles. By maintaining rigorous standards and offering comprehensive training programs, the FSFC contributes to the safety and effectiveness of fire departments across the state.

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