The Butte College Public Safety Education & Training Center educates and trains students to serve and protect the public in a highly competent and professional manner.
The Firefighter 1 Academy, certified by the State Fire Marshall and the State Board of Fire Services as an Accredited Regional Fire Academy, received re-accreditation in 2017, and is offered twice annually in an intensive format, once each semester. Consistent with Fire Science classes, it starts near the end of August to accommodate the fire season and allow working students the opportunity to end their seasonal firefighting responsibilities as late as possible in order to attend Butte College. The program has earned a reputation for being among the finest firefighter academies in the western states and attracts students from throughout the area, and our graduates have secured positions in agencies from coast to coast. The Firefighter 1 Academy equates to approximately 100 FTE. Upon successful completion of the Fire Academy, students earn the following: 1. California Emergency Medical Technician training certificate of completion, which qualifies students to be eligible to complete the National EMT Registry Exam. 2. Certificates of completion for California Firefighter, as follows: ICS 100; ICS 200; Automobile Extrication; Confined Space Rescue Awareness; Low Angle Rope Rescue Operations; Cal Fire Basic Firefighter; Rapid Intervention Crew Operations; Firefighter Survival; First responder Operations Haz-Mat; Terrorism Consequences Management 3. Graduates are academically eligible for advancement to earning the California State Fire Marshall Firefighter I certificate. All pedagogical caps have been reviewed and are appropriate.
The goal of the Butte College Fire Academy is to continue to provide the highest quality education and training for individuals interested in entering the fire fighting career field. The academy program is intensive in nature requiring students to put forth a commitment of 100% effort and dedication to the program. Academy staff will continue to also put forth a commitment of 100% to support and assist the students toward their success.
Strategy 1 - Maintaining Serviceable Resources
The ability to maintain quality in the presentation of the Fire Academy depends in a large part on the ability to have modern and servicable tools, equipment and adjuncts available for use by the students. It will be a priority to maintain equipment, replace worn out equipment and acquire new equipment as circumstances and funding warrant in the future.
Historically, the Firefighter I Academy has obtained much of its equipment from area fire agencies, who have been very generous in donating their surplus items. As communities struggle with their own fiscal conditions, they have made efforts to increase the service lives of their safety equipment. As a result, the equipment that has been available for donation to this program the last few years has not only reached the end of its service life, in many cases it is obsolete. The critical and dangerous nature of firefighter training is such that the students must have servicable equipment just for their safety, and there is obvious benefit to training with equipment that is not antiquated.
Strategy 2 - Maintain Currency with Standards
The California State Fire Marshall's Office implemented updated Firefighter I curriculum which has been integrated into the Fire Academy program. Ongoing input from the Fire Academy Advisory Boards, as well as industry changes, mandate that the academy program continue to stay abreast of contemporary industry standards.
Effective student learning must reflect the knowledge and skills needed for future employment in the fire career field. The duties and responsibilities constantly change with the times, and it is critical that the fire program maintain currency and applicable regulatory standards.
Strategy 3 - Meeting Facility Needs
Historically, the various public safety training programs have been core components of the college since its beginning. The addition of the Allied Health/Public Services building and the various facilities at the Public Safety Training Grounds allowed the Public Safety Education and Training Center to place its programs in a modern, permanent building which has served us well over the years. However, as these facilities age there is a constant need for facility maintenance, repair and replacement.
The Public Safety Training Grounds provides an excellent facility for a variety of manipulative skills training in both the fire and law academy programs. The nature of this training demands that facilities be maintained to a level that ensures student safety and provides the highest quality of contemporary training.
None
The Fire Academy is supported primarily by the General Fund, with some additional support coming from student material fees. Additionally, Perkins Funds have been utilized to rectify safety issues and replace critically important equipment.
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | PSETC - FSCA - Fire Academy | Operating Expenses | 11-000-511-1-213350 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 | |
| Ongoing Augmentation to Support Consumable Equipment, Materials, and Supplies | The Butte College Fire Academy is held in the highest regard throughout the State because of the exceptional standards and quality of its program. The success of the program relies heavily on hands-on manipulative skills training to provide real-world experiences for the students. As a result, realistic equipment, materials, and supplies are needed throughout the presentation. These items are consumable, needing constant replacement. Equipment wears out and becomes obsolete over time. Examples include the following: Helmets (8) - $2850 Chain Saws - $3000 Circular Saws - $4000 Wild Land Training Shelters (20) - $3600 Ladders - $1800 Hose - $1000 Extrication Equipment - $25000 |
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| 2 | PSETC - FSCA - Fire Academy | Equipment | 11-000-511-1-213350 | $16,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| Training Props | The Butte College Fire Academy program has always been known for its high standards in curriculum and training. Manipulative skills hands-on training is a critical and required instructional element of the Fire Academy program. As such, training in the self-contained breathing apparatus confidence prop, confined spaces prop, and vehicle fire prop addresses the heart of fire training. This proposal is to expand the following: 1. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Prop - $1000 2. Confined Spaces Prop - $5000 3. Vehicle Fire Pro - $10000 |
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| 3 | PSETC - FSCA - Fire Academy | Facilities | 11-000-511-1-213350 | $55,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| Training Grounds Improvements and Repair | Following is a listing of facility projects that are in need of completion on the Public Safety Training Grounds: 1. Fire Training Tower repair - $5000 2. Expand Existing Asphalt Surface to Include Area in Front of Apparatus Bays - $50000 |
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| 4 | PSETC - FSCA - Fire Academy | Equipment | 11-000-511-1-213350 | $80,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| Used Fire Engine | For many years the Fire Academy has had the use of fire engines that were donated by various fire departments after the engines were beyond their useful lives. As a result of the age and condition of these engines, they are in constant need of maintenance and upkeep. Further, they are significantly out of date and do not represent contemporary equipment that is in use throughout the nation. The time has come where, if we are to expose our students to contemporary fire engines, we will need to buy our own. The projected cost is for a used engine, which could easily last us another 15-20 years considering the limited nature of our use in a training environment. It should be noted that if approved, this would not increase our current fleet allotment, as it would replace one of our older engines. |
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