News Article

FSW Firefighter Program Trains Students in Award-Winning Facility

Feb 3, 2016


FEBRUARY 3, 2016 – NAPLES, FLA – Students in Florida SouthWestern State College’s (FSW) Firefighter Training program can now boast that they train in an award-winning fire training center. The North Collier Fire Training Center, which houses FSW’s fire training program, recently received the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association (FFCA) Fire Training Center of the Year Award.                                                                                                                          

The North Collier Fire Training Center was chosen for the award because of the collaboration of instructors and training the center provides, its success rate, and the mentorship students receive both during and following completion of their training programs.                                                                                                                              

“We have instructors from both Lee and Collier counties that together bring hundreds of years of experience,” said Michael Jimenez, FSW Fire Academy Coordinator. “These instructors provide interview preparation assistance, career guidance, and other tools that will help the students evolve throughout their careers. The award confirms that the training and guidance our students receive is top notch.”

FSW’s 480-hour Firefighter Training certificate, offered by the School of Health Professions Department of Emergency Services, prepares students for certification as fire fighters in accordance with Florida Statute 633. The program is approved by the Division of State Fire Marshal, Bureau of Fire Standards and Training.

Content for the program includes, but is not limited to, orientation to the fire service, fire alarms and communication, apparatus and equipment, fire behavior, portable extinguishers, fire streams, fundamentals of extinguishment, ladders, hoses, tools and equipment, forcible entry, salvage, overhaul, ventilation, rescue, protective breathing equipment, first responder, water supplies, principles of in-service inspections, safety, controlled burning, employability skills and first responder.

In addition to the firefighter training, the North Collier Fire Training Center is also utilized as a regional training center that provides thousands of continuing education hours to firefighters within Collier County and Southwest Florida. Classes offered begin at the introductory firefighter level through chief officer level.

To learn more about FSW’s Firefighter Training program, visit http://www.fsw.edu/academics/programs/certfireacademy.

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Florida SouthWestern State College is Southwest Florida’s largest and one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Annually serving nearly 22,000 students globally, FSW offers a variety of nationally-ranked, career-focused academic programs with two- and four-year degrees, and professional certifications. Students are also active in clubs and programs catered to their interests. FSW debuted its intercollegiate athletics program in January 2016. Visit www.FSW.edu for more information.

Last Updated: February 3, 2016

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