Fire Academy

The Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy is a cooperative program between Oxnard Community College and the California State Fire Marshals office.

This program and other similar programs statewide are intended to provide an educated recruit base for fire departments in the state of California. This program is designed to meet the dynamic challenges of fire department needs for pre-service recruits in the 21st century and enabling students to successfully become employed by fire departments throughout the state of California and within the Ventura County Community College Districts service area.

The Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy is an accredited California State Fire Marshal program that provides certificates from the California Specialized Training Institute, National Wildfire Coordinating Group, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as well as the California State Fire Marshal.

Oxnard College Academy graduates are employed in every Fire Department in Ventura County and many departments in California. Graduates are also employed in Texas, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Oregon, and Washington state. Out-of-state students have applied to the program from Alaska, Nevada and New Mexico but most applicants are predominately from Ventura County and other Southern California areas.

The program goal/objective of the Fire Academy is to provide an academic, behavioral, physical, and manipulative skills base to enable a student upon graduation to successfully compete for a Firefighter position and to complete a departments probationary requirements.

To maintain accreditation, the Oxnard Fire Academy is reviewed by the California State Fire Marshal and members of the California Fire Technology/Academy Directors Association every five years.

Another example of program licensing requirements is an agreement with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy. The Wildland/Urban Interface/Forest Fire 120 hour portion of the Academy requires a course manager. The manager is a Captain from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, San Luis Obispo Ranger Unit.

The program is also subject to inspections by State Instructors/Officials of the California Specialized Training Institute which is under the Office of Emergency Services and the Governors Office.

Current instructors must be current duty, seasonal or retired Firefighters that have completed Fire Instructor IA and IB State Fire Marshal courses. Most Professional Experts have State Fire Marshal Fire Officer certifications. A professional expert is a person that has 6 years of experience in a specific skill/subject or subjects or a combination of State Fire Marshal certificates and experience in a specific skill/subject or subjects. This person will instruct, supervise a teaching assistant and is responsible for the skill/subject accuracy and proper delivery to the students.

These many review processes and partnership procedures/policy requirements assists Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy in its goal to be a fully comprehensive educational/vocational program that meets the needs of pre-service firefighters and the recruit needs of Fire Departments throughout the state of California.

• Catalog description Courses

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