According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, every year, fires and other emergencies take thousands of lives and destroy property worth billions of dollars. Fire fighters help protect the public against these dangers by responding to fires and a variety of other emergencies. In addition to putting out fires, they are frequently the first emergency personnel at a traffic accident or medical emergency and may be called upon to treat injuries or perform other vital functions.
This degree is intended for students who are interested in serving the public as emergency services personnel, including fire fighters, fire inspectors, fire investigators and other emergency-services-related occupations that are important to increasing the safety of everyone in society. While emergency services personnel who gain employment in full-time positions will be given some type of training, the competition for these positions is very competitive. An applicant who comes to the hiring process with an Emergency Services degree with an option in Fire Science will have a competitive advantage when it comes to placement testing and interviewing.
Graduates are able to:
- describe the role of national, state and local support organizations in fire and emergency services
- compare effective management concepts for various emergency situations
- analyze the steps necessary to establish and implement a contingency plan for various emergency situations
Raritan Valley Community College Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degree programs are designed to comply with the New Jersey Community Colleges General Education Foundation which supports transfer of courses to NJ Public four-year colleges and universities. Students who intend to transfer to a NJ college or university can further improve the transfer of courses by using the Recommended Transfer Program (RTP) feature in NJTransfer.org.
NOTE: Students considering transfer to Rutgers University should choose a Global & Cultural Awareness (GCA) General Education course not replicated elsewhere in their curriculum. Students who have already fulfilled the GCA requirement for their Associates of Arts (AA) degree should select an additional Social Sciences or Humanities General Education course.
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