Onondaga Community College’s Fire Protection Technology degree program has been awarded the Fire & Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) designation by the National Fire Academy-United States Fire Administration.

It means students who earn OCC’s Fire Protection Technology degree will be completing a standardized, consistent curriculum which gives them the opportunity to earn credit on their federal (National Fire Academy) transcripts. A total of seven classes in OCC’s program are aligned with this specific criteria.

This recently approved designation was achieved thanks to the tireless work of OCC faculty members who completed a rigorous, year-long effort to standardize training, education, experience, and certification activities which align with this national, competency-based professional development system.

OCC’s Fire Protection Technology degree program is the only one in all of New York State to prepare students for both this Federal designation, and certification by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC).

Through IFSAC, successful students will have the opportunity to be internationally certified as firefighters, fire officers, or fire service instructors.

“We’re so proud of the work our faculty did to earn the Fire & Emergency Services Higher Education designation,” said OCC President Dr. Warren M. Hilton. “Our department chair, Professor John Kane, spearheaded this effort. He spent 21 years with the Syracuse Fire Department where he oversaw special operations and emergency medical services divisions before coming to OCC and sharing his knowledge with students. We look forward to his continued efforts as he and his staff educate future emergency personnel.”

Several current fire protection technology students can be seen serving the public throughout the Central New York community.

All students in the fire protection technology degree program are also members of fire departments.

Many students are imbedded in Central New York fire departments through the bunk-in program.

One such student is Gavan Liston who attended high school in the Bronx and brought his dream of becoming a firefighter to OCC because of its outstanding statewide reputation.

He’s a bunk-in student and member of the Fayetteville Fire Department.

“I love it and all of the other bunk-ins love it,” he said. “We get great experience and learn so much. We have fire and EMS calls, and we also do things like rope rescues and help people when they get injured on the trails at Green Lakes. We respond to a great variety of calls.”

To learn more visit sunyocc.edu/programs/fire-protection-technology-aas.