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AVC to open fire academy this month
A firefighter academy to prepare men and women for jobs at municipal fire departments will be offered through Antelope Valley College beginning this month.
College officials have just worked out an agreement to use the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s North County Training Center in Lancaster for training students on Saturdays during the 2007-08 academic year.
“We currently have 20 students who are registered or in the process of registering” for the fall semester, according to Maggie Drake, dean of the college’s Technical Education Division.
“This is a response to a community need,” said AVC President Dr. Jackie L. Fisher Sr. “The firefighter academy, radiology tech, respiratory therapy, sheriff’s academy – all of these new programs are in response to needs of the community.”
Antelope Valley College has offered a wildland fire technology program for several years. But the training for those joining a city or county fire department is entirely different, according to the program’s full-time instructor, Robert Falb.
Falb is a 34-year veteran of the county fire department who served as a captain at the North County Training Center prior to his retirement from the agency.
The program will be able to accommodate up to 40 students a year. Students must have already passed the Candidate Physical Agility Test (CPAT) to enter the academy. The CPAT, offered through a private agency, is required by firefighting agencies, including the Los Angeles County and Los Angeles city fire departments.
“It is a demanding physical academy and we wanted to make sure that people could do the work,” Falb said. Students will attend classes two nights a week at AVC and then all-day Saturday at the training center on 6 th Street West near Avenue M. Students will complete 480 hours of training.
“They’ll come out with a Firefighter I certification from the California State Fire Marshall’s Office,” Falb said.
The training requires a serious commitment.
Students need to purchase their own protective “turnout” gear, but there is financial aid available to cover costs, according to Falb.
Falb said prospective firefighters are willing to complete the academy because it provides them an edge in the hiring process. There are typically thousands of aspiring firefighters for several hundred positions in an agency like the Los Angeles County Fire Department, according to Falb.
“It’s like any job you’re applying for; the more qualifications, the more certifications you have, the better,” Falb said.
“It’s very competitive to get hired. It’s not a ticket (to a job), but if you have a Firefighter I certification, you’re probably going to get a higher grade on the oral interview and on the qualification,” said Falb.
The district will pay $28,000 a year for use of the training center.
Anyone interested in the fire academy should call AVC at (661) 722-6300, ext 6327.
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