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FIRE Program FAQ
- Will the FIRE program prepare me for a fire-fighting career?
- What if I do not meet the program prerequisites of placement in ENG 100 and MATH 24/50/53 and would like to begin the program?
- When are the FIRE classes offered?
- Is there anything unique about the FIRE courses?
- Will I be able to use college courses, Advanced Placement (AP) scores or CLEP scores for the FIRE degree?
- Will I be able to use my fire fighter experience or training for the FIRE degree?
- Will I be able to use my experience or training as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or as a Paramedic toward the FIRE degree?
- What courses should I take in my first semester in the program?
- Is it possible to get FIRE work related experience while in the FIRE program? Included is information on the Federal Cooperative Education Program which may lead to a job with the Federal Fire Department.
- Does Honolulu Community College offer classes that prepare applicants to take the Fire Fighter recruit exams?
- Where can I look for fire fighting employment opportunities in Hawaii?
1. Will the FIRE program prepare me for a fire-fighting career?
Yes, the FIRE program will teach you the academic skills necessary for entry into the fire service field, i. e., fire fighter recruit, insurance adjuster, fire investigator.
To qualify for fire fighter recruit positions in government agencies, you are not required to complete the program, however, you will learn about the four basic areas of fire safety which are Prevention and Inspection, Fire Control, Rescue & Emergency Medical and Management & Administration.
2. What if I do not meet the program prerequisites of placement in ENG 100 and MATH 24/50/53 and would like to begin the program?
The English prerequisite is most important as the majority of FIRE courses require a high level of reading comprehension and writing skills. Some FIRE electives require placement in ENG 100 and no math placement. Check the catalog or Schedule of Classes on the HCC web site at honolulu.hawaii.edu for specific courses
3. When are the FIRE classes offered?
Classes are offered year round in the fall and spring semesters. Classes can be viewed at HCC's web site at honolulu.hawaii.edu then go to Class Availability.
4. Is there anything unique about the FIRE courses?
- Classes are generally 10 weeks long.
- In addition to traditional class lectures and discussion, some classes are offered via Distance Education (DE) and require motivated and conscientious students.
- 3 of the 6 required FIRE classes are offered in the Fall semester and 3
are offered in the Spring semester:
- FIRE 101, 107 & 202 are usually offered in the fall semester
- FIRE 102, 111, 203 are usually offered in the spring semester
5. Will I be able to use college courses, Advanced Placement (AP) scores or CLEP scores for the FIRE degree?
Yes, college courses, certain AP scores and certain CLEP scores are applicable toward the FIRE degree and can be accepted in transfer however grade, grade points and grade point averages can not be transferred.
Courses completed at a regionally accredited U.S. institution grades are generally accepted in transfer with a "D" or higher grade. "D" grades are generally accepted if the grade can be offset by a transfer course from the same institution with a grade of "B" or higher.
For AP and CLEP scores, contact Marilynn Ito-Won (marilynn@hcc.hawaii.edu) or a counselor at Admissions and Counseling at Bldg 6 ground floor or call 845 9129.
To have a transcript evaluated, do the following:
- Request that the institution that you attended send an official transcript and course descriptions (if from a non-Hawaii institution) to HCC Records Office. If the institution is part of the UH system, an official transcript does not need to be sent as HCC can view your record at other UH system institutions.
- Complete the Request for Transcript Evaluation form available at HCC's web site at honolulu.hawaii.edu then Student Records. Submit completed form to HCC Records Office.
- HCC Records Office
874 Dillingham Blvd.
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
(808) 845-9120
6. Will I be able to use my fire fighter experience or training for the FIRE degree?
Fire Recruit Training:
Once you have completed 6 credits of FIRE courses, you may receive up to 6 credits of FIRE 999 which are FIRE electives.
You need to:
- Complete the Certification of Recruit Training for Fire Personnel form which you can get from the Records Office.
- Have your training division commanding officer sign the form.
- Attach the certificate of recruit training.
- Submit to the Records Office.
Once evaluated, you will receive a Transfer Credit Evaluation granting you 6 credits of FIRE 999.
First Responder Training & Current Certification
If you have completed the first responder initial training (about 40+ hours) and are currently certified, you can get 3 credits of FIRE 103 Medical Emergency First Responder. This would count as FIRE elective credits.
- Submit certificates of initial training and current certification to the Records Office. Ask them to copy the certificates.
- Once evaluated, you will receive a Transfer Credit Evaluation granting you FIRE 103 credits.
National Fire Academy (NFA) Training
You may get credits for noncredit training completed. You can request an official transcript of the noncredit training completed from:
National Emergency Training Center (NETC)
Office of Admissions, Bldg O-007
16825 South Seton Ave.
Emmitsburg, MD 21727-8998
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/nfa/nfa-abt3.shtm
Request that the official transcript be sent directly to:
HCC Records Office
874 Dillingham Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 845-9120
Certificates of Non-Credit Training or Experience That Are Fire-Related
Make a copy of all documentation including certificates, outlines or syllabus of noncredit courses. Contact Marilynn Ito-Won (marilynn@hcc.hawaii.edu) to arrange an appointment.
7. Will I be able to use my experience or training as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or as a Paramedic toward the FIRE degree?
Yes, you can be granted credits provided:
- You earned college credit for the EMT-B courses from a regionally accredited college or university OR
- You have a current EMT-B certificate issued by the National Registry of EMT. Your certificate cannot be expired.
Credit will be granted for FIRE 119B Emergency Medical Technician
Part A and FIRE 119C Emergency Medical Technician
Part B for a total of 7 credits. These credits count as FIRE elective credits. Once evaluated, you will receive a Transfer Credit Evaluation granting you the FIRE 119B & 119C credits.
EMT certificates issued by states or institutions other than the National Registry of EMT are not accepted for credits because of the varying standards.
Paramedic or Mobile Intensive Care Technician experience or training is not accepted toward the FIRE degree because of non-applicability to the program.
Contact Marilynn Ito-Won (marilynn@hcc.hawaii.edu) for more information.
8. What courses should I take in my first semester in the program?
For Fall semester, If you are not a firefighter:
- FIRE 100 Introduction to Fire Protection (3 credits)
- FIRE 103 Medical Emergency First Responder (3 credits)
- ICS 100 Computing Literacy & Applications (3 credits)
- MATH 50 Technical Math (3 credits)
- PHYS 51 Technical Physics (4 credits)
- FIRE elective - if you are not working and can handle a 5th class. (3 - 4 credits)
See FIRE gradcheck for FIRE electives.
If you are a firefighter, contact Marilynn at marilynn@hcc.hawaii.edu
9. Is it possible to get FIRE work related experience while in the FIRE program?
Working in a FIRE related job:
If you are already employed, you may be eligible to receive credit through the Cooperative Education Program for a Fire-related work experience. Some of the eligible jobs include:
- firefighter (State, Federal or C&C)
- fire inspector
- lifeguard
- fire sprinkler installation & service
- hazmat technician
Go to the Cooperative Education web site on the HCC web site. Go to Site Index then to C then to Cooperative Education.
Interested in getting a FIRE related job:
If you would like to apply for a Cooperative Education Program position with a Federal Agency there are two basic ways to go about it.
The first is Wildland firefighter through the US Forest Service, Alaska Fire Service or the Bureau of Land Management. These jobs are in the summer on the mainland or the Big Island.
To prepare for these wildland federal positions, it is recommended that you take Wildland fire courses like:
- FIRE 151 Introduction to Wildland Fire Control
- FIRE 152 Wildland Fire Control Field Methods
- FIRE 154 Wildland Urban Interface Operations.
FIRE students at HCC are notified through the FIRE student distribution list when the Fire chiefs schedule their recruitments on campus in the Spring semester. If you are an HCC FIRE student, sign up at the E-mail Announcements link on the FIRE web site.
The second method is through the Navy Federal Fire Service Cooperative Education Program. To qualify following the 2008 - 09 or later requirements, you need to:
- Have completed 47 credits applicable to the FIRE program. If you are currently enrolled in courses toward the 47 credits, you can still apply. It would be best if you are enrolled in distance education (DE) courses. Training is in the day or at varied times and may conflict with your class schedule.
- You must not have completed the FIRE degree.
- Be enrolled in at least 6 credits.
- Have a 3.0 grade point average (GPA).
- Be 36 years old or younger when hired.
For certain federal positions like the firefighter; mandatory retirement age is 57 years old.
Applications are accepted once the Navy Fire Service notifies recruitment to Ken Johnson in the Cooperative Education Office. Ken will then notify FIRE students through the FIRE distribution list that eligible FIRE students need to first verify eligibility with Marilynn Ito-Won, counselor. She will then notify both student and Ken of eligibility. Student will then be given applications to complete and submit by deadline. Ken submits completed applications to the Navy Fire Service. For more information, contact Ken Johnson, johnsonk@hcc.hawaii.edu, Cooperative Education Coordinator.
You can also apply for fire fighting positions on your own at the federal job web site or http://www.opm.gov.
10. Does Honolulu Community College offer classes that prepare applicants to take the Fire Fighter recruit exams?
Honolulu Community College does not currently offer any prep classes for the fire recruit test.
11. Where can I look for fire fighting employment opportunities in Hawaii?
You can apply for positions when there is open recruitment. During non recruitment periods, applications are not accepted.
Honolulu Fire Department (HFD)- Oahu
Honolulu City and County
www.co.honolulu.hi.us/hr/eps.htm
County of Hawaii (Big Island) - Civil Service
www.hawaii-county.com (Go to Employment Opportunities)
Department Head: Michael Ben, Director
County of Kauai - Fire Administration
www.kauai-hawaii.com (Go to Kauai government)
Announcements also made in Maui News newspaper
County of Maui
www.co.maui.hi.us/ (Go to Employment)
Federal Fire Department (FFD) – Military bases in the State of Hawaii
www.fedworld.gov/jobs/jobsearch.html
www.opm.gov
www.loihi.state.hi.us
Summer wildland fire fighting – applications available around November to February.
USDA Forest Service – Temporary Fire (On Mainland)
www.fs.fed.us/fsjobs
Bureau of Land Management e-mail: kathy_cullings@ak.blm.gov
Alaska Fire Service