NW trains fire, police

by Shalonda Rodgers
reporter

SE students learned about the NW Campus Police and Fire Academy programs April 25.

Tracey Hearn, assistant professor, presented the Police Academy requirements, and Rick Frye, instructor, discussed fire technology.

TCC offers an Associate in Applied Science degree in criminal justice and certificates of completion in basic police officer certification and security management and Associate in Applied Science degrees in fire investigation technology and fire protection technology and a certificate of completion in basic firefighter certification.

The Police Academy has four-five classes per year and starts one class in each of the long semesters. In addition, two-three more classes in mid-semesters and summers are held with training lasting 16 weeks. “The police academy program has a state-mandated extensive curriculum,” Hearn said.

Students who successfully complete the academy and pass the state exam can earn 15 credit hours toward the associate degree.

In addition to the 8-5 p.m. class schedule Monday through Friday, students must spend several hours each day studying after class.  Hearn said this schedule can be academically difficult, especially for those who are working and raising families. The students who do not complete the program usually cannot meet the rigorous academic standards for varying reasons, Hearn said. 

“I do not have an exact figure, but I would estimate about 5 percent of the students who enroll do not complete the program,” she said. “In 2007, we trained 108 cadets with 100 percent of them passing the state licensing exam and 80 percent of them obtaining full-time employment as peace officers.”

Frye said the Fire Academy and the fire technology degree programs are similar to the police and criminal justice programs.

“We do offer a night course that runs from mid-February until November each year, he said.

The course meets two nights a week and eight hours on Saturdays.

A pre-requisite is completion of an emergency medical technician course and certification as an EMT. The Fire Academy can be taken for 18 hours of college credit.

Frye said each offering has a core component of general education courses plus the fire-based courses, offered on a shift-based schedule to assist working fire professionals in attending classes.

“These programs attract a wide variety of students,” he said.

For more information on program requirements, call 817-515-8223 or visit www.tccd.edu.