Firefighting+
Firefighting is one of the noblest jobs in the fire service, but our program provides you with additional options in the private as well as the public sector.
Does a career as a fire investigator for a fire department or insurance company sound interesting? Perhaps you would prefer the dependable hours offered by a fire prevention/suppression company? Or, maybe, you would like to head up a fire prevention program at an industrial facility?
Our degree program can open a wide variety of doors for you, including those at any fire station.
For a look at all the courses in our program, consult the course list.
Get Started Ask AdmissionsFire science meets EMT training
All of our instructors have worked in the fire service and will teach you what they know instinctively: how to quickly assess and react to the properties of each individual fire and the emergency medical needs of each individual trauma victim.
In our program, which leads to an associate of applied science degree, your courses will cover everything from fire science to emergency medical procedures.
Here’s a short list of some of the courses you’ll take:
- Fire Investigation
- Fundamentals of Fire Protection
- Principles of Emergency Services
The Fire Academy experience
In addition to classroom instruction, you’ll also complete the 10-week Fire Academy, which will prepare you for the Fighter 1 and 2 certification exams – passage of which is required to become a firefighter in Michigan.
Our Fire Academy is the closest you can come to a firefighter’s experience. You’ll battle multistory fires, maneuver blindly through smoke-filled rooms and care for a trauma victim in the back of a simulated ambulance.
And your credits will transfer if you decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree at any point in your career.
Ready to gear up?
Give Professor Kenneth Staelgraeve a call at 586.226.4991 if you have any questions or want to know more about our program.
Fire service careers
There is a dire need for firefighters as well as for other fire service professionals. Use the tool below to see the positions and salaries available with an associate degree from Macomb, as well as with a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university if you decide to continue your education.
And don’t forget, Career Services is here to help with your job search, including resume-writing and interview preparation.
That is, if you aren’t hired before you graduate!
Additional Information
Fire Science AAS degrees awarded:
2019-2020: 5
2020-2021: 2
2021-2022: 3
Fire and Emergency Medical Services Technology AAS degrees awarded:
2021-2022: 7
Basic EMT retention:
Fall 2021: 75%
Winter 2022: 68%
Pass Rate
2021-2022 EMT National Registry Exam:
Fall 2021: 90%
Winter 2022: 59%
2021-2022 Michigan FF I & II with Hazmat Operations Exam:
Fall 2021: 93%
Winter 2022: 94%
Accreditation
International Fire Services Accreditation Congress (IFSAC): IFSAC Administrative Office, 1723 West Tyler Avenue, Stillwater, OK 74078, Fax: 405.744.8802.
Technical Standards for Admission, Progression and Graduation
The goal of the Health and Public Services Division is to prepare every student to think critically and practice competently and compassionately in rapidly changing environments. All efforts are designed to build knowledge, enhance practical skills, and promote patient and the population’s safety. Furthermore, the program is designed to foster professional integrity and ultimately improve the health outcomes and protection of patients, families, and communities across the continuum of care and practice. Students must possess certain functional abilities, essential for the delivery of safe, effective clinical care and protection of the public during clinical and internship training activities in the field. Therefore, the faculty has determined that certain technical standards are required for admission to, progression in, and graduation from the Health and Public Services (HPS) programs.
In addition to classroom learning, clinical and internship learning occurs throughout the HPS programs and involves considerations (such as patient and population safety and clinical and internship facility safety) that are not present in classroom accommodations. Applicants or students interested in HPS programs who seek accommodations prior to or immediately after enrolling in the college are highly encouraged to also request an assessment of the types of reasonable accommodations needed for the clinical and or internship components of the program.
An individual must be able to independently, with or without reasonable accommodation, meet the following technical standards of general abilities: (1) observation; (2) communication; (3) motor skills; (4) intellectual, conceptual, and quantitative abilities; (5) essential behavioral and social attributes; and (6) ability to manage stressful situations. Individuals unable to meet these technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodation will not be able to complete the programs and are counseled to pursue alternative careers.
SPECIAL SERVICES STATEMENT: Students may individually discuss the essential functions and technical standards with a college counselor from our Special Services department. In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American Disability Act of 1991, academic accommodations may be provided to students who have a documented disability.
For further information, visit Special Services.