FF Licensing

[trizahler26]

In the state of Minnesota, we require a law enforcement officer to have an associates degree in law enforcement at the very least to become a licensed officer.

We also require paramedics to be nationally registered and state licensed.

Both of these career tracks take a year or two of coursework to become licensed.

So my question is; "Why does the fire service not require an associates degree in fire science/protection to attain a license?"

One would think we are all equal in skill, knowledge, professionalism, and education?

[BoxAlarm187]

Please be aware of cross-posting.

Original thread here. (http://forums.firehouse.com/showthread.php?t=105050)

[BCLepore]

As a general rule, cops are way more educated than firefighters. For some reason they figured it out years ago.

It's important to remember that there are way more volunteer firefighters than paid firefighters in the United States. The same thing cannot be said for volunteer police officers.

Another factor is that the cops are certified by a national organization called POST (Police Officer Standardized Training). Again, they are more organized than firefighters.

When you think about it, you would expect there to be more education in the fire service since we have 10 times the amount of applications for each opening. This gives the Fire Chief the option to pick a candidate with more education.

I see it changing though. In my area, many of us have gone back to school and earned our Bachelor's degrees. The word is out that if you want to promote, you need to return to school and get your education.
I recently went back and completed 18 classes in 2 1/2 years. When I started I was 9 classes away from my AS degree. I earned my Associates and Bachelors. Now I am working toward my Masters.

Thank god for Internet classes. They are much harder and you have to be more disciplined, but it's the perfect option for a firefighter on shift work.
Paul Lepore
Battalion Chief
www.aspiringfirefighters.com