Possibility of evening and/or weekend classes. No excused absences
Class Limit: 25 students
Dean: Mike Earley
Coordinator: Lou Ann Parrott
Phone Number : (903) 983-8662
Textbooks: Essentials of Firefighting and Fire Department Operations, Fifth Edition
Essentials of Firefighting and Fire Department Operations Study Guide, Fifth Ed .
Tax Exempt must furnish certificate
Required Firefighting Equipment : (NFPA Approved)
| Bunker Coat |
Helmet |
Bunker Pants |
| Gloves |
Suspenders |
Bunker Boots |
| Nomex Hood |
|
|
You may use your own personal protective equipment if it is NFPA 1851 (Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting) approved and inspected by Chief Dennis Gage. You will be required to provide written documentation from a verified independent service provider or the Chief of the department stating that the personal protective equipment has met the advanced testing/cleaning criteria required by the 2008 NFPA Standard 1851 advanced inspection. A limited amount of equipment is available to rent on a first come, first serve basis for the duration of the academy for a fee of $400 (non-refundable).
Nomex hoods must be purchased by each student (available at the Fire Academy for $25.00)
Calculator Required for Various Classes
Uniform: Approximately $45.00 per set + .0825 tax. This includes: navy pants, light blue shirt, 1 name tag, and a Fire Academy patch for each shirt. Student must provide their own black footwear and black belt. Uniforms are ordered through Nardis, Inc. (2 Sets Required)
Housing: For those students who live a great distance from the campus, Kilgore College offers dorm rooms at reasonable rates on a first come, first serve basis.
Meals: Students wishing to eat at the Kilgore College Cafeteria may purchase meal tickets. There are also several restaurants in the Kilgore area in which students may dine.
NOTE: We can only guarantee slots to those who are being sponsored by a full-paid fire department. Preference will be based upon an applicant’s level of education, experience, and their affiliation with a volunteer department or rescue unit.
NOTE TO APPLICANTS
The Kilgore College Fire Academy requires the applicant to provide proof of the following:
- Proof of High School Diploma and official high school transcript or G.E.D. scores
- Proof of Honorable Discharge from the military (if applicable)
- General medical physical by physician (Form and criteria included)
- Drug screen (Form included—you may use your own local clinic or physician)
- Current copies of all medical certifications (ex. EMT-B, OFA Level III, First Responder Level III, or E.C.A.)
Applicants must turn in all of the above-mentioned information, if applicable, when returning their application. Failure to meet all criteria requested could result in non-admission to the academy. Falsification of information will result in non-admission or dismissal from the academy. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call (903) 983-8662.
FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE : (The Kilgore College Fire Academy is a non-credit program, therefore it will not qualify for any Federal grants, i.e. Pell, etc.)
1. Texas veterans meeting residency requirements may be eligible for VA benefits.
Contact Jackie Kelley at (903) 983-8171 or jkelley@kilgore.edu for more information.
2. Members of Volunteer Fire Departments with less than 20 members are eligible for partial tuition reimbursement from the Texas Forest Service. Contact (979) 458-6505 or Ms. Kathy Davis (979) 458-7355. Information on House Bill 2604 found at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu
PLEASE NOTE :
Students enrolled in the Kilgore College Fire Academy will be required to wear SCBA on certain field projects. For the students’ safety, beards, mustaches, and/or long sideburns are prohibited as they may cause a seal failure. No necklaces, earrings, nose rings, tongue rings, eyebrow rings, rings (other than wedding rings and/or class rings) or excessive jewelry shall be worn while in uniform. Men’s hair must not be longer than one inch above the shirt collar in the back. It is also recommended that contact lenses not be worn during field operations.
Other Housing Options
Once a student receives his/her acceptance letter into the Fire Academy, if he/she is interested in staying in one of the volunteer fire departments offering residence to students, please call to obtain contact names and telephone numbers to be interviewed for these positions.
Texas Commission on Fire Protection and IFSAC Updates
Individuals completing a combined Firefighter 1 and Firefighter II Commission approved Basic Structural Fire Suppression program; passing the applicable state examination; and holding, as a minimum, current certification by the Texas Department of Health as an Emergency Care Attendant or higher may be granted IFSAC certifications as a Firefighter 1, Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness, and Hazardous Materials Operations by making application to the Commission for the IFSAC seals and paying applicable fees. Canadian students must have documented proof of successful completion of the British Columbia Occupational First Aid Level 3 or Alberta documentation of the First Responder Level III to fulfill the Commission’s medical requirements. Students successfully completing the Firefighter I and II Basic Structure Fire Suppression program have one year in which to complete the Commission medical requirements.
New IFSAC seal rules are now in place
New rules concerning the procedures for qualifying for the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress seals have gone into effect as of March 2003.
Previously, examinees that passed the Commission’s basic structure fire suppression certification exam were eligible for four seals: Fire Fighter I, Fire Fighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness and Hazardous Materials Operations. Under the new rules, examinees may still qualify for all four seals, but in order to do so they must achieve a score of 70 percent or higher on each of the four (4) exam sections. If a student fails a particular exam section, they would not be eligible for the seal in the area that he or she failed. The Fire Commission has broken the written exam into the following four sections:
| 1. Fire Fighter I |
70 questions |
70% min. pass rate |
| 2. Fire Fighter II |
45 questions |
70% min. pass rate |
| 3. Haz-mat Awareness |
15 questions |
70% min. pass rate |
| 4. Haz-mat Operations |
20 questions |
70% min. pass rate |
The student must pass each of the four (4) sections with a minimum of 70 percent on each section in order to qualify for the four (4) IFSAC seals.
In the event a Canadian student or out-of-state student fails to successfully achieve the required 70% on any of the four (4) certification exam sections, he/she will have to return to Texas to retest for that section. Contact Mollie Clakley at the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (512) 936-3838 to schedule a re-test date and site .
Additional Requirements for Canadian Students
- The Commission now has a rule in place that will allow any Canadian student with documented proof of successful completion of the British Columbia Occupational First Aid Level 3 or Alberta documentation of the first Responder Level III to have met the Texas medical equivalency of the E.C.A course required to fulfill the Commission’s medical requirements.
- All students MUST process through the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) counter at their point of exit from Canada or at their point of entry into the U.S. If the Student I-20M Form is not properly processed by Immigrations personnel, the student will be sent home.
- Because of the limited amount of bunker gear to be rented, it is highly recommended that students furnish their own bunker gear but students will be required to provide written documentation from a verified independent service provider or the Chief of the department stating that their personal protective equipment has met the advanced testing/cleaning criteria required by the 2008 NFPA Standard 1851 advanced inspection.
- Payment must be made by credit card, cashier’s check, certified check, or money order ONLY (in U.S. dollars only). An additional $15.00 should be added to each of the above to cover international bank processing charges .
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