Fire Science, A.A.S.

Program Description

The Fire Science Program prepares graduates to function as entry-level fire service personnel and emergency service providers and provides a pathway to professional advancement within the fire department for career personnel currently employed as fire fighters. The curriculum is a partnership between Prince George’s Community College, the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, and the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI). Students will complete 18 credits of required state/nationally mandated Fire/EMS Department Career Recruit School courses, which are taught by MFRI at various locations within the state of Maryland and are restricted to employees and volunteers of the Fire/EMS Department. Credits for the MFRI courses will be transferred into the college based upon the recommendation of the American Council of Education (ACE) as published in the current edition of the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs.

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the Fire Science A.A.S. will be able to:

• Effectively perform basic firefighting operations and hazardous materials first response as part of a firefighting team
• Effectively perform emergency medical care in a pre-hospital environment at the basic life support level
• Apply knowledge about the classification system of buildings which affects emergency operations
• Demonstrate sensible and safe emergency vehicle driving procedures and collision avoidance in the operation of fire and rescue service apparatus and truck company operations
• Demonstrate skills needed to become a journeyman firefighter
• Explain the fundamentals of arson investigation and the documentation, collection, and preservation of physical evidence as it relates to fire scenes
• Apply the scientific method and basic principles of the biological and physical sciences in the analysis of evidence and to legal concepts and cases

General Education Courses

The list of general education courses appears in the General Education List . Some programs recommend or require specific courses to fulfill general education requirements. Please check your program’s sequence of study for this information.

Sequence of Study - Fire Science A.A.S.

Below are the required courses for your program arranged in a suggested sequence. Please note that the sequence does not  include developmental coursework. See Academic Preparation  for the developmental course sequence if applicable to you.

Required Courses (in expected order)

• PAS-1000 First Year Experience Credits: 1 (Institutional Requirement)
• INT-1010 Introduction to Information Technology Credits: 3 (Computer Literacy Institutional Requirement; Critical Course)
• SOC-1010 Introduction to Sociology Credits: 3 (Social Science General Education Requirement; Critical Course)
• EGL-1010 Composition I: Expository Writing Credits: 3 (English General Education Requirement)

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• COM-1010 Foundations of Communication Credits: 3 (Arts/Humanities General Education Elective) or
• COM-1090 Interpersonal Communication Credits: 3 (Arts/Humanities General Education Elective)

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• MAT-1140 Introduction to Statistics Credits: 3 (Mathematics General Education Requirement)
• FOS-2500 Forensic Science Credits: 3 (Program Requirement; Critical Course)
• EGL-1340 Writing About Technical Topics Credits: 3 (English General Education Requirement)
• POS-1020 State and Local Government Credits: 3 (Program Requirement)

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• CJT-2510 Criminal Law Credits: 3 (Program Elective) or
• CJT-2540 Criminal Evidence and Procedure Credits: 3 (Program Elective)

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• FOS-2530 Fire and Arson Investigation Credits: 3 (Program Requirement)
• NTR-1010 Introductory Nutrition Credits: 3 (General Education Requirement Science, No Lab)
• BMT-1900 Introduction to Public Administration Credits: 3 (Program Requirement)
• CJT-2530 Criminal Investigation Credits: 3 (Program Requirement)
• FSC-2920 Fire Science Internship Credits: 2 (Program Requirement)
• FSC-1010 Firefighter I Credits: 3 (Program Requirement; Critical Course)
• FSC-1020 Emergency Medical Technician Basic Credits: 6 (Program Requirement)
• FSC-1030 Hazardous Materials Operations Credits: 1 (Program Requirement)
• FSC-1040 NIMS Incident Command System for the Fire Service Credits: 1 (Program Requirement)
• FSC-2070 Engine Company Fireground Operations Credits: 1 (Program Requirement)
• FSC-1300 Emergency Vehicle Operator Credits: 2 (Program Requirement)
• FSC-2010 Firefighter II Credits: 2 (Program Requirement)
• FSC-2020 Truck Company Fireground Operations Credits: 1 (Program Requirement)
• FSC-2060 Firefighter Survival and Rescue Credits: 1 (Program Requirement)

Program Total: 60 Credits

Transferability

Credit earned at any public institution in the state shall be transferable to any other institution if the:

• Credit is from a college or university parallel course or program;
• Grades in the block of courses transferred average 2.00 or higher; and
• Acceptance of the credit is consistent with the policies of the receiving institution governing students following the  same program. Refer to ARTSYS at artweb.usmd.edu and the receiving institution’s catalog to select transferable courses.

Need Help?

For help selecting an academic program or courses, consider using Career Coach, available at www.pgcc.edu/go/careercoach.