Porterville College is located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada range of mountains in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley of California. The college was founded in 1927.
The Fire Technology program was added to the courses offered at the College in 1995.
The Porterville College Academy is accredited by the California State Fire Marshal. The instructors are fire service professionals currently serving the communities of Tulare and Kings Counties.
Join your friends in learning about the challenging career of a Firefighter.
Career Planning and Management
Planning a career in the fire service requires education, commitment, physical fitness and dedication.
Education
By adding the fire technology “electives” to your core classes, you
will graduate from Porterville College with a certificate in Fire Technology.
Students deciding upon a career in the exciting and rewarding field of fire service will want to attend the Fire Academy. This intense training provides the student with the indepth knowledge necessary to compete favorably in the competitive hiring process.
Porterville College conducts a Basic Fire Fighter-1 Fire Academy in the fall and an Interagency Basic Wildland Firefighter Academy in the spring of each year.
The one semester FF-1 Academy, conducted from August through January, provides the instructional requirements for certification by the State Fire Marshal as a Firefighter-1 and prepares the graduate to apply as an entry-level firefighter with any municipality in the state of California. The Academy instructors are fire service veterans serving in Tulare and Kings County Fire Departments.
The Interagency Basic Wildland Firefighter Academy is the only course of its kind in California. The instructors are selected from California Department of Forestry and the United State Forest Service. Graduates from this ten week Academy, February through April, meet all requirements for an entry-level seasonal firefighter position with CDF, USFS and all other Federal fire suppression agencies. Seasonal firefighting provides the skills necessary for full-time employment with each of these agencies and is a good way to decide if a career in the fire service is for you.
Porterville College offers all the courses necessary to enter the exciting and challenging career in the Fire Service. Entry-level opportunities in the state are very good as municipalities fill vacancies occurring by the retirees and adding personnel necessary to staff additional fire stations. The salary and benefits are very competitive and the rewards are great.
Contact the Porterville College Admissions Office for application information.
For more information, call:
Rich Stover - rstover@portervillecollege.edu
559-791-2449