Fire science is an applied science dealing with firefighting, fire prevention, and other related fields. The term is most often used in relation to college curricula aimed at individuals wishing to pursue a career in the fire service.

Typical courses edit

  • Firefighter I & II is the basic certified course in firefighting. Although Firefighter I and Firefighter II are seperate certifications, they are almost always taught together. Firefighter I is basic, and would meet the needs of a rural firefighter. Firefighter II is somewhat more advanced, and is needed for urban firefighting.
  • Some level of Emergency medical services (or EMS) training. A career firefighter often needs to be trained as an emergency medical technician (often called an "EMT"), some locations may require training as a paramedic. Most volunteer firefighters are trained as medical first responders.
  • Fire investigation is determing the origin and cause of a fire by observing burn patterns and other clues.
  • Fire inspection, also known as code enforcement, is inspection of buildings and enforcement of codes for life safety.
  • Hazardous materials
  • Building construction
  • Fire protection and alarm systems
  • Fire department administration
  • Fire instructor