SPREADING LIKE A WILDFIRE

In three short years, NCTC’s Emergency Services department has sprinkled six dual credit firefighter programs throughout the region as part of a rapid expansion that mirrors North Texas’ population explosion and the resulting need for emergency personnel. Put another way, Fire Science’s dual credit program is spreading like a wildfire, equipping a growing number of civic-minded teens with the skills and training they need to launch careers as first responders – and all without ever stepping foot onto a North Central Texas College campus.

Starting with the 2017 opening of a fire academy at Lake Dallas High School in Corinth, subsequent programs launched in short order at high schools in Lewisville and Denton (the Denton Advanced Technical Center), followed by Gainesville, Sanger and Little Elm this past fall. These innovative two-year fire academies offer high school juniors and seniors a direct pathway into fire service and the training they need to apply for jobs right out of high school.

“Fire Service is an extremely competitive field,” says Strider Floyd, NCTC’s Emergency Services department chair. “The training is so specialized and our surrounding communities are growing so fast, it’s created a real shortage and a big demand for firefighters and emergency medical personnel. We’ve really had to bump up our efforts in response.”

DUAL CREDIT IS OFFERED AT Corinth Lewiesville Denton Gainesville Sanger Little Elm