OCC announces new degree program awarded

Onondaga Community College’s fire protection technology degree program was awarded reaccreditation by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC)

This prestigious and exclusive designation provides students the opportunity to be internationally certified as firefighters, fire officers, or fire service instructors. IFSAC awards this accreditation to only one institution in each of the 50 states. In all of New York State, OCC is the sole institution with this designation. Students in OCC’s Fire Protection Technology degree program have the opportunity to serve the community by participating in the bunk-in program. While living at the fire station free of charge, a bunk-in student par- ticipates in drills, training, and responds to emergency calls. Students gain real-world experience while simultaneously assisting fire departments which are experiencing staffing shortages.

A total of 13 fire departments across Onondaga County participate in the bunk-in program including: Clay, DeWitt, East Syracuse, Fairmount, Fayetteville, Liverpool, Manlius, Moyers Corners, North Syracuse, North West (Baldwinsville), Solvay, South Onondaga, and Taunton.

OCC offers training, testing, and certification in specific disciplines including fire fighter, fire investigator, fire officer, fire service instructor, fire department incident safety offi- cer, hazardous materials awareness, hazardous materials operations core, hazardous materials personal protective equipment, and hazardous materials product control.

Over the past 30 years, more than 80% of the graduates of OCC’s fire protection technology degree program have gone on to careers in public safety.

The chair of OCC’s fire protection technol- ogy degree program is John Kane, a retired deputy chief from the Syracuse Fire Department. He completed the reaccreditation process along with Shawn Tompkins, a retired deputy chief from the DeWitt Fire District who serves OCC students as an adjunct professor. Both Kane and Tompkins are graduates of OCC’s fire protection technology degree program.