Fire Science & Safety

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) allows students to earn only one AAS in Fire Protection and Safety Technology. Students must choose from one of the following three specializations: Fire Officer, Fire Fighter, or Industrial.
You can not be placed in any Fire Safety AAS plan until you have completed the TCFP certificate (Basic Fire Fighting Academy)

TSI testing required prior to first enrollment for all AAS degrees and Level II certificates.

The series of three courses provides training required to apply for the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) Fire Instructor I, II, and III certifications.These courses also provide a three-course certification step to becoming a Training Program Manager. To obtain the TCFP Fire Instructor I, II, and III certification, participants must have a Basic Fire Fighter certification with TCFP and pass the Knowledge and Skills tests for each level of certification. An application fee of $15 per certification must be paid to TCFP when submitting an application to take the final assessment from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

TSI testing required prior to first enrollment for all AAS degrees and Level II certificates.

This 10-week program is designed to teach the basic skills needed to be a successful Telecommunicator by officering academic instruction and hands-on skills training covering Public Safety dispatching for Police, Fire and EMS.  Students will be provided with an understanding of the emergency communications environment by  demonstrating basic call-taking and radio operations, while also learning the core  competencies in both emergency and non-emergency situations required by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for Telecommunications.  This program will prepare students for their TCOLE Telecommunicator Basic Licensing state exam.

 Orientation Dates:

• November 14, 2023, Virtual at 6:00pm.
• Second orientation December 12, 2023 (in-person) 555 Community College College Dr. Houston, TX 77013

Full-Time Day Academy Class

• Coordinator:
  Larry Spann
  larry.spann@hccs.edu 
  713-718-8327
  Monday - Thursdy
  
  Day Class Instructor:
  Cleto Hernandez
  cleto.hernandez@hccs.edu
  713-718-5236
  Tuesday - Friday

• Start Date:  August 22, 2023
• Class Hours: Mon - Thur (7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.) for approximately 4 months.

• FIRS-1301 19575
• FIRS-1407 19576
• FIRS-1313 19578
• FIRS-1203 19580

Full-Time Online Academy Class

• Coordinator:
  Newton Smith
  newton.smith@hccs.edu
  713-718-8390
  
  
• Program Director:
  Dwight Allen
  dwight.allen@hccs.edu
  713-718-8092 

• Program Coordinator:
  Vedron Bordeaux
  vedron.bordeaux@hccs.edu
  713-718-5298 

• Class Hours: Online: However, meets at the campus every Saturday (7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) for approximately 26 weeks at 555 Community College Dr. Houston, TX 77013

Academy Administrative Assistant Contract Info:

Delores Gibson
delores.gibson@hccs.edu
713-718-8370

Fire Academy Advisor Contract Info:

Angela Cormier
angela.cormier2@hccs.edu
713-718-2164

The HCC Fire Science and Safety program graduates are certified by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP).

The State of Texas recognizes IFSAC (International Fire Service Accreditation Congress) certificates from other jurisdictions in its basic structural fire protection, aircraft rescue, hazardous materials technician, hazardous materials incident commander, incident safety officer, driver/operator-pumper, driver/operator-aerial, fire inspector, plans examiner, fire investigator, fire instructor, fire officer, and fire & life safety educator disciplines.

The Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) is the license authority for the HCC Fire Science & Safety program. Students are encouraged to contact TCFP regarding licensure, reciprocity and certification information. Visit www.tcfp.texas.gov/services/transferring-to-texas

Please note, every attempt is made to ensure the above information is accurate and up to date; however, some information is subject to change.

If you have any questions or encounter problems contacting the appropriate licensing board, please contact the Program Director at (713) 718-5298.

2021-2022 Third-Party Licensure/Certification Exam Results 

Occupational licensure and/or certification pass rates reported by academic calendar year (Sept. 1–Aug. 31). Results for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years are provided for comparison.  

There are 5,471 Municipal Firefighters employed in the Greater Houston Area. This number is expected to increase by 8.4% over the next four years.

The estimated annual job openings is 293 jobs a year.
Median Wages - $24.18 hourly, $50,000 annually

Language Option Restrictions

Some online programs require students to participate in foreign language courses as part of the program’s required curriculum. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements and available language options. If you would like to take courses in a language that is not offered online, you would have to do so on campus.

Elective Course Restrictions

Some HCC Online programs may have a limited number of elective options available, based on which of the designated electives are currently offered online. If an elective course is not available online, it will be denoted in the program’s degree plan.

Required Course Restrictions
Some HCC Online programs may require students to participate in one or more campus-based courses as part of a given program’s required curriculum. If a program requires participation in a campus-based course, the campus-based course will be denoted in the program’s degree plan.

Potential Course Restrictions
Some courses may require students to participate in campus-based laboratory sessions or proctored examinations. Please review your course syllabus to determine if your online course has an on-campus laboratory or examination requirement.

Hybrid programs allow students to take a mix of online and face-to-face courses. Hybrid programs offer 50% to 85% of their courses online and the remainder of the curriculum is taken in-person on one of HCC’s campuses. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements.

Language Option Restrictions

Some hybrid programs require students to participate in foreign language courses as part of the program’s required curriculum. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements and available language options. If you would like to take courses in a language that is not offered online, you would have to do so on campus.

Elective Course Restrictions

Some hybrid programs may have a limited number of elective options available, based on which of the designated electives are currently offered online.  Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements.

Required Course Restrictions

Hybrid programs require students to participate in campus-based courses as part of a given program’s required curriculum. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements. 

Potential Course Restrictions

Some online courses may have face-to-face requirements for exams, laboratory sessions, and other activities. Please review your course syllabus to determine if your online course has an on-campus laboratory or examination requirement.