Nevada County Campus Proudly Recognizes Fire Academy Graduates
Written by: President’s Office
On May 10, 2019, 20 students from Academy Class #19-2 graduated from the Sierra College Fire Academy in Grass Valley. This is the 2nd graduating class since the fire academy began at the Nevada County campus in 2018 and the 38th Fire Academy class to graduate from Sierra College. The cadets completed over 626 hours of training, earned 18.5 degree applicable units, and received 13 fire service industry recognized certifications. Many of the graduating fire academy students will begin internship work with various departments throughout the region. After a six month internship, these graduates qualify for State and National Firefighter Training Certification.
The fire academy is an intensive fire service training program and is offered over 15 weeks every spring in Grass Valley. Prerequisites to get into the fire academy include Introduction to Fire Protection and EMT, and both courses can be taken at Sierra College. The success and placement rate for the program is an impressive 100%.
The ceremony was led by Battalion Chief Josh Sunde, who also serves as the Fire Academy Director. The Nevada County Professional Firefighters Color Guard presented the Colors and Division Chief Sam Goodspeed gave the Fire Chief’s address. The instructor’s address was given by Captain Jason Davison. Photos of the ceremony may be viewed here.
The Nevada County campus celebration was the first of two Fire Academy graduations in the District. On May 22, the Rocklin campus celebrated the graduation of 31 cadets (Fire Academy class #19-1) in Dietrich Theatre. An overview of their experience and training is illustrated in the 19-1 class video.
The goal of the Sierra College Regional Fire Academy is to provide the tools, training and education needed for graduates to be hired as a certified firefighter by a professional fire service agency. The Firefighter 1 Academy is a one-semester training program offered through partnerships with the Placer and Nevada County Fire Chief’s Associations and the City of Roseville Fire Department. Sierra College is recognized by the California State Fire Marshal and the State Board of Fire Services as an Accredited Regional Training Program.
Please visit the Sierra College Fire Technology web or the SCRFA Facebook page for more information.