What Can I do With a Degree in Fire Science?
Find your perfect value college
Today’s degree in fire science is a fantastic tool for opening unique career opportunities as well as self-improvement beyond what most typical college and university programs can provide. So, what’s involved with this kind of education, and what are some of the particular jobs made available upon its completion? Follow along for the scoop.
What to Expect in a Fire Science Degree Program
First, it’s important to understand what exactly such an education instills in the student. Fire science students engage in an educational program that prepares the mind and the body alike. One could accurately compare firefighter colleges and associated enterprises to police academies in their physical and mental approach to job preparation and training.
On the physical side of things, firefighter colleges run students through a variety of challenging yet vocationally-relevant obstacle courses and training rituals. Running, climbing, carrying and using gear, search and rescue ops, injury treatment methods, and more are all taught in physical, real-life simulations. These are, no doubt, unique and valuable offerings.
Featured Programs
On the book and classroom side of things, these kinds of institutions provide extensive training as well. Examples of courses here can include but are not limited to Basic and Advanced Rescue Procedures, Fire Behavior and Combustion, Fire Codes and Law, and many others. Combined with the physical requirements of this experience, emerging graduates come to possess an entire toolkit for use in most emergency situations.
Careers Available with a Formal Fire Science Degree
As to the careers made available with completion of a fire sciences degree, the options are many. Not only do these options prepare graduates to fill the many positional voids needing filling in the fire and emergency response services today, but they also make the grad capable of filling many jobs not immediately involved in areas of emergency service and response. For the sake of this piece, we will primarily highlight job possibilities related to this particular sector.
Firefighter
Although official, extensive schooling is not always required to become a firefighter, those who present to this job with such credentials are often equipped to then exceed the abilities of those without. Position in rank often hinges on educational background. Subsequent to standard firefighter roles, this grad can then climb to elevated points of rank up to and including engineer, captain, and even fire chief.
Fire Investigator
Fire investigation is all about determining the underlying and often hidden causes of fire. Enter the professional fire investigator. Fire investigator jobs, often made available only through the merits of formal fire science schooling, exist all throughout many different job sectors and industries. Law enforcement, federal bodies, and even city fire departments rely on these experts’ abilities to seek out the truth. Those who fill fire investigator jobs also fulfill the very personal needs of people in the community to understand and gain closure in impactful and often life-changing events.
Fire Inspector
Fire inspectors are responsible for inspecting and consulting with various people and businesses. Here, this professional analyzes properties and their fire plans and equipment for flaws and then helps the property owner to improve such discovered situations. Of additional noteworthiness is the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ estimates of the demand for this occupation currently growing at a very healthy 10%. The current fire inspector salary is also listed by the BLS as right around $56,670 per year. Fire inspector salary can fluctuate considerably, however, based on many factors including department size and the area served.
Instructor of Fire Science
For those with an interest in teaching and helping others to learn, instruction is yet another career option for those with a fire sciences degree. One can instruct full-time or part-time and in any number of courses and venues. Many choose to split their time working in this role as well as one of those mentioned above.
Fire science represents its very own unique and valuable branch of our understanding of how this world works. It also saves countless lives through those it touches in the classroom and on the field training course alike. These are the basics of this particular educational path as well as some of the fantastic and indispensable careers associated with it.
Related:
Top 25 Best Value Online Fire Science Degrees