As seen in the June 2004 issue of Public Management magazine
In recent years, it has been a challenge for Sugar Land, Texas, to attract and retain good firefighters when firefighters are actively sought by neighboring large metropolitan areas. Sugar Land, however, has found a way to fill its ranks with qualified fire personnel: a cooperative partnership with a local institution that has founded a fire academy.
The Sugar Land Fire Academy is the result of a partnership between Wharton County Junior College and the Sugar Land Fire Department (SLFD). Students who are enrolled in the academy receive instruction leading to full certification as firefighters in the state of Texas.
Sugar Land's commitment to the academy includes providing training space at facilities throughout the city, as well as at the fire department's training room, the community center, and other city facilities. SLFD also provides fire apparatus, including ladders, a variety of hand tools, hose, and station facilities. Sugar Land firefighters serve as instructors on a contract basis, while the community college registers students and provides administrative oversight.
Although there are several fire academies in the area, the partnership responsible for the Sugar Land Fire Academy is unique. Not only does the academy enable Sugar Land to tap a local resource, but it also gives students a chance to see what the fire service is really like before making a career choice. Students are exposed to the most up-to-date equipment and rules, under the guidance of veteran active-duty firefighters.
WHY WAS THE ACADEMY CREATED?
Sugar Land, which is a city of 65,000 located southwest of Houston, competes not only against the Houston Fire Department but also against other smaller communities for qualified candidates to fill its growing ranks. Census figures show that Sugar Land is the state's fastest-growing city when compared with Texas's 45 largest cities, so public safety recruitment continues to be a key component of ensuring that Sugar Land meets its goal of being the "Safest City in the Area."
To maintain the high-quality services that citizens have come to expect, Sugar Land opened its fifth fire station in 2001 and a sixth in 2003. Each station is staffed with four firefighters, 24/7.
With an eye toward the future, an agreement to create the Sugar Land Fire Academy was negotiated in the summer of 2000. In addition to meeting the city's needs, the academy offers a local alternative for individuals in the Sugar Land area considering a career in firefighting. Since the academy's inaugural class of 12 students in August 2000, enrollment has grown to two classes that total more than 40 students each semester.
Student instruction is based on knowledge and expertise derived from industry-specific experiences of on-the-job professionals. But there are also advantages for firefighters serving as teachers. In addition to the satisfaction derived from shaping the future of young firefighters, the instructor's role is a way to sharpen and hone skills, making the firefighter-teachers better at their own jobs.
According to applicants, the discipline and physical fitness stressed by the academy are large factors in their selection of the Sugar Land Fire Academy. Classroom activities focus on hands-on rescue and suppression activities. Field training includes physical fitness, intensive orientation in self-contained breathing apparatus, and specific techniques for the rescue of firefighters who may become disoriented, lost, or injured during fire activities. As part of the curriculum, students participate in SLFD's prevention activities, a program that includes smoke detector installation, building inspections, and public education presentations.
AN IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE
During the past two hiring cycles, one-third of SLFD's new hires were graduates of the Sugar Land Fire Academy. Participation in the academy has resulted in high-quality entry-level firefighters who have already embraced the department's vision and mission. This naturally translates into better service for the community.
Learning goals in the curriculum meet the objectives of National Fire Protection Association 1001: Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications. The academy also is licensed and certified by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection Personnel Standards and Education.
Students completing the 608-hour program receive 26 college credit hours for seven courses: Fire Certification I through VII. These topic areas and hours have been approved by the Texas Commission on Fire protection, and upon successful completion, graduates are eligible to take the state licensing examination to become certified firefighters in Texas.
An added benefit of the cooperative strategy is that SLFD is able to avoid the cost of salaries and benefits while students attend the academy: More important, supervisors and firefighters witness potential employees in action before they are hired. Non-SLFD academy hires typically require four weeks of orientation involving learning Sugar Land's operational standards at emergency scenes. Graduates of Sugar Land's program require as little as one week of orientation.