Fire Science Technology (FST) at Central Virginia Community College
Distance Learning
Time of Day
Term
- FST 100 - Principles of Emergency Services
- Provides an overview to fire protection; career opportunities in fire protection and related fields; philosophy and history of fire protection/service; fire loss analysis; organization and function to public and private fire protection services; fire departments as part of local government; laws and regulations affecting the fire service; fire service nomenclature; specific fire protection functions; basic fire chemistry and physics; introduction to fire protection systems; introduction to fire strategy and tactics.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 105 - Fire Suppression Operations
- Introduces the fundamentals of fire suppression. Explores fire behavior and basic physical and chemical laws of fire dynamics. Prepares student to understand the need for quick operational decisions made on the fire ground including emergency management.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 110 - Fire Behavior and Combustion
- Explores the theories and fundamentals of how and why fires start, spread, and how they are controlled.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 112 - Hazardous Materials Chemistry
- Provides basic fire chemistry relating to the categories of hazardous materials including problems of recognition, reactivity, and health encountered by firefighters.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 115 - Fire Prevention
- Provides fundamental information regarding the history and philosophy of fire prevention, organization and operation of a fire prevention bureau, use of fire codes, identification and correction of fire hazards, and the relationships of fire prevention with built-in fire protection systems, fire investigation, and fire and life-safety education.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 120 - Occupational Safety and Health for the Fire Service
- Introduces the basic concepts of occupational health and safety as it relates to emergency service organizations. Includes risk evaluation and control procedures for fire stations, training sites, emergency vehicles, and emergency situations involving fire, EMS, hazardous materials, and technical rescue. (Upon completion of this course, students should be able to establish and manage a safety program in an emergency service organization.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 121 - Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival
- Introduces basic principles and history related to the national firefighter life safety initiatives, focusing on the need for cultural and behavior change throughout the emergency services.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 196 - On-Site Training
- Specializes in career orientation and training program without pay in selected businesses and industry, supervised and coordinated by the college.Credit/work ratio not to exceed 1:5 hours. May be repeated for credit. Variable hours.
1-5 credits - FST 205 - Fire Protection Hydraulics and Water Supply
- Provides a foundation of theoretical knowledge in order to understand the principles of the use of water in fire protection and to apply hydraulic principles to analyze and to solve water supply problems.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 210 - Legal Aspects of Fire Service
- Introduces the Federal, State, and local laws that regulate emergency services, national standards influencing emergency services,, standard of care, tort, liability, and a review of relevant court cases.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 215 - Fire Protection Systems
- Provides information relating to the features of design and operation of fire detection and alarm systems, heat and smoke control systems, special protection and sprinkler systems, water supply for fire protection and portable fire extinguishers.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 220 - Building Construction for Fire Protection
- Provides the components of building construction that relate to fire and life safety. Focuses on firefighter safety. Covers the elements of construction and design of structures and how they are key factors when inspecting buildings, preplanning fire operations, and operating at emergencies.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 235 - Strategy and Tactics
- Provides an in-depth analysis of the principles of fire control through utilization of personnel, equipment, and extinguishing agents on the fire ground.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 237 - Emergency Service Supervision
- Teaches the history of modern management theories, including scientific management and behavioral scientist approach. Introduces concepts of group dynamics, leadership, communication, stress and time management, and personnel evaluation techniques. Discusses the legal and ethical considerations of personnel management in the emergency service.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 240 - Fire Administration
- Introduces the student to the organization and management of a fire department and the relationship of government agencies to the fire service. Emphasis on fire service leadership from the perspective of the company officer.Lecture 3 hours per week.
3 credits - FST 245 - Fire and Risk Analysis
- Presents a study of current urban fire problems with emphasis on solutions based upon current available technology. Includes master planning, as well as methods of identifying, analyzing and measuring accompanying risk and loss possibilities.Lecture 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: FST 240.3 credits