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South Georgia Technical College is offering a Fire and Emergency Services Occupation Associate Degree program for students interested in entry level employment in the public safety areas of fire science and emergency medical services beginning Spring Semester, January 13^th, 2021.  Students enrolling in this program may be eligible for the Hope Scholarship, Hope Grant and Federal Pell Grant.  Prior learning credit may be awarded to students who have already completed the Basic Firefighter and EMT courses.

     “This is a tremendous opportunity for individuals interested in working with a fire department or in the Emergency Medical Services field,” said South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford.  “These two fields are interrelated and now our students have the opportunity to apply for jobs in either or both career areas.  Job growth in these two areas is expected to rise six percent or greater over the next few years.”

     “Students graduating from this program may be eligible for certification and/or licensure in the following areas:  Firefighter I, Firefighter II, EMT, and AEMT.  Students can attend part-time or full-time,” said EMT instructor Brad Harnum.

    “By offering an associate’s degree in this combined field, we are allowing students to expand their opportunities for employment,” said South Georgia Technical College Academic Dean Julie Partain, who oversees both program areas.  “This combined program degree level offering also allows students to complete both programs in six semesters and may allow them to be eligible for additional financial aid opportunities.”

   The Fire and Emergency Services Occupation degree program is conducted in cooperation with the Georgia Fire Academy and Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training to ensure graduates have the skills, knowledge and credentials to serve as firefights in paid and volunteer fire departments.  Graduates will be tested and certified at the National Professional Qualifications level.  Upon successful completion of the Firefighter/EMSP diploma program, students may be able to sit for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) AEMT certification exam.

   In addition to the associate degree offering for the Fire and Emergency Services Occupation program, South Georgia Technical College will be offering Technical Certificate of Credit programs in Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Emergency Medical Technician, and Advancement Emergency Medical Technician.  Each one of these four TCC programs can be completed in a single semester.

    Academic Dean Julie Partain also thanked the area fire departments and EMT departments in the SGTC seven county service area for their support of this program.  “This program is possible because we have so many active and committed fire fighters and EMTs that assist the program by teaching part time,” explained Partain.

    South Georgia Technical College’s Spring Semester gets underway January 13^th, 2021.  Students may apply now on line or during registration on January 11^th, 2021.  SGTC has a one-stop admissions process where students may apply and register in one day.  Testing has been waived for Spring Semester 2021. For more information about this new program contact SGTC Academic Dean Julie Partain at jpartain@southgatech.edu or Brad Harnum at bharnum@southgatech.edu. For more information about the college and the other over 200 associate of applied science degrees, diploma’s or technical certificate of credit programs, visit the college website at www.southgatech.edu.