COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE TITLE:
FIRS 1301.271 Firefighter Certification I (3:2:3)
SEMESTER/YEAR:
Fall 2013
COORDINATOR / INSTRUCTOR:
Matt Hixson
PHONE:
806.716.4912
EMAIL:
mhixson@southplainscollege.edu
OFFICE LOCATON:
Room 151 Byron Martin ATC 3201 Ave Q
OFFICE HOURS:
BY APPOINTMENT
SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE IMPROVES EACH STUDENT’S LIFE
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1.
GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION
A.
Course Description: (3:2:3) This course is one in a series of courses in basic preparation for a
new firefighter. Should be taken in conjunction with Firefighter Certification II, III, IV, V, VI,
and VII to satisfy the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) curriculum for Basic
Structural Fire Suppression, Course #100.
B.
Course Goals/Objectives: The student will demonstrate competencies, for subjects taught, set
forth in the TCFP curriculum for Basic Fire Suppression.
C.
Course Competencies: Letter grades are assigned as follows: 90-100 = A / 80-89 = B / 70-79 =
C / 60-69 = D / less than 60 = F. Students must maintain a 70 average to qualify to take the SPC
Basic Fire Academy Final Exam and to take the TCFP State Test.
D.
Academic Integrity: It is the aim of the faculty of South Plains College to foster a spirit of
complete honesty and a high standard of integrity. The attempt of any student to present as his/her
own, any work which he/she has not honestly performed, is regarded by the faculty and
administration as a most serious offense and renders the offender liable to serious consequences,
possibly suspension. For further information concerning Cheating and Plagiarism, read the
section on Academic Integrity in the SPC General Catalog.
If you have a question as to whether you may work with other students on any assignment,
ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR. On some assignments, working with others is encouraged.
E.
Scans and Foundation Skills: The specific SCANS and Foundation Skills for this course
include:
Foundation Skills (F): 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,15,16,17
Competencies (C): 1,3,4,5,6,7,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20
(NOTE: A complete list of SCANS Competencies and Foundation Skills is located after the
course syllabus and informs students how this course completes these standards.)
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F.
II
Verification of Workplace Competencies Technical Education Division: The learning
outcomes of this course will prepare the student to meet the Basic Firefighter classification and
prepare them to certify as a Basic Structural Firefighter with the Texas Commission on Fire
Protection.
SPECIFIC COURSE/INSTRUCTOR REQUIREMENTS
A.
Textbook and Other Materials: Text for the course will be IFSTA Essentials of Firefighting
and Fire Department Operations, 5th Edition. The Basic Suppression Curriculum from the
Texas Commission on Fire Protection is also required and will be provided by the Academy and
available online at:
http://www.tcfp.state.tx.us/standards/curriculum_manual/chapter_1.pdf.
B.
Attendance Policy: Punctual and regular attendance is required of all students. Students are
responsible for all class work covered during their absence from class. Only four excused absences
will be allowed during the semester. Saturdays count as two class days. All day absences on
Saturday will count as two absences. Students who miss more than four class days will be subject
to expulsion from the Basic Fire Academy.
C.
Assignment Policy: All required work must be turned in on time or it may be subject to penalty
points (5 penalty points for each day late.) Periodic examinations will be administered covering
course content materials. Exams will be administered to cover 50 hours of instruction. A Final
(Midterm) exam will be administered at the end of the semester. All students will be required to
take the final course examination (Midterm) as a prerequisite to successful course completion.
D.
Grading Policy/Procedure and/or Methods of Evaluation: An accumulative point system will
be utilized to determine the final grade for each student. Grades will be determined by adding the
total points achieved during the semester from exams, assignments, and the final. Points will be
determined in accordance with the following guidelines:
Six exams worth 100 points each
Final exam (Midterm) worth 100 points
Total points possible
= 600
= 100
= 700
Total points earned divided by 8 will determine each student’s final grade.
The following guide for points-to-grade will be utilized to determine the final assessment:
90-100 = A / 80-89 = B / 70-79 = C / 60-69 = D / less than 60 = F. Students must maintain a 70
average to qualify to take the SPC Basic Fire Academy Final Exam and to take the TCFP State
Test
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III.
COURSE COMPETENCIES/OBJECTIVES:
See attached outline.
CAMPUS GUIDELINES
CHILDREN ON CAMPUS
Many of the students attending classes at South Plains College are also parents who value the opportunity to
participate in higher education. Sometimes students are faced with the decision of whether to remain at home
with their children, bring children with them to class, or be absent from class. The following guidelines address
concerns for the safety of children on campus and provide for an environment conducive to learning:
1.
Students are not allowed to bring children to class and will be asked to leave in the interest of
providing an environment conducive for all students enrolled in the class. Students are responsible
for adherence to the attendance requirements set forth by the instructor in the course syllabus.
2.
Children may not be left unattended. In order to provide for the safety of children on campus,
parents or other guardians are responsible for supervising children while utilizing services or
conducting business on campus.
3.
Disruptive children will not be allowed to interfere with college business. Parents or other
guardians are responsible for supervising and controlling the behavior of children they have brought
on campus.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT STATEMENT
“Students with disabilities, including but not limited to physical, psychiatric or learning disabilities, who wish
to request accommodations in this class should notify the Special Services Office early in the semester so that
the appropriate arrangements may be made. In accordance with federal law, a student requesting
accommodations must provide acceptable documentation of his/her disability to the Coordinator of Special
Services. For more information, call or visit the Special Services Office in rooms 809 and 811, Reese Center
Building 8, 885-3048 ext. 4654.
DIVERSITY STATEMENT*
In this class, the teacher will establish and support an environment that values and nurtures individual and
group differences and encourages engagement and interaction. Understanding and respecting multiple
experiences and perspectives will serve to challenge and stimulate all of us to learn about others, about the
larger world, and about ourselves. By promoting diversity and intellectual exchange, we will not only
mirror society as it is, but also model society as it should and can be.
(*Developed by the Title III summer 2001 participants as part of the training opportunity, May-June
2001, South Plains College.)
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GENERAL SAFETY ON CAMPUS
South Plains College recognizes the importance of safety on campus. The protection of persons and
property is a responsibility which we all share. Personal safety begins with the individual. The following
guidelines are intended to assist you in protecting yourself and to encourage practices that contribute to a
safe environment for our campus community.




Never leave your personal property unsecured or unattended.
Look around and be aware of your surroundings when you enter and exit a building.
Whenever possible, avoid walking alone, particularly after dark. Walk to your vehicle
with other class members or request that the Security Guard/Campus Police walk you to
your car.
When approaching your vehicle, keep your keys in your hand; look under your car and in
the back seat and floorboard. Lock the doors as soon as you are inside your car.
FOOD AND DRINK IN CLASSROOMS
It is the policy of South Plains College not to permit food or drink in the classrooms or laboratories.
Ask your instructor if food and drink is permitted in the Fire Academy Classroom.
In case of emergency, contact the following numbers but DO NOT leave a voice mail message:
894-9611, ext. 2338 - Levelland Campus 747-0576, ext. 4677 - ATC 885-3048, ext. 2923 - Reese Center
(mobile 893-5705)
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SCANS COMPETENCIES
C-1
C-2
C-3
C-4
TIME - Selects goal - relevant activities, ranks them, allocates time, prepares and follows
schedules.
MONEY - Uses or prepares budgets, makes forecasts, keeps records and makes adjustments to
meet objectives.
MATERIALS AND FACILITIES - Acquires, stores, allocates, and uses materials or space
efficiently.
HUMAN RESOURCES - Assesses skills and distributes work accordingly, evaluates
performances and provides feedback.
INFORMATION - Acquires and Uses Information
C-5
Acquires and evaluates information.
C-6
Organizes and maintains information.
C-7
Interprets and communicates information.
C-8
Uses computers to process information.
INTERPERSONAL–Works With Others
C-9
Participates as members of a team and contributes to group effort.
C-10 Teaches others new skills.
C-11 Serves Clients/Customers–works to satisfy customer’s expectations.
C-12 Exercises Leadership–communicates ideas to justify position, persuades and convinces others,
responsibly challenges existing procedures and policies.
C-13 Negotiates-works toward agreements involving exchanges of resources; resolves divergent
interests.
C-14 Works With Diversity–works well with men and women from diverse backgrounds.
SYSTEMS–Understands Complex Interrelationships
C-15 Understands Systems–knows how social, organizational, and technological systems work and
operates effectively with them.
C-16 Monitors and Corrects Performance–distinguishes trends, predicts impacts on system operations,
diagnoses systems performance and corrects malfunctions.
C-17 Improves or Designs Systems–suggests modifications to existing systems and develops new or
alternative systems to improve performance.
TECHNOLOGY–Works With a Variety of Technologies
C-18 Selects Technology–chooses procedures, tools, or equipment, including computers and related
technologies.
C-19 Applies Technology to Task–understands overall intent and proper procedures for setup and
operation of equipment.
C-20 Maintains and Troubleshoots Equipment–prevents, identifies, or solves problems with equipment,
including computers and other technologies.
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FOUNDATION SKILLS
BASIC SKILLS–Reads, Writes, Performs Arithmetic and Mathematical Operations, Listens and
Speaks
F-1
Reading–locates, understands, and interprets written information in prose and in documents such
as manuals, graphs, and schedules.
F-2
Writing–communicates thoughts, ideas, information and messages in writing and creates
documents such as letters, directions, manuals, reports, graphs, and flow charts.
F-3
F-4
F-5
F-6
Arithmetic–performs basic computations; uses basic numerical concepts such as whole numbers,
etc.
Mathematics–approaches practical problems by choosing appropriately from a variety of
mathematical techniques.
Listening–receives, attends to, interprets, and responds to verbal messages and other cues.
Speaking–organizes ideas and communicates orally.
THINKING SKILLS–Thinks Creatively, Makes Decisions, Solves Problems, Visualizes
and
Knows How to Learn and Reason
F-7
Creative Thinking–generates new ideas.
F-8
Decision-Making–specifies goals and constraints, generates alternatives, considers risks, evaluates
and chooses best alternative.
F-9
Problem Solving–recognizes problems, devises and implements plan of action.
F-10 Seeing Things in the Mind’s Eye–organizes and processes symbols, pictures, graphs, objects, and
other information.
F-11 Knowing How to Learn–uses efficient learning techniques to acquire and apply new knowledge
and skills.
F-12 Reasoning–discovers a rule or principle underlying the relationship between two or more objects
and applies it when solving a problem.
PERSONAL QUALITIES–Displays Responsibility, Self-Esteem, Sociability, Self-Management,
Integrity and Honesty
F-13 Responsibility–exerts a high level of effort and perseveres towards goal attainment.
F-14 Self-Esteem–believes in own self-worth and maintains a positive view of self.
F-15 Sociability–demonstrates understanding, friendliness, adaptability, empathy and polite-ness in
group settings.
F-16 Self-Management–assesses self accurately, sets personal goals, monitors progress and exhibits
self-control.
F-17 Integrity/Honesty–chooses ethical courses of action.
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Basic Fire Academy Course Competencies
Appropriate workplace competencies and Foundation skills identified by the Secretaries
Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) are integrated into the following
objectives/competencies.
The student will develop competency by describing, listing, defining, performing, or
demonstrating his/her knowledge in Fire Service areas listed below which will meet or exceed the
state requirements:
1.
Rules and regulations governing Fire Service industry both Federal and State.
2.
Proper forcible entry techniques.
3.
Proper use of fire extinguishers.
4.
Proper use of ropes and knots.
5.
Proper handling and use of fire service ladders.
6.
Maintenance, use and care of fire service hose.
7.
Techniques of fire service salvage.
8.
Techniques of fire service overhaul.
9.
Calculating water flows for fire streams using hydraulic formulas.
10.
Different fire apparatus and their uses.
11.
Proper tools and techniques of ventilation.
12.
Proper uses and techniques of rescue equipment and procedures.
13.
Proper methods of fire apparatus pump operations and identification of the various types of
equipment.
14.
Proper procedures for inspections.
15.
Various distribution systems and uses of water supplies.
16.
Proper maintenance and operations of fire protection systems.
17.
Fire science.
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18.
Hazardous materials.
19.
Different emergency service communication systems
20.
Various public relation concepts and programs and methods of educating the public in fire
safety.
21.
Proper reports and records using both State and Federal forms and criteria.
22.
Wildland fire suppression.
23.
Proper fire cause determination.
24.
History & uses of various self-contained breathing apparatus.
25.
Personal protective equipment.
26.
Methods, history and techniques as they relate to firefighter safety.
27.
Pre-incident planning.
28.
Incident command system.
29.
Safety concerns and recognition of various building types and construction.
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