Many people are not aware of how significant a role two-year institutions play in training emergency first responders. Community colleges play a key role in training the nation's police officers and other public safety employees, such as firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs). The demand for these programs is high. There is a…

Certificates are nondegree awards for completing an educational program of study after high school. Typically, students finish these programs to prepare for a specific occupation. And they do so in a relatively short period of time: Most certificates take less than a year to complete, and almost all are designed to take less than 2 years. Among…

Opportunities abound for prospective employees in the protective services. On the surface, it appears that few employers require a college education as a condition of employment at the state or local level. But the reality is that many employers use at least some college as a screening tool for prospective employees. Although the federal…

Community colleges' partnerships with other organizations give students opportunities to gain a realistic understanding of what will be expected of them upon graduation, and they help create a seamless path from college to career. This chapter describes how the Administration of Justice (AJ) Department at East Los Angeles College has partnered…

This article discusses Monroe Community College's CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), a program designed to help neighborhoods and work sites prepare for effective disaster response through training and planning. The program requires 24 hours of theoretical and hands-on practice in self-help and mutual-aid emergency functions. CERT personnel…

This is a description of the Maryland system which was created to evaluate local fire-rescue education and training needs and capabilities and to assist local authorities with fire-rescue education and training. In the first of four parts, an historical presentation is used to identify and describe in general terms the state fire, rescue, and…