MIDLAND Midland College held an official opening of its new Firefighter Training Facility, which houses not only MC’s Fire Science Technology program, but also its new dual credit fire protection program. High school students interested in fire protection can now accelerate the time it takes to receive industry certifications and find a career keeping our community safe.
Officials from MC, the City of Midland, Midland Independent School District (MISD) and Greenwood Independent School District (GISD), were on hand to commemorate this partnership on Wednesday at Harris Field, 3215 Farm to Market 307, Midland.
“It is crucial that as the Permian Basin continues to grow, we educate and train individuals for careers in fire protection,” Damon Kennedy, MC vice president of Instructional Services, said. “MC is committed to provide the education and training that prepares young people for careers that benefit our community, and we appreciate the partnership with Abell-Hanger Foundation, Midland ISD, Greenwood ISD and the City in making this happen.”
Abell Hanger Foundation has donated $250,000 to this exciting new facility.
“We are proud to be such an impactful partner in this program and its new modern facilities because we believe it fulfills an important need to keep our community safe,” Mark Palmer, executive director of Abell-Hanger Foundation said. “It is imperative we train the next generation of firefighters. There is no better way to do that than by training them right in our backyard where they have grown up and plan to dedicate their careers.”
One of the many benefits to this and other MC/MISD College & Career Academies is an accelerated time to career attainment and industry certifications. Students are trained and ready to seek employment at much less expense than traditional high school to college programs.
“Our dual credit programs can be life changing for some students,” Mickala Murdock, MISD’s director of Career and Technical Education explained. “The firefighter program is one of many pathways that open doors for students after graduation. We continue to explore opportunities to add programs that benefit students and the community.”
The dual credit Fire Protection program is open to 47 students annually. It is already underway with 11 dual credit students who have been training since August, 7 from MISD and 4 from GISD. In addition, 9 students from MC’s traditional Fire Science Technology program are utilizing the facilities at Harris Field, as well as 24 MC paramedic students.
MC is providing students with hands-on skills training at Harris Field, which is operated by the City of Midland. MC also oversees student completion of state certification and licensure exams and provides access to student and academic support services, modular classrooms at Harris Field and training equipment. In the dual credit program, the school districts recruit students, award secondary level course credit and provide academic support services. The City of Midland Fire Department provides access to Harris Field training facilities and instructors to support the hands-on components of the training programs.
“The job market for firefighters is different than traditional job seekers,” Charles Blumenauer, Midland Fire Chief said. “If a student knows in high school where they want to apply to be a firefighter, they should find schools that support that area and those departments’ requirements. This program is unique because the City of Midland Fire Department supports the hands-on learning portion and students can fit into employment after the program. I’m a proud MC graduate, and I am really excited about what this program means for our community.”
For many years, MC and the City of Midland have enjoyed a successful partnership to provide preparatory and continuing education firefighter training for the Midland Fire Department. The new dual credit fire protection program will provide an additional source of skilled and trained firefighters to the Midland Fire Department, as well as others in the West Texas area. This new dual credit fire program expands the successful MC/MISD College & Careers Academies programs, which was started in 2017.
