2008 Woodie Awards
Fire Science Program Offers Great Opportunities at Fayetteville State
Megan Gurganious
Issue date: 11/29/06 Section: News
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In the mid-1990s, Fire Chief B.E. Nichols served as a facilitator of a Study Circle group, in which members of the community meet to discuss how to better the city and improve the relationships within. At the time, his ideas to partner with FSU to build this fire station were denied. By the late 1990s, more incidents began to occur that some perceived as racial. The Study Circle groups were still meeting, hoping to come up with a solution to benefit everyone, many still hoping that the fire station would someday be approved. When Chancellor Bryan came on board at FSU, she supported the idea and has helped build the partnership to what it is today.
As quoted many times in other interviews, Chief Nichols states: "There was an overwhelming need for a fire station in the FSU area, there was an overwhelming need to develop a career-mentoring program for women and minorities, and there was an overwhelming need for the fire department to recruit, train and maintain minority firefighters. This partnership addresses all of those issues."
First and foremost, this part of the community was in desperate need for enhanced fire protection, and this station has helped to reduce response times drastically.
Another goal for the fire station was to attract females and minorities to their line of work. Chief Nichols and all those involved hope to teach students to become strong leaders in the community and to make the opportunity available to those who have the desire to enter into the field.
FTCC is in their second year of their two-year program, with at least seventy students enrolled, offering an associate's degree in Fire Protection Technology. Under the direction of Dr. Joe Woodall, FSU will begin classes geared toward a bachelor's degree in fire science in 2007. These classes, with the exception of students' core courses, will be offered on-line, giving current firefighters the opportunity to continue their education and allow them to advance their position within the department. The fire station was built, in part, to complement FSU's program, offering a twelve-week live-in internship for students in their junior / senior year of the fire science program.
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