College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• University of New Haven
• Keuka College

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• California State University—Los Angeles (CSULA)
• Florida State University
• Bates Technical College
• Colorado State University—Fort Collins

Classes in the Major

Fire Chemistry. Fun fact: fire is a chemical reaction. It's odd to think of it that way, since most of the time we just think of it as, you know, fire. Really, there are chemical changes going on; the most obvious is that the matter in question is a lot hotter, a lot brighter, turning into black carbon, and whitish smoke. There's much more to it than that and once you take this class, you can explain carefully what it is we got wrong.

Fire Suppression and Detection Systems. There's two ways to think about this course. We'll start with the boring one. This class is about the sprinklers set into the ceilings of most public buildings. You can probably look up and see them now. It's also smoke detectors, alarms, and the like.

What's the interesting way to think of this? Well, we're describing fire-fighting robots. Seriously, that's what they are. While they're not as flashy as robot unicorns or Optimus Prime, there's nothing that says they couldn't be down the line. Maybe you could work on that.

Firefighter Health and Welfare. The most instantly iconic thing in all of fire safety is the firefighters. We love them because they're awesome (and they make some pretty sweet calendars). Most people spend their lives knowing that they would run out of a burning building, while these men and women rush right on in to save lives. Keeping firefighters healthy and safe—and taking care of them after on-the-job injuries they will almost inevitably suffer—is extremely important.

Hazardous Materials Management. Anyone who works with fires is going to run across hazardous materials. In some cases, the hazardous materials are flammable. In others, materials that were perfectly safe sans fire are changed by fire's chemical reaction. You're going to have to know how to deal with this stuff. Either dispose of it or move it, and both of these options require some training. You should already know not to eat it, though.

Occupational Safety. While fire might be one of the worst hazards to face on the job, it's pretty far from the only one. This is the kind of generalized course you might be angry about. What's this non-flammable lecture in front of you? Well, it's to help understand all of the various things you might encounter in your job, but also if you're heading into another workplace that's on fire. Offices don't suddenly get safer when they're aflame. Quite the opposite.