2023-2024 Pierce College Catalog 
    
    Apr 04, 2025  
2023-2024 Pierce College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Fire Services Leadership and Management (BAS-FSLM) Course Map

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Created by Pierce faculty, this map outlines the initial coursework for this career field. It provides you a clear path to complete your degree by listing a specific set of courses relevant to your program and career. The map is designed with the appropriate number of credits and meets degree requirements. Prerequisite courses are organized in a recommended sequence. If a course is unavailable, select the next appropriate course within the sequence. Fire Services Leadership and Management courses are arranged in a required sequence. For each course, a purpose statement explains how the content relates to your career field. On this map, there may be instances when you will be required to select a course from several options. Use these purpose statements and notes to choose the course that best aligns with your interests and needs. You will also find action items to complete to assure you progress and graduate on time.

While this map is a great guide to courses required to complete the Bachelor of Applied Science in Fire Services Leadership and Management, you are responsible for fulfilling all degree requirements.

Questions? Your Success Network is ready to help you!

The Bachelor of Applied Science in Fire Services Leadership and Administration (BAS-FLSM) is a professional development program that trains existing fire service professionals to navigate the administrative, technical and operational demands of fire departments. This online specialized management-level program is designed to prepare the next generation of fire services leaders to progress on their career pathway into supervisory, management and administrative positions within the sector. Courses are based on the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) education standards. 

COURSE AND PROGRAM DETAILS

Program entry requirements:  

  1. The BAS-FSLM degree is designed as an online incumbent worker program for fire services professionals. Applicants with an associate degree in Fire Science, Fire Command Administration or an Associate or Bachelor’s degree in any Fire or Emergency Services related field with a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 are encouraged to apply.
  2. Current or former members of the U.S. military seeking to build upon education, training and experience gained through military service in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy or Marines or through service in the National Guard are encouraged to apply.

 

Employment Eligibility Requirements and Advancement Field Opportunities

There is increasing demand across the nation for fire service professionals to acquire specialized certifications listed with the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) for both job entry and advancement in the field.  Please speak with an advisor for more information on how your education is designed towards supporting you in completing IFSAC certifications.

1. Fire Services Administration

  • Course purpose: To excel in this career area you need to be able to manage and lead a fire and emergency services department through the challenges of the 21st century. This course will help you to build these skills.

2. Fire Services Leadership

  • Course purpose: Fire service officers need strong leadership skills and tools to perform effectively in a rapidly changing and an increasingly dangerous and complex fire service environment.  In this course you will build skills in the effective application of leadership and organizational theory in the fire service. 

3. Physics for Non-Science Majors

  • Course purpose: Fire officers must have an understanding of the laws of physics from how firefighters determine the pressure of water for their hoses to heat transfer to the use of ergonomics to remain safe during an incident response. This course is a survey for non-science majors that develops an awareness of the physical environment by looking at everyday experiences and relating them to the principles and laws in physics.

Action Item: Meet with Advisor

Use your Success Network! In your first quarter, meet with your advisor to revisit your career and transfer path, make adjustments to your goals as needed, and plan for your next steps.

4. Introduction to Ethics

  • Course purpose: To excel in this field you must be able to balance the needs and safety of the whole community with the needs and rights of individuals. This course will expand your ability to include ethical considerations of a given situation and make sound decisions. 

5. Political and Legal Foundations for Fire Protection

6. Personnel Management for the Fire Services

  • Course purpose: Personnel management is essential to effective leadership in the fire service. This is particularly challenging in the fire service because of the critical life safety mission in environments that are often unpredictable and life threatening. This course will prepare a fire service officer by examining relationships and issues in personnel administration and human resource development within the context of fire-related organizations. 

7. Natural Science Course Recommendation

Choose one

  • Course purpose: The fire service typically operates in environments that are hazardous and unpredictable. Fire officers need a firm foundation in all of the sciences to better understand the procedures necessary to mitigate an emergency situation. The management of incidents involving industrial processes and hazardous materials is particularly complex. This course provides the fire officer with an understanding of chemical concepts to understand how to prevent and manage hazardous materials incidents.

  • Course purpose: The fire service typically operates in environments that are hazardous and unpredictable. Fire officers need a firm foundation in all of the sciences to better understand the procedures necessary to mitigate an emergency situation. Most of the training that firefighters receive are already focused on the physical sciences and this course will provide fire officers with a better understanding of the biohazards affecting prevention and operations activities.

8. Fire Services Ethics

  • Course purpose: Fire service officers are responsible for assuring that the essential community public safety functions provided by all government and private agencies are provided at the highest level of integrity. This course examines the basic principles of ethics as related to fire service operations and management. 

9. Disaster Planning and Control

  • Course purpose: The fire service is an essential component of the whole community all hazards doctrine of disaster planning and control. This course examines concepts and principles of community risk assessment, planning, and response to fires and natural and human-caused disasters. 

Action Item: Apply for Graduation

Way to go! It is time to apply for graduation. Visit the Pierce College Graduation website for details.

10. Technical Writing/Composition Course Recommendation

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  • Course purpose: Fire Officers are often tasked with report writing.  In this course you will learn the principles of organizing, developing and expressing technical information.

  • Course purpose: The challenges facing fire services are constantly evolving and fire service officers must learn and adapt to an increasingly hazardous and complicated environment. It is necessary for officers to provide detailed reports on hazards and responses as well as develop an understanding of new technologies and methods of managing hazardous environments. This course will focus on the principals of researching, organizing, developing and expressing technical information.

11. Fire Related Human Behavior

  • Course purpose: The design and maintenance of fire protection systems are based on an understanding of human behavior in fire and other emergency situations. In this course students will develop an understanding of building life safety systems to produce the best possible outcomes in terms of human survivability in an emergency. 

12. Community Risk Reduction for the Fire Services

13. Fire Prevention Organization and Management

  • Course purpose: Fire prevention is a primary function of an effective fire service and known to be a critical component to minimizing the adverse impact of a catastrophic emergency event. Fire service officers need to understand the knowledge, methods, and concepts for effective leadership of comprehensive fire-prevention and risk-reduction programs. 

14. Fire Dynamics

  • Course purpose: Fire service officers need to understand the physical and chemical nature of fire dynamics and apply these principals to structural fire protection systems. 

15. American Mosaic

  • Course purpose: Fire Officers interact with people from all walks of life and need to be aware of the cultural attributes and diversity among the community members they serve.  This course examines various aspects of social identity including ethnicity, race, socioeconomic class, gender and sexuality. 

16. Organizational Communication

  • Course purpose: Effective communications is the backbone of all successful organizations. Given the nature of the public safety services provided by the fire departments and associated hazards there is an essential need to assure clear and complete internal and external organizational communications at all levels. This course develops the skills necessary for professional and organizational communications.

17. Applications for Fire Research

  • Course purpose: Fire service officers must continually adapt to new challenges and technology advancements.  This course provides fire service officers with a framework for conducting and evaluating independent research by examining the basic principles and methodology for analyzing current fire-related research.

18. Economics Course Recommendation

Choose one

  • Course purpose: The fire service, as with all public safety agencies, must continually balance the needs and safety of the whole community with the needs and rights of individuals. Fire officers must clearly understand and consider the ethical considerations of a given situation and make every decision based on a firm moral compass. 

Total Credits 90

Program Code: TBA

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