Fire TechnologyAS DegreeCertificate of Achievement

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Community of interest
Health & Public Services
Award
AS Degree
Program code
01362.00AS
Department
Fire Technology
CIP code
43.0201: Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician.
TOP code
2133.00 - Fire Technology*
The Fire Technology program is designed to give students the knowledge to pursue a career in fire science. Students will gain a broad working knowledge of building inspection and the many aspects of municipal and wildland firefighting. The AS should be considered a step toward a higher degree or specialized instruction. Students who complete the two-year A.S. degree will be able to seek employment in many different areas including careers in firefighting, building inspection and fire prevention. Students interested in a fire science career have two options: Firefighter I and II Academy or AS degree program.
Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP

Program Snapshot

Community of interest
HPS Health & Public Services
Award
AS Degree
Program code
01362.00AS
Department
Fire Technology
CIP code
43.0201: Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician.
TOP code
2133.00 - Fire Technology*

Next Steps

Map Class Schedule

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

Program Schedule ReportMeet with a counselor
Fire Technology
AS Degree — expand to learn about this award

The Associate of Science is typically awarded for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum that gives you a broad base of knowledge, and an academic program where you specialize.

About General Education. GE is an integrated program of learning designed to foster intellectual curiosity, cultural understanding, critical thinking, creative reasoning, oral and written communication, and the capacity for ethical reasoning. By graduation, you'll have developed the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, apply quantitative reasoning, understand how the major academic disciplines ask their questions, comprehend diverse cultures and historical periods, and assess ethical problems — alongside the depth you build in your major.

See the 2025-26 Catalog for official program details

Semester-by-Semester Map

Term 1

Class Schedules

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

15–18 units
FSC 2
Introduction to Fire Science
3 units
course details

This course provides an overview of fire protection and emergency services; career opportunities in fire protection and related fields; culture and history of emergency services; fire loss analysis; organization and function of public and private fire protection services; fire departments as part of local government; laws and regulations affecting the fire service; fire service nomenclature; specific fire protection functions; basic fire chemistry and physics; introduction to fire protection systems; introduction to fire strategy and tactics; life safety initiatives. (C-ID FIRE 100X).

FSC 4
Fundamentals of Fire Behavior and Combustion
3 units
course details

This course explores the theories and fundamentals of how and why fires start, spread and are controlled.

FSC 10
Building Construction for Fire Protection
3 units
course details

This course provides the components of building construction related to firefighter and life safety. The elements of construction and design of structures are shown to be key factors when inspecting buildings, pre-planning fire operations and operating at emergencies. (C-ID FIRE 130X).

General Education: Area 1A

about Area 1A

English Composition

Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.

General Education: Area 2

about Area 2

Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning

College-level mathematics or quantitative reasoning — the toolkit behind science, business, and informed citizenship.

Term 2

Class Schedules

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

15 units
FSC 12
Fundamentals of Fire Prevention
3 units
course details

This course provides fundamental knowledge relating to the filed of fire prevention. Topics include: history and philosophy of fire prevention; organization of a fire prevention bureau; use and application of codes and standards; plans review; fire inspections; fire and life safety education; and fire investigation. (C-ID FIRE 110X).

FSC 14
Fire Protection Equipment and Systems
3 units
course details

This course provides information relating to the features of design and operation of fire alarm systems, water-based suppression systems, special hazard fire suppression systems, water supply for fire protection and portable fire extinguishers. (C-ID FIRE 120X).

POLS C1000
American Government and Politics
3 units

Meets Area 4.

course details

This course is an introduction to government and politics in the United States and California. Students examine the constitutions, structure, and operation of governing institutions, civil liberties and civil rights, political behaviors, political issues, and public policy using political science theory and methodology. (C-ID POLS 110).

General Education: Area 1B

about Area 1B

Oral Communication and Critical Thinking

Baccalaureate-level oral communication and/or critical thinking — speaking with structure to a live audience, analyzing arguments, identifying assumptions.

General Education: Area 6

about Area 6

Ethnic Studies

The histories, experiences, and contributions of the four autonomous disciplines: Black / African American / Africana studies, Native American studies, Chicano/a/x and Latino/a/x studies, and Asian American studies.

Term 3

Class Schedules

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

15–18 units

Select 9 units:

Required

Department recommends FSC 18. This course qualifies a student for a Basic 32 Certificate.

3 units
Choose one of 4 choices
Choose one of 4 choices

General Education: Area 3

about Area 3

Arts and Humanities

How people and cultures, across time, respond to themselves and the world through artistic and cultural creative production. Visual and performing arts, art history, foreign languages, literature, philosophy, religion.

General Education: Area 5

Department recommends GEOG 2 or PSC 50/51.

about Area 5

Physical and Biological Sciences

The physical universe, its life forms, and its natural phenomena — astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, oceanography, physics — taught alongside the scientific method that makes them work.

Term 4

15 units

Graduation Requirement Choice (See GE Guide)

Elective (any courses numbered 1-99 or C1000-C1999).

Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options.

Career Connections

2-Year Degree Paths

Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.

Example roles: 2

  • First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
  • Firefighters

4-Year Degree Paths

Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the 4-year pathway for this program.

Graduate School Paths

Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the graduate-school pathway for this program.

Local Job Market

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention WorkersSOC 33-10211 nearby opening

Search keyword used: fire captain · Search window: last 30 days, 25-mile radius

Top employers in sample

  • City of Chico 1

Where the postings are

  • Butte Creek, Butte County 1

Sample current postings

  1. Deputy Chief - FireCity of Chico · Butte Creek, Butte County · 6 days ago

See all openings on Adzuna

FirefightersSOC 33-20112 nearby openings

Search keyword used: firefighter · Search window: last 30 days, 25-mile radius · Avg listed salary: $60,000/yr

Top employers in sample

  • City of Chico 1
  • Morphius Corp 1

Where the postings are

  • Butte Creek, Butte County 1
  • Paradise, Butte County 1

Sample current postings

  1. Customer Service Representative ( REMOTE WORK )Morphius Corp · Paradise, Butte County · 5 days ago
  2. Deputy Chief - FireCity of Chico · Butte Creek, Butte County · 6 days ago

See all openings on Adzuna

Posting counts come from Adzuna's index of US job boards, covering the last 30 days within 25 miles of ZIP 95965. Coverage and salary visibility vary by employer. Empty searches expand the radius and posting window before the section gives up.

Source Notes

Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.

Live wage data was not available from the BLS helper for the mapped occupations, so some pay fields may be blank.

Last generated 2026-06-12T23:19+00:00