FSET Program Overview Transcript
Hello, I’m Shane LaCount, Program Director for the Undergraduate Fire
and Safety Engineering Technology program at Eastern Kentucky
University. I have been with Eastern Kentucky University for 6 years as
an Assistant Professor. I currently am also a member of the City of
Richmond Fire Department where I am one of the City Fire Investigator’s.
Altogether I have been in the fire service both career and volunteer for
16 years in the states of Kentucky and North Carolina where I have
served the ranks of firefighter, captain, fire inspector/investigator
and assistant chief.
I am really glad that you are interested in our online Bachelor’s of
Science degree program. Eastern Kentucky University is located in
Richmond, Kentucky in the heart of Bluegrass Country. We’re just south
of Lexington and North of Knoxville on Interstate I-75. Eastern Kentucky
University has about 16,000 students on campus. Our Bachelor’s of
Science degree program is housed in the College of Justice and Safety in
the Stratton Building.
In the next few minutes I am going to tell you about the program and I
hope I can provide an overview of the program… The Online Bachelor’s of
Science degree program has a concentration in Fire Protection
Administration. Our degree program encompasses a number of areas within
the fire and emergency services. Some of the specific areas of study are
as follows:
Fire Prevention, where the student will receive an introduction to fire
and safety related codes, fire prevention methods and an in-depth look
at the Life Safety Code.
Fire Behavior and Combustion, which provides an introduction to the
chemistry and dynamics of fire as it relates to properties of hazardous
materials and the development of fire in a structure.
Building Construction provides a review and analysis of Building
Construction methods and terminology. It will also provide a systems
approach to designing building fire safety through design.
Strategies and Tactics discusses the principles of incident management
including emergency scene decisions, strategies, and tactics. This
class, in combination with the Building Construction class, provides a
foundation for effective and safe emergency scene management.
Disaster Planning, Hydraulics, Fire and Arson Investigation, and Fire
Services Administration are a few more areas of study. The program is
designed to produce Strong Leaders in the field of fire and emergency
services. Our graduates have been very successful in the field of fire
and emergency services with many working in the upper ranks of the fire
and emergency services. No matter what your career ambitions are, the
possibilities are unlimited with a Bachelor’s of Science degree.
The program is completely online. Although we would love to have you
visit us here on campus (and you have an open invitation), you can
complete your course of study from your home, office or at the fire
station, wherever you are in the world. In designing this program, we
wanted to provide maximum flexibility to our students to maintain their
individual lifestyle and careers while working toward their degree. So,
if you want to work on your degree at midnight…. That’s okay with us.
Our classes and assignments provide enough flexibility for anyone
working on any schedule to be an active participant and hopefully enjoy
the classes while you are learning!
You can complete your course of study in 2 years if you are diligent.
Yes… that is correct…. 2 years. The courses are offered in 8 week blocks
and run year round. There are multitudes of Fire and Emergency Service
related courses, Independent study courses and cooperative education
opportunities. These courses provide the foundation for future fire and
emergency service professionals and cover many of the areas in which
professionals work on a daily basis. These courses require students to
focus on evolving issues within the fire and emergency services and on
developing a critical thinking approach to solving problems. Students
will develop professional presentations, research pressing issues, apply
NFPA standards and regulation to their workplaces; and address other
important areas. One huge advantage of this approach is that by time you
graduate, you will have developed a portfolio of projects that will be
very attractive to your current or future employers. Most importantly
for you, the courses you will take in this program will be pertinent to
real world issues you will face in your job. They are designed to
maximize your career opportunities and provide for upward mobility with
your current employer or with an employer you may consider in the
future.
The courses are formatted in an easy-to-use online methodology. All
classes will have video instruction (like the one you’re watching now)
from the professors teaching the class, assignments to be completed on
line, discussion board questions, quizzes and exams. Remember, you can
do everything for the class completely online. Some of the other
features that I like are the virtual office where I can meet and talk
with students and the student lounge where students can meet and hang
out with each other online.
One of the most exciting aspects of the program is the interaction and
learning that occurs among our students. You won’t just learn from our
faculty – you’ll learn from each other as well. It’s just a great
learning environment!
The strength of the Fire and Safety Engineering Technology program is,
in my opinion, our faculty. The professors who developed the online
classes are the same professors who are teaching in the classroom here
on campus, and the materials are the same as in the traditional
classroom. Most of our faculty is nationally and internationally known
with expertise in the public and private sector. They have published in
their areas of expertise. They have conducted training at numerous
conferences, and they have served as consultants for a multitude of
public and private sector employers. I believe you will see that our
faculty have a wide range of experience in the field and all are still
participating with public and private sector organization.
Tom Thurman is retired from the FBI where he participated in events such
as the Oklahoma City bombing, Pan Am Flight 103, TWA 800 plane crash
just to name a few events you are probably familiar with in the world.
James Pharr has 34 years in the fire service and is retired fire
investigator and an EFO graduate from Gaston County, North Carolina
where he served as Emergency Management Director and Chief Fire Marshal
managing 29 fire departments.
Paul Grant is a retire Chief from the State of Colorado. He has over 30
years of experience in the fire service and also an extensive background
in course development for online learning.
Dr. Michael Schumann has an extensive background in fire law, labor law,
and workers compensation. Dr. Schumann has represented fire departments
successfully with case law and labor related issues.
In addition, there will be numerous facilitators that you will have the
opportunity to become familiar with during your classes at Eastern
Kentucky University. All of our facilitators have practical experience.
You will get to know our faculty and facilitators in the online
classrooms, and you will learn about their backgrounds and experiences
as this will assist your own learning experiences. Hopefully you can see
that our program here at Eastern Kentucky University has a solid
foundation built by experience within the fire and emergency services.
At EKU, STUDENTS AND LEARNING COME FIRST. Our faculty will make time to
work with you to ensure that you fully understand the lessons being
taught. We also have an outstanding group of facilitators who work with
each cadre of students in every class to ensure that everyone is fully
engaged and staying on track with the course assignments.
I know you have a choice between our program and other outstanding
undergraduate degree programs. But I hope in the few minutes we have
shared together, that you have been given a glimpse of this truly unique
degree program that is tailored to the needs of the working fire and
emergency professional. We thank you for your consideration and hope
that you will join us as a member of the EKU family.
