Coastal Carolina Fire Academy

Thank you for your interest in the Coastal Carolina Fire Academy! The Fire Academy is offered on two schedules. One is a daytime schedule Monday through Friday (six-month program when including EMT) and the second schedule is an evening/weekend program (six-month program without EMT). Both schedules lead to North Carolina Firefighter certification. The Academy is delivered on campus at Coastal Carolina Community College and other training locations in Onslow County.

Fire Academy Application Process

Email Jim Rardin at rardinj@coastalcarolina.edu to receive details on the application process and be placed on the interest list.

Pre-Requisites Candidates must present documentation that they are high school graduates (copy of a diploma or full transcript) or have a high school equivalency diploma. Candidates must be eighteen years of age by the start date of their class.

Candidate Acceptance Students must commit to the entire block of instruction to be considered for acceptance. Academy classes are limited to 20 students. Because of this, the application process is competitive. Applicants are evaluated for acceptance using four criteria- (1) physical agility test, (2) CASAS Reading test score (minimum 235), (3) personal essay, and (4) date of application. Details of these criteria are included in the application package which is provided at the beginning of the application period (October for the January classes, April for the July classes).

Schedule The evening/weekend academy classes start in January and July each year. The schedule consists of Monday through Thursday 6p-10p, Saturdays 8a-5p, and one Sunday. The daytime academy classes start in January and July. The schedule is Monday through Thursday 07:30-11:30a/ 12:20-4:30p and Friday 07:30-11:30a. Academy classes will not be scheduled on holidays. See the calendar below for the full schedule of both programs.

Cost The Academy is delivered in a block format and requires a registration fee of $180, a graduation fee of $10, and an insurance fee of $1. The registration fee must be paid before the first class meeting. The cost of the text is approximately $126. The cost of required uniforms will be approximately $80. The EMT portion of the daytime academy is a separate registration. The registration fees and associated costs are not eligible for VA/GI Bill benefits. The daytime academy is eligible for SkillBridge for those who are active-duty military. We encourage those interested in the Academy to become members of their local volunteer fire department. This may make you eligible for waived registration fees and gives you access to the required PPE from the department. Those who are on the roster of a NC fire department pay only the graduation fee and purchase the text and their uniforms. Proof of membership will be required.

Description Cost
Registration and Insurance $181
Graduation Fee $10
Initial Uniforms $45
Textbook $126 approx.
Graduation Uniforms $105 approx. ($35 without badge)
EMT Class (second part of daytime Academy) The EMT class has additional registration costs, fees, and textbooks.

  Attendance/Testing Each student must attend as close to 100% of the instructional hours in each of the sixteen subjects as possible (there is some leeway made for excused absences but a student may never miss more than 20% of any single subject) and pass a blackboard quiz with a minimum score of 70% for each subject. Each subject has practical skills evaluations and the Academy has fifteen written tests encompassing the twenty-four subjects. Career Opportunities Candidates who complete the Academy successfully are eligible to receive a North Carolina Firefighter certification from the NC Office of State Fire Marshal. This certification is IFSAC accredited, meaning it is accepted through reciprocity in over forty other states. If you are considering taking your certification to another state you should contact their certifying authority to understand their IFSAC reciprocity rules. Students seeking employment as a career firefighter are encouraged to complete Emergency Medical Technician training at Coastal as many fire departments now prefer candidates who hold an EMT credential.

Fire Academy Scholarship Application

The Fire Academy has a dedicated scholarship, All applicants are encouraged to apply. Apply Here: https://www.coastalcarolina.edu/academics/con-ed/public-safety/fire-service/fire-academy/scholarship-application/

Thank you for your interest in the Coastal Carolina Fire Academy! The Academy is a part-time evening and weekend program that leads to North Carolina Firefighter certification. The Academy is delivered on campus at Coastal Carolina Community College and other training locations in Onslow County.