FAQs

The Fire Academy of the South is located off of FSCJ’s South Campus location at 2700 Firefighter Memorial Drive. Classes start at various different times of the year. Keep checking our page for those dates.

This is the education and training needed to become a firefighter in the State of Florida as defined by State Statute. The Bureau of Fire Standards and Training is the agency responsible to ensure its compliance, through testing.

The “Minimum Standards” requirement is divided into two modules to serve the needs of students who want to become a professional firefighter versus those who want to serve as volunteers and are looking for some formal training. Also, by offering two modules, students who already received their FF I certification from the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training can continue in FF II without going through FF I again.

The State of Florida does not require firefighters to be an EMT or Paramedic, however most Fire Departments require their personnel to have at least a minimum of EMT. FSCJ’s Fire Academy of the South requires you to have completed EMT with a passing grade for entrance requirements in to Firefighter I.

The Fire Academy of the South requires you to have completed EMT with a passing grade to enter in to Firefighter I. We also require you to have your National Registry EMT to enter in to Firefighter II.

If you received Firefighter I training at another facility and possess a current Firefighter I certificate from the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards and Training, you are eligible to apply for the FF II module of FSCJ’s Fire Academy of the South Minimum Standards course.

Minimum Standards training is 492 contact hours divided between Firefighter I and Firefighter II. Firefighter I contains 191 contact hours and Firefighter II contains 301 contact hours.

You must successfully pass the State of Florida Bureau of Fire Standards & Training written and practical exam to become certified.

The Bureau of Fire Standards & Training determines your criminal record through fingerprint identification. If you have questions about whether past criminal activity is an impact, you may contact the Fire Science Program Manager or the Bureau of Fire Standards & Training at 352-369-2800 for further consultation.