Savannah Technical College Department Head for Fire Science, Tony Faust, recently was elected president for the Technical College System of Georgia’s Fire Science Instructional Faculty Consortium Committee, which encompasses all TCSG Fire Science programs.
 
Faust retired from the City of Savannah’s Bureau of Fire & Emergency Services in 2011 after 26 years of service. Faust held the position of chief officer the last eight of those years and was the department’s fire public information officer. He received numerous accolades during his career including a commendation for rescuing flood victims in the mid-1990s.
 
A STC graduate, Faust earned an associate of arts in fire science before continuing his educational pursuits to eventually earn a master of science in strategic leadership from Mountain State University and a bachelor of science in business administration from Brewton-Parker College. He is also a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and holds national ProBoard certifications as a fire inspector 1, CPR/First Aid BLS instructor, fire instructor 1, incident safety officer, public fire educator 1, EMS 1st responder and hazardous materials technician.
 
The STC Fire Science program office is located to the Crossroads campus (190 Crossroads Parkway, Savannah, 31407). All Fire Science class schedules are scheduled to help students attend college while balancing their home/life/work obligations with a combination of evening and online classes with practical hands-on training occurring at various area fire departments. The Fire Science Degree/Diploma program schedule was recently reconfigured utilizing the miniterm format which enables students to obtain their fire science degree or diploma in one year.
 
The STC Fire Science programs prepare graduates for successful careers in the fire and emergency service field, whether they are looking to obtain employment as a firefighter or seek promotion to leadership positions at their department. Many of the classes meet the educational requirements for students to qualify to challenge national fire service certifications. The College recognizes the efforts of firefighters that hold national certifications by offering the ability for them the ability to use them for credit toward their degree or diploma. On top of offering basic firefighter certification programs, the program covers more advanced topics as fire inspections, fire officer I and II, fire investigations, incident safety officer, fire instructor I, incident command, strategy and tactics, fire service building construction, emergency medical service certifications, writing, public speaking, management and budgeting procedures, and public relations.