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Med/Fire Rescue Program Earns Accreditation

Posted on: February 20, 2014   |   Category: News

WATERTOWN, SD – The National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications approved Lake Area Technical College for accreditation for its Med/Fire Rescue program. The accreditation includes the following levels and standards:

  • NFPA472, Hazardous Materials Awareness, 2008 Edition
  • NFPA 472, Hazardous Materials Operations – CORE Competencies and mission Specific Competencies: Product Control and Personal Protective Equipment, 2008 Edition
  • NFPA 1001, Firefighter I and II, 2008 Edition
  • NFPA 1003, Airport Firefighter, 2010 Edition

The Pro Board Fire Service Professional Qualifications System accredits organizations that use the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) professional qualification standards.  Troy Breitag, LATI MFR Department Supervisor, said the accreditation process began with the submission of an application, including a detailed self-study document.

“Our application was reviewed by members of the Committee on Accreditation (COA) for completeness and compliance with the accreditation criteria of the Pro Board,” he said.  “Following that, a team of COA members completed an extensive on-site review of our testing and certification processes.”

LATI was notified in January that the committee had approved the request for accreditation. “That’s great news for LATI and for our students,” Breitag said. “While we feel graduates of our MFR program are more than ready to work in the med/fire rescue field, the accreditation of our program is an additional means of recognition that acknowledges professionalism in the fire service and related fields.”

LATI’s Med/Fire Rescue program is the only program in the state and region to have both the Pro Board accreditation and Paramedic Program accreditation through CoAEMSP – Committee on Accreditation for the EMS Professions. Graduates of the 20-month MFR program earn an Associate of Applied Science degree and have the option to transfer and articulate credits toward a Bachelor’s Degree at a four-year university.