Fire Science Student Achievement Data
Associate of Science Fire Science Placement Data
| 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
| Total Associate of Science Fire Science Graduates | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 8 |
| Percent of Graduates Responding to Survey | 60% (3) | 75% (3) | 57% (4) | 100% (5) | 60% (6) | 63% (5) |
| Seeking Fire and Emergency Services Employment | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | - |
| Employed in Field (Fire and Emergency Services) | 3 | 1 | - | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Employed Out of Field | - | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - |
| Continuing with Education | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 2 |
| Placed | 100% (3) | 100% (3) | 75% (3) | 100% (4) | 100% (6) | 100% (5) |
| Unemployed and Seeking Employment | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| Average Full-time Annual Salary in Field | $43,500 | $27,000 | - | $36,500 | $45,667 | $42,000 |
Number of Students Earning Certifications
| 2017 | 2016 | |
| ICS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System (FEMA) | 12 | 5 |
| ICS-200: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents (FEMA) | 12 | 5 |
| IS-700: National Incident Management System, An Introduction (FEMA) | 12 | 5 |
| IS-800: National Response Framework, An Introduction (FEMA) | 12 | 5 |
| L-180 Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service (NWCG) | 12 | 5 |
| S-130 Firefighter Training (NWCG) | 12 | 5 |
| S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior (NWCG) | 12 | 5 |
| Hazardous Materials Technician Certificate of Completion (City College) | 12 | 5 |
| Instructor- C (Fire Services Training School, Montana) | 4 | - |
National and State Firefighters
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimates there were approximately 1,160,450 local firefighters in the United States in 2015. Of the total number of firefighters, 345,000 (30%) were career firefighters and 818,850 (70%) were volunteer firefighters.
The United States Fire Administration reports 279 registered fire departments in Montana (registration is voluntary). In the State of Montana, 83.9% of fire departments are volunteer, 9.3% of fire departments are mostly volunteer, 2.2% are mostly career, and 4.7% of fire departments are a career. This means that 93.2 % of registered fire departments in Montana are a volunteer or mostly volunteer.
Employment Data
|
Firefighters |
Median Yearly wage |
Median Hourly Wage |
|
Montana* |
$50,240 |
$24.24 |
|
US * |
$49,080 |
$23.60 |
|
City College entry-level wages for graduates (2018-2020) |
$27,375 |
$13.16 |
*Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Employment Projections 2106-2026; MT Dept of Labor and Industry, Research and Analysis Bureau 2014-2024
Employers
Graduates from City College at Montana State University Billings Fire Science program are currently employed with the following career fire and emergency services agencies:
- City of Billings Fire Department, Billings, MT
- Red Lodge Fire and Rescue Department, Red Lodge, MT
- Lockwood Fire District, Billings, MT
- Columbus Fire Department, Columbus, MT
- Billings Logan International Airport Fire Department, Billings, MT
- Custer County, Miles City, MT
- American Medical Response, Billings, MT
- Mammoth Fire Department, Helena, MT
- Sioux Falls Fire Department, Sioux Falls, SD
- U.S. Forest Service, Libby, MT