World Wide Web Becomes Growing Educational Resource for Firefighters

ORANGE BEACH, AL – The popularity of online education is reaching more than just business professionals – firefighters, police officers, and construction workers are all earning their degree through the World Wide Web. Columbia Southern University (CSU), one of the nation’s first completely online universities, currently holds more than 120 fire organization partnerships across the U.S. The Nevada Fire Chiefs Association (NFCA) is the most recent addition to this list giving members a tuition discount and application fee waiver.

“Our partnership with CSU will offer our members a very special benefit – easier access to an education,” said Al Gillespie, NFCA President. “Their spouses and children will even be able to earn their degree at a cost much more competitive than what is offered at a majority of other universities.”

The mission of the NFCA is to promote and support the fire service of Nevada. The association provides training in fire prevention, fire extinguishing, leadership, and emergency medical services.

“Out of the 200 organizations CSU is partnered with, 120 of them are fire related,” said Chantell Cooley, CSU Vice President of Partnership Development. “CSU currently has more than 1,600 active fire science students and with the popularity of the fire partnerships that number is expected to continue its growth pattern.”

The New York Fire Department, Chicago Fire Department, Bermuda Fire Service, and Sierra Fire Protection District have also joined CSU as partners.

For more information or to learn how your fire organization can become a CSU partner, please visit www.columbiasouthern.edu/online/partners/ or call 1-800-344-5021.