Watching a car or couch burn is not usually included on a college syllabus—unless the course is Introduction to Arson Investigation at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC).

Students enrolled in the College’s Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree program in Emergency Services–Fire Science Option recently traveled to the Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy in Hillsborough to learn more about fire investigation.

“We are training students to understand fire behavior, so that they can investigate a fire to determine the origin and cause,” said the course’s instructor, Craig Ally.

“I feel that the information I learned today will not only help me in doing fire investigations in the future, but also gives me a greater understanding of firematics which would in turn help the community currently served by my fire department,” said Pete Heitz, a student in the class.

Heitz is a volunteer firefighter with Hillsborough Station 36 of the Flagtown Volunteer Fire Department.

RVCC has been offering an AAS in Emergency Services and an AAS in Emergency Services–Fire Science Option since the Fall 2010 semester. The programs address both the training of new emergency services personnel, as well as the continued updating of skills of current workers in the field.

Classes for both programs—which are part of the College’s Business and Public Service Department—are held at RVCC and the Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy. The programs were developed in coordination with the Emergency Services Training Academy to offer Academy students an entry into an academic degree program.

In addition, students who have taken courses at fire training academies across the state can have their certifications evaluated for credit in the RVCC program.

For additional information about RVCC’s programs in Emergency Services and Emergency Services–Fire Science Option, contact program coordinator Dr. Ellen J. Lindemann at elindema@raritanval.edu or 908-526-1200, ext. 8348, or visit www.raritanval.edu.