The Butte College Public Safety Education & Training Center educates and trains students to serve and protect the public in a highly competent and professional manner.
The Fire Science (or Technology) Program generates approximately 101 FTE. One full-time instructor is currently budgeted. He is assisted by two associate faculty positions and one of our full-time tenured Science (chemistry) instructors teaches one Fire Science course annually (FSC 4, Fire Behavior & Control). The total associate faculty workload is slightly less than one full-time instructor load. Program culmination opportunities in this discipline inlcude: 1. AS Degree in Fire Technology (Career/Technical) 2. Certificate of Achievement in Fire Technology (Career/Technical) 3. Certificate of Completion in BASIC 32 (Basic Wildland Firefighting) All pedagogical caps have been reviewed and are appropriate.
There have been no significant recommendations related to outcomes assessment in this discipline.
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College |
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Program |
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Indicator |
Source |
2013-2014 Performance |
Standard |
Five Year Goal |
Fall 2014 Performance |
Standard |
Five Year Goal |
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Course Success |
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- Overall |
PDR |
71.1% |
70% |
73% |
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- Transfer/GE |
PDR |
71.5% |
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73% |
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- CTE |
PDR |
75% |
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77% |
78.9% |
75% |
80% |
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- Basic Skills |
PDR |
51.7% |
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55% |
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- Distance Ed (all) |
PDR |
62.5% |
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64% |
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Persistence (Focused). Note: The Persistence (Focused) that is included in the PDR is a different indicator than the three-primary term persistence indicator, from the state Student Success Scorecard, that is used to measure institutional persistence. The Focused Persistence indicator measures the percentage of students that took a second course in a discipline within one year. There is no relationship between the college and program standards in this area. |
PDR |
72.6% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
67% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
75% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
53.6% |
45% |
60% |
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Degrees |
PDR |
1,455 |
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1,600 |
36 |
30 |
45 |
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Certificates |
PDR |
366 |
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475 |
CA: 22 CC: 32 |
CA: 20 CC: 25 |
CA: 35 CC: 40 |
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Developmental Strand Completion |
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- English |
State |
42% |
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45% |
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- Math |
State |
30.7% |
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33% |
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- ESL |
State |
25% |
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28% |
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Licensure Pass Rates |
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- Registered Nursing |
SC |
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- Licensed Vocational Nursing |
SC |
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- Respiratory Therapy |
SC |
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- Paramedic |
SC |
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- Cosmetology |
SC |
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- Welding |
SC |
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Job Placement Rates (Fire Technology) |
PIV |
85% |
75% |
87% |
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1. To the extent that we routinely interact and collaborate with our industry partners in the Fire Service to insure that our program remains relevant, we are supporting students in their progress to related educational goals and enhancing the culture of completion and academic achievement. Strategic Initiative 1.c.4
2. Strategic scheduling of FSC courses so as to minimize interference with the schedules of students who are seaosnal firefighters. Strategic Initiative 1.e
3. Utilization of the Fire Chief's Association and the Training Officer's Association as Advisory Boards helps to insure that our program provides skills needed in the workforce. Strategic Initiative 1.h.1
Recommendations implemented: 1) Restore P/T secretary back to F/T.
Recommendations to be implemented: 1) Provide FSC 4 Fire Control and Behavior every semester, instead of only once per year - specific strategies for doing so are pending. We are currently limited by the absence of qualified faculty to teach additional courses.
1. Institutionalize formal leadership/chairmanship of the Department.
2. Institutionalize adequate clerical support for the Department.
3. Clarify delineation of FSC courses vs. FSCA (Fire Academy).
4. Evaluate alternative philosophies for a Fire Behavior and Control course, determine which philosophical approach best serves our students, and either pursue development of the desired course or pursue the addition of a second section of the current FSC 4 course.
5. Develop and on-line version of FSC 2 Introduction to Fire Science
Strategy 1 - Faculty Resource Enhancement
It will be a priority in the near future to identify and employ additional part-time faculty, but ultimately to pursue the addition of a second full-time faculty member for this popular major.
This entire degree program is operated, essentially, on the back of one full-time faculty member. Although there is limited use of part-time faculty, the nature of the fire service is such that their availability cannot be depended upon.
Strategy 2 - Meeting Course Demands
There exists student demand for FSC 4, Fire Behavior & Control that we are not meeting. Offered only once per year, this class routinely overfills and anecdotal information tells us that many students take this course on-line from other institutions. Whether we develop it into an on-line class or offer it in the classroom once each semester, either would seem to better meet student needs. This could free-up the Science Instructor for one additional class in the Sciences if faculty associated with the Fire Science Program taught this course instead.
Additionally, there is continuing interest in developing on-line versions of various FSC courses.
Program growth and specifically the addition of another FSC 4 course are dependent upon the availability of additional qualified faculty. FSC 4 is essentially a chemistry course and requires a chemist to instruct it.
Strategy 3 - Leadership in the Discipline
In order to insure there is adequate leadership for all of the programs and disciplines included with the PSETC, the following is needed: 1) Increase the 60% Management Range #20 PSETC Director position to 100% at Management Range #24 or 25; and 2) establish a Chair position which could be responsible for AJ and FSC together.
Administration of Justice, Fire Technology, the Fire Academy, the Fish and Wildlife Academy, the State Parks Academy and the Basic Law Enforcement Academy are combined under the umbrella of the Public Safety Education and Training Center (PSETC). The Director position for the PSETC is a 60% position at Management Range #20, and is responsible for 2 FT faculty, 3 FT clerical support personnel and 275 PT associate faculty and classified employees. There are no Department Chairs for AJ or FSC, and the PSETC Director has been acting as the Chair for over 3 years. The Director position as it currently exists is a hybrid consisting of the following: 1) Academic Manager; 2) Department Chair; 3) Peer to Deans and Directors, who occasionally serves as Acting Dean and has even served as Acting Vice President in the absence of all other administrators; 4) Subordinate to Deans. The Department has responsibility for 7 different AS degrees, 6 Certificates of Achievement, 5 small certificates, and more than a dozen industry-specific professional certificates. Over the last 3 years, the number of law enforcement academies presented annually has doubled (from 2 to 4), and the ped caps in all AJ and FSC classes are among the highest in the District. Anecdotally, it is noted that few, if any, other community colleges place such a significant load on a part-time hybrid position such as Butte's. Rather, industry practice seems to be based in a clear division of management responsibility based on a separation of the various programs and disciplines. With no Chairs for the academic disciplines, and only a part-time Director, the cumulative responsibilities for all of these programs and disciplines are impossible to keep up with. It has become clear that there are two significant needs for the Department: 1) The PSETC Director position needs to be full-time; and 2) There needs to be a Chair assigned to AJ and FSC (one part-time chair could handle both disciplines). In the event it was decided not to establish a chair position for the academic programs and to have the PSETC Director position continue those duties, it would be even more imperative that the Director position be full-time. Additionally, when comparing the responsibilities and span of control of the PSETC Director to other District disciplines, it becomes addtionally clear that it would be appropriate for the PSETC Director compensation to be minimally at Management Range #24, if not 25.
Strategy 4 - Department Administrative Support
Create new half time (.5) Secretary I position to provide administrative/clerical support to the PSETC.
The workload in the PSETC has reached a point where the 2 full time secretaries are each responsible for three academies a year + an academic discipline (either AJ or FSC), and the program Assistant is perpetually immersed in processing employment applications, managing the budget and paying bills for all of the Department's programs. As such, the Department has come to depend on Student Assistants to provide front counter/receptionist coverage in the PSETC office. As the Department is very fast paced, and there are a myriad of confidential records related to academy students that must be handled, processed and filed it has been challenging to find students who can keep up with the pace. The addition of this lower level clerical position would insure that there is receptionist/counter coverage during peak hours and reduce the challenge of trying to find students who can keep up with the pace of the office.
None
None
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | PSETC - Fire Technology | Personnel | 11 000 511 1 601000 | 51230 | $0.00 | $90,501.00 |
| Wages and benefits to increase PSETC Director from 60% to 100% and change to Range 25 | Administration of Justice, Fire Technology, the Fire Academy, the Fish and Wildlife Academy, the State Parks Academy and the Basic Law Enforcement Academy are combined under the umbrella of the Public Safety Education and Training Center (PSETC). The Director position for the PSETC is a 60% position at Management Range #20, and is responsible for 2 FT faculty, 3 FT clerical support personnel and 275 PT associate faculty and classified employees. There are no Department Chairs for AJ or FSC, and the PSETC Director has been acting as the Chair for over 3 years. The Director position as it currently exists is a hybrid consisting of the following: 1) Academic Manager; 2) Department Chair; 3) Peer to Deans and Directors, who occasionally serves as Acting Dean and has even served as Acting Vice President in the absence of all other administrators; 4) Subordinate to Deans. The Department has responsibility for 7 different AS degrees, 6 Certificates of Achievement, 5 small certificates, and more than a dozen industry-specific professional certificates. Over the last 3 years, the number of law enforcement academies presented annually has doubled (from 2 to 4), and the ped caps in all AJ and FSC classes are among the highest in the District. Anecdotally, it is noted that few, if any, other community colleges place such a significant load on a part-time hybrid position such as Butte's. Rather, industry practice seems to be based in a clear division of management responsibility based on a separation of the various programs and disciplines. With no Chairs for the academic disciplines, and only a part-time Director, the cumulative responsibilities for all of these programs and disciplines are impossible to keep up with. It has become clear that there are two significant needs for the Department: 1) The PSETC Director position needs to be full-time; and 2) There needs to be a Chair assigned to AJ and FSC (one part-time chair could handle both disciplines). In the event it was decided not to establish a chair position for the academic programs and to have the PSETC Director position continue those duties, it would be even more imperative that the Director position be full-time. Additionally, when comparing the responsibilities and span of control of the PSETC Director to other District disciplines, it becomes addtionally clear that it would be appropriate for the PSETC Director compensation to be minimally at Management Range #24, if not 25. Proposed ongoing augmentation request is based on the difference between the Director's current rate of pay (60%, Management Range 20, Step E + 60% benefits) and 100%, Management Range 25, Step E with 60% benefit rate. |
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| 2 | PSETC - Fire Technology | Personnel | $0.00 | $12,500.00 | ||
| Department Chair for AJ and FSC | As noted in Future Development Strategy #3, AJ and FSC do not have a Chair. When the current Director of PSETC was hired in 2012 it was understood that the then Chair of EMS would also be the Chair of AJ and FSC. That employee experienced a variety of performance issues resulting in the inability to perform the duties of Chair for AJ and FSC. The Dean of CTE requested that the Director of PSETC handle these duties until a Chair could be identified. The need for leadership in the disciplines continues, and each of the FT faculty members in the two disciplines have expressed interest in taking on the duties of Chair. The amount proposed is based on the maximum Chair stipend available under the current contract. The actual stipend would have to be determined based upon whatever formula and standards are utilized for determining Chair levels. |
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| 3 | PSETC - Fire Technology | Personnel | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | ||
| .5 Secretary I | As noted in Future Development Strategy #4, the workload of current admin support staff in PSETC limits the ability to provide front counter/receptionist coverage for the very busy PSETC office. The intensity and load of activity makes it especially challenging to find student assistants who are able to keep up. The addition of this position would allow for solid, reliable coverage in the office during peak activity hours. |
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