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School of Healthcare and Public Safety

School of Healthcare & Public Safety
 
School of Healthcare & Public Safety
Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO): HOSA and SkillsUSA

Firefighting Pathway

Workers in the Fire & Emergency area work in potentially risky situations protecting the public against fires and other dangers. Every year, fires and other emergencies take thousands of lives and destroy property worth billions of dollars.

Role & Responsibilities

  • First Responders: Firefighters and emergency service workers rapidly respond to a variety of emergencies. They are frequently the first emergency personnel at the scene of a traffic accident or medical emergency to treat injuries or perform vital functions.
  • Hazard Management: Firefighters control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk.
  • Specific Duties: Duties may include fire prevention, emergency medical service, hazardous material response, search and rescue, and disaster assistance.

Fire and Emergency Services / Firefighting Course Sequence

Clinical Lab Pathway

The Diagnostic Services pathway provides career opportunities for persons with a strong interest in the initial phase of detecting health problems—the diagnostic phase.

Industry Profile

  • Diagnostic Focus: This phase includes procedures such as X-rays, fluoroscopies, sonograms, and clinical laboratory tests examining blood and other body fluids.
  • Evidence Discovery: Workers in this pathway discover the "evidence" that physicians use to make correct diagnoses and administer appropriate treatments. Occupations are increasingly varied due to complex new technologies seeking to explain how the human body works.
  • Laboratory Operations: Laboratory personnel examine and analyze body fluids and cells using complex chemical, blood, immunologic, and bacteriological tests. Technologists evaluate test results and monitor programs for accuracy, while technicians perform less complex tests using automated analyzers.

Clinical Lab Course Sequence

Emergency Medical Responder Pathway

The primary focus of the Emergency Medical Responder is to initiate lifesaving care to critical patients who access the emergency medical system.

Role & Responsibilities

  • Lifesaving Care: Individuals possess the basic knowledge and skills necessary to provide lifesaving interventions while awaiting additional Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and assist higher-level personnel at the scene and during transport.
  • EMS Ecosystem: Emergency Medical Responders function as part of a comprehensive EMS response under medical oversight, performing basic interventions with minimal equipment.
  • Work Environment: EMTs and paramedics care for the sick or injured both indoors and outdoors, in all types of weather. The work is physically strenuous and can be stressful, sometimes involving life-or-death situations.
  • Requirements: All EMTs and paramedics must complete a formal training program. All states require licenses, though specific requirements vary by state.

Emergency Medical Responder Course Sequence

Law Enforcement and Criminal Investigations Pathway

Workers in the Law Enforcement/Criminal Investigation area include a variety of occupations involved in protecting the public, maintaining order, and enforcing laws.

Industry Profile

  • Investigation Duties: Criminal Investigators investigate alleged or suspected violations of Federal, state, or local laws to determine if evidence is sufficient to recommend prosecution.
  • Evidence Collection: Duties include preparing reports, obtaining and verifying evidence by interviewing and observing suspects and witnesses, obtaining and using search and arrest warrants, and testifying before grand juries. Investigators also collect and record physical information about arrested suspects, including fingerprints, physical measurements, and photographs.
  • Industry Growth: Numerous job openings will stem from employment growth attributable to the desire for increased corporate, industrial, and homeland security. A more security-conscious society and concerns regarding drug-related crimes contribute to this increasing demand.

Law Enforcement Services / Criminal Investigations Course Sequence

Six people stand in front of a white truck and a modern building.
In the foreground, several people are tending to a person lying down, while the background shows the interior of a vehicle with shelves and equipment.
A woman in a grey dress holds a paper and gestures towards an ambulance interior, while a man in a suit stands with his back to the camera.
Firefighters in the foreground practice with a tire and equipment, while a crowd watches in the background near a large red structure.
Three young people are gathered around a table in a classroom, with one person applying something to a mask, while posters are visible on the wall in the background.
A group of teenagers stands near a sheriff's car with an officer, while a tree-covered hill and a parking lot with cars are visible in the background.
A realistic ambulance training simulator with a patient on a stretcher in the foreground is set up in a classroom with medical equipment and posters on the walls in the background.
Rolled fire hoses and a firefighter's suit lie on the floor in the foreground, while a rack of coiled hoses and a classroom with desks and computers are visible in the background.
Firefighter jackets hang on a rack in the foreground, with a wall and a fire alarm box in the background.