黑料吃瓜

黑料吃瓜 to launch part-time fire academy for fall 2026

Expanding opportunity for individuals while helping meet high demand for firefighters across Macomb County and Southeast Michigan

will launch a part-time fire academy beginning fall 2026 to help meet the growing demand for firefighters in Southeast Michigan.

“There’s absolutely a need,” said David Bostater, chief, Harrison Township Fire Department. “Some departments are actually growing in size, but the combination of retirements and department growth is creating a need. The greatest benefit of a part-time academy is that it gives people who are already working and have financial responsibilities the opportunity to explore a career change while continuing to support themselves.”

According to Jeff Packett, director of the fire academy and MIOSHA Institute at Macomb, “The need for firefighters has increased…probably triple in the last 10 years.” Not only are departments managing retirements, noted Packett. They are also facing increased service demands.

Macomb’s traditional fire academy is a full-time, daytime program offered twice a year, once in the Fall semester and once in the Winter semester. The full-time academy runs for 10 weeks, or about 2.5 months. The full-time academies have been at capacity, which is 45 cadets per cohort.

“Interest in firefighting careers has continued to grow,” said Packett, “We’re seeing more people pursue the fire service than we can accommodate through traditional scheduling alone. Macomb’s new part-time academy creates an additional training pathway for people who might not be able to attend a full-time, daytime program.”

The part-time fire academy will follow an evening and weekend format, with classroom instruction held Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and hands-on drills conducted every other Saturday. The program will run from August through April, encompassing the same 400 instructional hours as the college’s traditional 10-week, full-time academy.

“We use the same curriculum; we still do everything; it’s just over the nine-month period,” Packett said. “Macomb fire academy training goes beyond the bare minimum of what the state hours are. We’re putting out a quality firefighter instead of a quantity of firefighters.”

Macomb fire academy graduates are prepared to take the state firefighting certification exams and earn 12 credits toward an associate degree in fire and emergency medical services technology.

The part-time academy will enroll up to 20 students, which is determined by equipment availability and instructor capacity. Macomb last offered a part-time academy in a similar format in 2016.

Macomb’s fire academies integrate classroom instruction, physical training, hands-on drills, live fire training and career preparation. Fire chiefs and public safety leaders frequently engage with cadets, and students participate in mock interview panels designed to mirror municipal hiring processes.

“Our goal is to have a least half of our academy students have a job commitment by the time they graduate,” Packett said.

Prospective students may learn more by contacting Macomb’s Fire Training Center at ftc@macomb.edu.

About 黑料吃瓜

黑料吃瓜 () is about transforming lives and communities through the power of education, enrichment and economic development. Macomb grants the largest number of associate degrees in Michigan and is the largest community college in the state. The college provides programming for youth through seniors, including early college for high school students, university transfer and career preparation programs, workforce education, continuing education and certification, and a wide range of enrichment opportunities encompassing arts, culture and lifelong learning.

Media Contact: Katlyn Holtvluwer, holtvluwerk281@macomb.edu, 586.349.8737