The History of the Santa Rosa Junior College Fire Technology Program, including the Fire Academy, Part I:
by Fred Bunker, SRJC Fire Technology Director, retired, and Sausalito FD Division Chief of Operations, retired.
Leaders in the field of fire service had long been aware of the need for more sophisticated and intensified training. New theories of firefighting were being advanced, new equipment was being introduced, and, probably most importantly, new materials of a highly toxic nature were beginning to appear in the built environment and transportation systems.
To keep up with these technological changes, a means of developing programs of education and training was established in the State Department of Education, Fire Training Division, in the late 1950's. Courses at the various levels of fire service were produced, and State personnel were available to assist fire departments and fire districts throughout the state. Advisory committees were established in the local areas to decide on courses and to select instructors. In most cases, this was accomplished through the cooperation of the junior colleges.
The representative from the State Fire Training Division for this area at that time was Harvey Gruber. His office had developed a 54-hour course, "Basic Manipulative Skills," which was suggested to the local Advisory Committee and presented in Santa Rosa. It was scheduled through the Santa Rosa Junior College Evening College, with the assistance of then-Dean Gene Portugal. Each class was three hours long, one night per week, for 18 weeks, a total of 54 hours.
Due to demand, two sessions were held, dividing the class of 94 students. One was held at the Santa Rosa fire station on A Street, the other at the Old Naval Air Station in a Santa Rosa building owned by the Junior College. The need and desire for such a class were indicated by the fact that, in addition to Sonoma County, students came from Mendocino, Lake, Marin, Napa and Contra Costa counties.
This was the first Fire Science class offered by the Santa Rosa Junior College; instructors were George Elliott, Jerry Bick and Mike Turnick. Members of the first Fire Advisory Committee were:
Jerry Bick, Chief, Roseland Fire Department
George Elliott, Assistant Fire Chief, Santa Rosa Fire Department
Jack Kessler, State Department of Forestry
Ralph McGinnis, Chief, Cotati Fire District
Mike Turnick, Fire Marshal, Santa Rosa Fire Department
Members of the Committee changed through the years, as did the College administrators. Dean Portugal left the College, and Dean Jack Healy assumed the responsibility of the Fire Science Program. In 1979, following the establishment of the Criminal Justice Training Center at the Los Guilucos campus, Director Stan Anderson, became the Administrator for the Fire Science Program.
It was in 1979 that the Fire Science Training Division was transferred from the Department of Education to the Fire Marshal's Office. The curriculum was updated, and the program title was changed from "Fire Science" to "Fire Technology." An office was provided at the Santa Rosa Training Center for the instructors.
In 1980, Carl Goodson joined the staff of the College as a part-time instructor, and served as coordinator for the Fire Technology Program. He recognized that benefits could be gained through a cooperative effort to share information with the fire departments of Marin County, and he organized a joint training film library with contributions from both counties. This allowed for a greater variety of films and avoided duplications. Goodson encouraged representatives of both counties to meet and plan mutually beneficial classes, the result of which was, and is, a two-county Advisory Committee.
In September 1985, Norman Cleaver became the new Director of the Santa Rosa Training Center and was appointed as Assistant Dean of Public Safety. Under his leadership the Training Center grew in size and scope. The Criminal Justice Center had become the Department of Public Safety. The Department included a basic Law Enforcement Academy, Corrections, Law Enforcement In-Service, U.S. Park Service Academy, Fire Technology, and EMS. The EMS department would expand in 1995 to include a paramedic program. After his retirement, retired Sonoma County Deputy Sheriff and District Attorney Investigator April Chapman was hired to fill the role.
The position of part-time Instructor/Coordinator of the Fire Technology Program was filled by Fred Bunker in 1987. A member of the Sausalito Fire Department since 1969, he held the position of Battalion Chief and had been an instructor at College of Marin and Santa Rosa Junior College since 1974. He would later retire as Division Chief of Operations in Sausalito, and went to work full-time at the college. After Fred's retirement, retired Healdsburg FD Chief Randy Collins was hired to fill the role.
In 1987, the Chancellor's office of the California Community Colleges formulated a task force on fire curricula. Several of the leading fire-technology programs including SRJC attempted to unify and modernize this vocational area. The rationale used for this college/fire service partnership was based on sharing the expertise among fire-service agencies, as opposed to each fire department creating its own training, and using the community colleges as a delivery system in order to take advantage of their academic resources. Five core classes were developed.
Leaders in the field of fire service had long been aware of the need for more sophisticated and intensified training. New theories of firefighting were being advanced, new equipment was being introduced, and, probably most importantly, new materials of a highly toxic nature were beginning to appear in the built environment and transportation systems.
To keep up with these technological changes, a means of developing programs of education and training was established in the State Department of Education, Fire Training Division, in the late 1950's. Courses at the various levels of fire service were produced, and State personnel were available to assist fire departments and fire districts throughout the state. Advisory committees were established in the local areas to decide on courses and to select instructors. In most cases, this was accomplished through the cooperation of the junior colleges.
The representative from the State Fire Training Division for this area at that time was Harvey Gruber. His office had developed a 54-hour course, "Basic Manipulative Skills," which was suggested to the local Advisory Committee and presented in Santa Rosa. It was scheduled through the Santa Rosa Junior College Evening College, with the assistance of then-Dean Gene Portugal. Each class was three hours long, one night per week, for 18 weeks, a total of 54 hours.
Due to demand, two sessions were held, dividing the class of 94 students. One was held at the Santa Rosa fire station on A Street, the other at the Old Naval Air Station in a Santa Rosa building owned by the Junior College. The need and desire for such a class were indicated by the fact that, in addition to Sonoma County, students came from Mendocino, Lake, Marin, Napa and Contra Costa counties.
This was the first Fire Science class offered by the Santa Rosa Junior College; instructors were George Elliott, Jerry Bick and Mike Turnick. Members of the first Fire Advisory Committee were:
Jerry Bick, Chief, Roseland Fire Department
George Elliott, Assistant Fire Chief, Santa Rosa Fire Department
Jack Kessler, State Department of Forestry
Ralph McGinnis, Chief, Cotati Fire District
Mike Turnick, Fire Marshal, Santa Rosa Fire Department
Members of the Committee changed through the years, as did the College administrators. Dean Portugal left the College, and Dean Jack Healy assumed the responsibility of the Fire Science Program. In 1979, following the establishment of the Criminal Justice Training Center at the Los Guilucos campus, Director Stan Anderson, became the Administrator for the Fire Science Program.
It was in 1979 that the Fire Science Training Division was transferred from the Department of Education to the Fire Marshal's Office. The curriculum was updated, and the program title was changed from "Fire Science" to "Fire Technology." An office was provided at the Santa Rosa Training Center for the instructors.
In 1980, Carl Goodson joined the staff of the College as a part-time instructor, and served as coordinator for the Fire Technology Program. He recognized that benefits could be gained through a cooperative effort to share information with the fire departments of Marin County, and he organized a joint training film library with contributions from both counties. This allowed for a greater variety of films and avoided duplications. Goodson encouraged representatives of both counties to meet and plan mutually beneficial classes, the result of which was, and is, a two-county Advisory Committee.
In September 1985, Norman Cleaver became the new Director of the Santa Rosa Training Center and was appointed as Assistant Dean of Public Safety. Under his leadership the Training Center grew in size and scope. The Criminal Justice Center had become the Department of Public Safety. The Department included a basic Law Enforcement Academy, Corrections, Law Enforcement In-Service, U.S. Park Service Academy, Fire Technology, and EMS. The EMS department would expand in 1995 to include a paramedic program. After his retirement, retired Sonoma County Deputy Sheriff and District Attorney Investigator April Chapman was hired to fill the role.
The position of part-time Instructor/Coordinator of the Fire Technology Program was filled by Fred Bunker in 1987. A member of the Sausalito Fire Department since 1969, he held the position of Battalion Chief and had been an instructor at College of Marin and Santa Rosa Junior College since 1974. He would later retire as Division Chief of Operations in Sausalito, and went to work full-time at the college. After Fred's retirement, retired Healdsburg FD Chief Randy Collins was hired to fill the role.
In 1987, the Chancellor's office of the California Community Colleges formulated a task force on fire curricula. Several of the leading fire-technology programs including SRJC attempted to unify and modernize this vocational area. The rationale used for this college/fire service partnership was based on sharing the expertise among fire-service agencies, as opposed to each fire department creating its own training, and using the community colleges as a delivery system in order to take advantage of their academic resources. Five core classes were developed.