October 7 – 12, 2025
WPCC Emergency Services Training Center &
Foothills Higher Education Center
Morganton, NC
October 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 2024
WPCC Emergency Services Training Center &
Foothills Higher Education Center
Morganton, NC
The Western Piedmont Community College Emergency Services Training Center and the Burke County Firefighters Association proudly welcomes back the 2025 Fire and Rescue College!
This year’s Fire College is being offered during the week of October 7 – 12, 2025 at the Foothills Higher Education Center & Emergency Services Training Center.
You will find the complete information about this year’s Regional Fire and Rescue College within the website. Please scroll down for further information, digital registration links for classes, general information, and more.
Welcome From the Director |
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Greetings, despite having to cancel last’s years fire college due to Hurricane Helene, we are excited to announce the return of the Burke County Regional Fire & Rescue College for 2025. Our WNC communities have endured loss of an unimaginable magnitude. Our WNC responders have persevered through many long days & nights while dedicating thousands of hours towards rebuilding their lives and communities. Many lessons were learned throughout the past few months and we have carefully listened to your needs for more specialized & advanced level training opportunities. We intend to provide you with our best efforts towards delivering an enjoyable and unique training experience this year. I would like to personally thank our sponsors, vendors, instructors, Burke Co. Firefighter’s Association, and our WPCC staff for their dedication towards ensuring your attendance is pleasant experience. I look forward to seeing you in October.
– Trey Smith, Director
Changes in Technical Rescue: In January 2025, new changes and hours to the technical rescue programs have required us to include an additional day this year to meet the class hour demands. The new TR programs now include an Awareness, Operations, & Technician Levels for all new TR classes. In previous years, many of the TR “series” meant registering for one Technician level class & taking a 100- question exam. This is no longer the case, as many of the new TR courses have been modified to offer these series classes as individual Awareness, Ops. & Technician classes. Also, new is the testing method, student must know take 3 separate written and practical exams for each level whether is being offered as a series or individually. It is highly encouraged that students purchase or obtain the textbook of all certification courses prior to attending our fire college classes! |
Dedication
Rex “Sput” Powell
Oak Hill & West End Fire Departments
The 2025 Burke County Fire & Rescue College is dedicated to past Asst. Chief Rex “Sput” Powell. After a decade of dedicated law enforcement and military service, Mr. Powell was appointed Chief of Police at Broughton Hospital in May 2002, a role he held until his retirement in 2012. Demonstrating his continued commitment to public safety, he returned to active duty as a part-time school resource officer from 2023 to 2024. Sput’s dedication extended far beyond policing. He was an active volunteer firefighter and first responder with Oak Hill Fire and Rescue following his retirement and served as a current board member. He began his fire service journey as a volunteer with the West End Fire Department and later became Assistant Chief at Oak Hill Fire Department. He was also a charter member of Burke County Search and Rescue and was honored as Burke County’s First Responder of the Year in 2023. May his memory bring comfort to those who knew him. Yet, while his many professional and civic achievements may be impressive, they were not the centerpiece of his life. If you asked Sput what he was most proud of, we are certain that he would say it was his wife, children and grandchildren, but most importantly his relationship with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Our Sponsors:
Agenda
- Tuesday, October 7th Classes:
- TR Surface Water Rescue Series
- Drones Operations; FAA Part 107
- Introduction to Technical Rescue
- Wednesday, October 8th Classes:
- TR; Passenger Vehicle Rescue Series
- Driver Operator; Pumps – Intro/Basic Ops
- Thursday, October 9th Classes:
- Fire Instructor- Level 1
- (NIMS) ICS-400
- Fire Officer I
- Friday, October 10th Classes:
- FF General and Communications
- Fireground Ops. 1
- Emergency Vehicle Driver (EVD)
- TR Swiftwater Rescue Series
- Advanced Wilderness Rigging & Rescue
- ICS 300
- Saturday, October 11th Classes:
- Chief 101
- Passenger Vehicle Rescue Technician
- Sunday, October 12th Classes:
- No Classes Starting
Certificate/Class Credit Information
- The last 4 digits of your social security number is required for all NC OSFM certification courses.
- Photo ID’s are required for written exams.
- Certificates of completion will not be issued following the end of your classes. However, students must make a request for a certificate on their registration form or once they arrive.
- All classes will be filled on a first-come, first serve basis. If a class is full, the student will be contacted and offered their 2nd or 3rd choice or elect to be withdrawn from the course.
- Registration forms that do not have the required information will not be processed until all information is received.
- If registering for live fire training courses, students will be required to complete the 200.14A Live Fire Validation Form to be completed and signed and mailed, along with each registration form. Failure to have thisform completed & signed will disqualify you from participating in the class until it is completed.Anyone younger than 18 is not permitted to attend any live fire training course.
- NC Community College System Policy on 15-year Olds:
- The minimum age for participation in the Burke Co. Regional Fire College is 15 years of age
- Can attend certification or non-certification courses
- Are NOT permitted to participate in any live fire training, water rescue; or driver operator courses
- NC Community College System Policy on 15-year Olds:
- WPCC reserves the right to cancel any courses that do not meet the minimum number of registered students.
- Students will be notified via email or by phone if a class has been cancelled or rescheduled and notified they have moved into their alternate class choice.
- Substitutions will be accepted for students who are unable to attend.
- Late registrations on-site will be accepted if class size permits.
Students should indicate a first, second, and third choice of classes on the registration form.
Certification Textbook Listings
Firefighter & Haz-Mat Certifications Courses: Jones & Bartlett – Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills, 4th Edition; ISBN: 9781284151336
Driver Operator Certifications Courses: IFSTA- Pumping and Aerial Apparatus Driver/ Operator Handbook, 3rd Edition; ISBN: 9780879395711
Passenger Vehicle Rescue Technician: Jones and Bartlett – Vehicle Extrication 2nd edition revised ISBN: 9781284245622
Rope Rescue; Jones and Bartlett – Rope Rescue 5th edition; ISBN: 9781284195101
Water Rescue; Jones and Bartlett – Water Rescue 3rd edition; ISBN: 978128419633