Chabot College offers a State Accredited Fire Fighter 1 Academy twice a year; once in the spring (January through May) and once in the fall (August through December). The Fire Academy training sessions are conducted at both the Chabot College campus and the Hayward Fire Training Center on the south side of the Hayward Executive Airport.

Our Fire Fighter 1 Academy (Fire Technology 11) is held on the following schedule:

Spring Semester (beginning first week of January):

Training Sessions - all day (08:30 am to 6:30 pm) Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Friday for 20 weeks.

Fitness and Practice Sessions - afternoons on Tuesdays.

Fall Semester (beginning first week of August):

Training Sessions - late afternoon/evenings (4:00 pm to 10:30 pm) on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; all day (08:30 am to 6:30 pm) on Saturday and Sunday for 20 weeks. 

Fitness and Practice Sessions - early afternoons on Tuesday and Thursday.

Note:  The schedule for some weekday training sessions may be changed to accommodate joint fire department and fire academy training opportunities.

A Fire Fighter 1 Academy is not the same as a Fire Fighter 1 Certificate. For someone to receive State Fire Fighter 1 Certification, the typical route is to complete a State Accredited Fire Fighter 1 Academy (such as Chabot's) to meet the training requirements, along with State Fire Training certification testing to meet the assessment requirements. Once the training and testing criteria are completed, the student candidate will receive Fire Fighter 1 certification.

Since the Chabot Fire Academy offers students the oppportunity to train and test to the State Fire Fighter 2 level, there is an additional requirement to achieve Fire Fighter 2 State certification. Once candidates complete the Fire Fighter 2 training and testing in the Fire Technology 11 CAP (Capstone) class, the student candidates will then complete the Fire Fighter 1 and 2 Task Book as they obtain the field experience requirements as outlined by California State Fire Training.

Chabot Fire Fighter 1 Academy Prerequisites:

Fire Technology 1, 88A & 10, all with a grade of C or higher. Successful completion of FT 2 and FT 7 are strongly encouraged. The CPAT card is NOT accepted as a replacement for FT 88A (Introduction to Fire Fitness Training).

Emergency Medical Services 1 (Emergency Medical Responder) with a grade of C or higher. Successful completion of Emergency Medical Technician training (e.g. - EMS 3) and State EMT Card are strongly advised and can be completed after the Fire Academy.

Other Accredited Regional Training Programs (ARTPs), also known as "Fire Fighter 1 Academies":

As of July 2025, there are 42 State Fire Training Accredited Regional Training Program (ARTP) Fire Fighter 1 Academies in California. For a list of other California State Fire Training Accredited Academies (besides Chabot College), visit the Find an ARTP section of the State FIre Training Accredited Academies page.

More Info - State Fire Fighter 1 & 2 Certification:

For more information about California State Certification as a Fire Fighter 1 or Fire Fighter 2, please visit the California State Fire Training website for Professional Certifications under the California Fire Service Training and Education System (CFSTES).

Chabot College Fire Fighter 1 Academy Scheduling:
 

For the most up-to-date schedule of courses being offered, including the next Fire Fighter 1 Academy, visit the Chabot College website and go to the CLASS WEB section. 

Below are some videos of some of the skills you may be expected to successfully complete during a typical fire academy. Realize each fire academy uses different tools and equipment, and may even have different time standards or standards in how a certain task is completed. Regardless, the following videos should hopefully give you the idea of what to expect in a fire academy. 

All of these great videos are provided courtesy of the Santa Clara County Fire Department and were produced by the following Santa Clara County Fire Department personnel: Firefighter/Engineer Justin Stockman, Firefighter/Engineer Matt White, and Fire Captain Chris Padian. Great work guys!