Great Oaks earns Pro Board re-accreditation for fire, hazmat and technical rescue programs
Courtesy of Jon Weidlich
Community Relations Director
Great Oaks Career Campuses
The Great Oaks Fire and Emergency Medical Rescue Academy has earned re-accreditation from the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (Pro Board).
Pro Board accreditation is recognition that Great Oaks adheres to the professional standards of the National Fire Protection Association, allowing Great Oaks to provide students international certification in the firefighting, hazardous materials and technical rescue disciplines.
The re-accreditation was presented to Great Oaks Supervisor of Fire and Safety Services Jim Whitworth and Coordinator Kevin Hummeldorf at the Pro Board's annual conference in Orlando.
Great Oaks now holds Pro Board accreditation for 14 standards, making it the largest provider of professional certifications for local fire and emergency medical professionals in Ohio. Numerous Cincinnati-area fire departments come to the Great Oaks Academy each year for training, and dozens of new firefighters begin careers at the Academy annually.
The Pro Board is an internationally recognized accrediting agency that credentials an entity and the entity's graduates for adherence to the National Fire Protection Association's professional standards.
Great Oaks is one of only 74 Pro Board accredited agencies in the world, and the only Pro Board agency in Ohio to offer certification in more than three NFPA standards.
The Great Oaks Fire and Emergency Medical Rescue Academy is part of Great Oaks Career Campuses, the public career-technical school serving 36 school districts in southwest Ohio.
"With re-accreditation, Great Oaks demonstrates its commitment to improving life safety for their citizens and emergency personnel," said M.H. Jim Estepp, chairman of the Pro Board. "Great Oaks can provide official Pro Board certificates to fire service members who have demonstrated a competency with professional qualification standards."