Union County Fire/EMS Training Academy

union county fire and ems academy
Address

1075 Edward Street

Linden, New Jersey 07036

Main Entrance on Avenue C

Contact

908-523-1590

Fax 908-523-1625

fireemsacademy@ucnj.org

Courses

FIRE

EMS

ICS

Updates

Directions to Main Campus

1075 Edward St. Linden, NJ 07036 (Main Entrance on Avenue C)

From Garden State Parkway North: Take Exit 135 (Clark), bear to the right and follow Brant Ave. to traffic light. Make a left on Westfield Avenue. Follow straight through seven traffic lights onto East Grand Ave. and cross Route 1 & 9. Continue straight onto Barnett St. which will turn into Lower Rd. Continue straight past the Amazon distribution center on your left and turn left onto Avenue C. Academy Main Campus entrance will be 100 yards on the left.

From Garden State Parkway South: Take Exit 135 (Clark), follow circle under Parkway and make first right onto Brant Ave. Then follow directions above from Parkway North.

Routes 1 & 9 North: Proceed North on Route 1 & 9 past the Union County Resource Recovery Facility in Rahway on the right, continue for ¾ of a mile and turn right onto East Grand Ave. Continue straight onto Barnett St. which will turn into Lower Rd. Continue straight past the Amazon distribution center on the left and turn left onto Avenue C. Academy Main Campus entrance will be 100 yards on the left.

Routes 1 & 9 South: Proceed South on Routes 1 & 9 past the Walmart Supercenter in Linden on the right. Drive under the railroad overpass and turn left onto Avenue C. Continue straight on Avenue C for ¼ mile, Academy Main Campus entrance is on the right.

Directions to Drill Ground

710 Lower Rd. Linden, NJ 07036

From Garden State Parkway North: Take Exit 135 (Clark), bear to the right and follow Brant Ave. to traffic light. Make a left on Westfield Avenue. Follow straight through seven traffic lights onto East Grand Ave. and cross Route 1 & 9. Continue straight onto Barnett St. which will turn into Lower Rd. Continue on Lower Rd. for approximately 1.5 miles and the drill ground entrance will be on your left immediately after you pass over the railroad tracks.

From Garden State Parkway South: Take Exit 135 (Clark), follow circle under Parkway and make first right onto Brant Ave. Then follow directions above from Parkway North.

Routes 1 & 9 North: Proceed North on Route 1 & 9 past the Union County Resource Recovery Facility in Rahway on the right, continue for ¾ of a mile and turn right onto East Grand Ave. Continue straight onto Barnett St. which will turn into Lower Rd. Continue straight onto Barnett St. which will turn into Lower Rd. Continue on Lower Rd. for approximately 1.5 miles and the drill ground entrance will be on your left immediately after you pass over the railroad tracks.

Routes 1 & 9 South: Proceed South on Routes 1 & 9 past the Walmart Supercenter in Linden on the right. Drive under the railroad overpass and turn left onto Avenue C. Continue straight on Avenue C past the Academy Main Campus entrance until you come to the intersection of Lower Rd. Turn left onto Lower Rd. and continue straight for approximately 1.5 miles. The drill ground entrance will be on your left immediately after you pass over the railroad tracks.     

History

The Union County Fire/EMS Academy, under the sponsorship of the Union County Board of County Commissioners, is dedicated to the training of all Union County Fire and Emergency Medical Service Personnel, as well as providing specialized education to ensure the very best in Public Safety.

In 1997, the Union County Division of Emergency Services formed a partnership with the Union County Fire Chiefs’ Association in an effort to further enrich firefighter education. The primary advantage of this partnership was the bringing together of combined resources to enhance the quality of training for the county’s career and volunteer firefighters.

In February of 2021, the Fire Academy was expanded and moved in to its new 80,000 square foot main building located in Linden, having relocated from its previous single classroom facility located onsite at the County drill grounds located just one half mile away. At that time our name was also changed to the Union County Fire/EMS Academy in order to reflect our newly expanded mission which includes providing a full spectrum of training to our Emergency Medical Services community as well. The new facility houses six classrooms, a large gym, hands-on training rooms, meeting space, and administrative offices. The move enabled the Academy to not only greatly expand its course offerings, but to also increase class sizes. Coupled with our state of the art live burn facility, also located in Linden, the Academy will continue to serve the training needs of our first responder community for years to come. Additionally, the Academy also operates at other locations when requested and provides outreach programs to municipal fire departments to help meet their training needs. The Academy staff consists of a cadre of dedicated instructors who are all highly competent in their fields and who play a pivotal role in the high quality education that our recruits and in-service students receive.

The Academy takes a great amount of pride in the very high standard we set for our recruits and students, which results in them serving the people of Union County with the utmost levels of expertise and professionalism.

Student Rules and Regulations
Student Conduct

Students are expected to act in an adult manner and to treat the academy staff, instructors, and fellow students with courtesy and respect at all times. Fire Academy Staff will abide by the rules governing their actions while on Academy grounds.

Students should be well disciplined and refrain from abusive, profane or obscene language or behavior. Horseplay or any disturbance during class; any forms of gambling; sexual harassment; use, possession or introduction of any intoxicants; or reporting to class under the influence of intoxicants, fighting, stealing, cheating; or malicious damage or intent to damage or injure, or the use of any photographic equipment without the explicit written consent and permission of the Union County Legal Department and the Academy Director is not allowed and will not be tolerated.

Behaving in this manner will result in the student being permanently dismissed from the program and the academy, with a full report from the Director of the Academy to the Chief of the Department of the offender, and to take any action up to and including legal action. The student will remain fully awake and alert during any and all classes.

Attendance is mandatory for all lecture and practical sessions

Attendance will be taken at the beginning and end of each class, lecture or practical session, and reported to the office. A “sign in roster” will be provided at the beginning of each class, either lecture or drill ground portions. Students are responsible for signing the sign in roster at the start of each class or practical session.

Anyone caught signing in for another student will lose the credit for that class and will be ejected from the Academy. The lead instructor will verify complete attendance at the end of each session and sign-off on the attendance roster. The need to be excused early from class or the need to be excused for tardiness before class needs to be cleared by the Director of the Fire Academy or his/her designee

In order to receive a completion certificate 100% attendance is required for all lecture and practical sessions of the course in question.

Dress Code

Any clothing with any disrespectful language will not be worn on academy grounds. This includes shoes, pants, shirts, tee shirts, coats, jackets, hats, glasses, gloves. Student dress will conform to the instructions listed on the individual course registration form for each program. No shorts, cutoffs, tank tops, sleeveless shirts, or open toed footwear are allowed on the Drill Grounds or in the Main Campus building. Clothing worn under turnout gear during live burns must be made of 100% cotton with the exception of department issued station wear which is highly recommended.

No one who has a beard or excessive facial hair shall be permitted to participate in any courses that require the use of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). This is according to OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134, NFPA 1500 Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health, Sec. 5-3.10, and PEOSHA.

Any student participating in live fire training who comes to class with hair that extends below his or her collar, must arrange it so that it does not fall below the collar. Hair enclosed in an NFPA/ OSHA approved hood is acceptable. During practical sessions jewelry is not to be worn above the collar. This includes any facial jewelry. Any jewelry damaged, lost or broken is NOT the responsibility of the Fire Academy. Medical Alert bracelets and necklaces are exempt. Notification of these items to the Safety Officer should be done at the beginning of class for safety reasons.

Breaks

will be at the discretion of the lead instructor. Food & beverages will be allowed in the classroom only during designated break periods. Do not show up to class with food to eat during class. No student will be allowed to leave the drill grounds without permission from the Lead Instructor or Safety Officer. All students will be responsible for disposing of their trash in the receptacles provided and for cleaning their individual break area.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) & Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)

It is the responsibility of the sponsoring agency to supply their students with PPE, SCBA, and a spare air cylinder, for those courses that require this equipment. All protective clothing worn must meet OSHA, PEOSHA and NFPA Standards.

The academy will refill any student’s air cylinder, provided it has an up-to-date hydrostatic test date on it. Equipment inspection will be done by the Safety Officer prior to the start of class. Students must be in possession of a current SCBA Mask Fit Test Report and will be asked to produce same prior to the start of class.

Smoking and vaping is prohibited in and around all county buildings

It is the responsibility of each organization utilizing the Union County Fire/EMS Academy for training or any other purpose, to provide a certificate of insurance from its insurance company prior to the class. This certificate of insurance shall provide the following information:

  • Liability insurance in a minimum value or $1,000,000.
  • The County of Union shall be named as an additional insured.
  • The certificate of insurance holder shall be the Union County Fire/EMS Academy
  • Payment for any and all medical expenses will be the responsibility of the student’s or users sponsoring organization.
All accidents or injuries occurring on Academy grounds must be reported immediately to the lead instructor and the safety officer.

The attending academy staff will take the appropriate action to obtain the appropriate level of emergency care for the injured party or parties. The County Police, Academy Administration Office, and the Academy Director must be notified immediately about the incident and an accident report form must be completed.

The Chief of the sponsoring department of the student must be notified immediately or as soon as is particle. Any student sent to a medical facility will not be allowed to return to class without written permission from a medical doctor.

Radios, Pagers, Cell Phones & Other Electronic Devices

All cell phones, radio receivers, and pagers shall be turned off or placed in the silent mode during instructional periods. Use of cell phones and other electronic devices during class is strictly prohibited. Laptops and Tablets will be allowed during lectures for note taking only. If texting is discovered during a quiz or exam the student will be in violation of the “cheating” clause and dismissed from class.

Parking – Main Campus

All students will park in the large parking lot as you first enter the academy off of Ave C.

Parking Drill Grounds

All students will park in marked spaces on the right side of the Drill Ground driveway. No students are allowed to drive past the yellow line on the academy drill grounds or park on the left side of the driveway alongside of the railroad tracks.

The use of sirens, emergency lighting and other audible warning devices on academy grounds, either arriving or departing is prohibited unless directed to do so by an Academy Instructor or Safety Officer. All applicable NJ traffic laws will be followed on all Academy property.

Operation of Emergency Vehicles

While operating at the Drill Grounds, no vehicle will be allowed past the flag pole for any reason. Emergency Vehicles used for transportation to and from your department stations will be operated within the limits of all NJ traffic laws.

Emergency lights and sirens will not be utilized on any Fire/EMS Academy property or any street while going to and returning from classes. Any violation of this policy will result in the loss of the ability to operate emergency vehicles on Academy property, the notification of the Chief of the agency, as well as the possibility of other disciplinary action.

Student Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of each student to read, understand, and adhere to the above rules and regulations. Any questions or inquires may be directed to any member of the Academy staff.