CGCC launches paramedicine program

Chandler-Gilbert Community College is introducing an Emergency Response and Operations – Paramedicine education program in partnership with Phoenix College. Applications are now being accepted for the nine-month program which holds classes two days a week (Tuesday and Friday) for eight hours a day and was designed to have minimal impact on most East Valley firefighter schedules.

Completion of general education requirements along with the paramedicine specialized
education and curriculum will give students the courses needed for a degree in Emergency Response Operations (ERO). Additionally, the program will prepare students for certification testing with the National Registry of Emergency technicians at the level of paramedic. Any EMT B wanting to be a paramedic is encouraged to apply.

Deadline for submission is Dec. 29. Learn more at cgc.edu/paramedic.

New fire truck takes fire science program to next level

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) fire science students are receiving a new classroom experience due to a new fire truck purchased earlier this fall. The new CGCC truck allows students to receive critical hands-on field training while learning the ins and outs of operating a fire truck.

“The addition of the truck has allowed our program to be taken to the next level,” said Jason D’Eliso, health sciences lab coordinator and CGCC adjunct faculty member in the fire sciences program. “Our students are able to physically apply the concepts taught in the classroom and to participate in on-site drills crucial to preparing them for the everyday situations they will face as fire fighters.”

Purchased from the Tempe Fire Department, the 2005 fire truck is fully equipped with key fire-fighting components, including ladders, pike poles, axes and cutting equipment, hoses and various other tools. Prior to purchasing the truck, the fire science program relied heavily on the partnership of local fire departments to lend their trucks for hands-on training.

“Having full time access to our own truck vastly improves how effectively we can teach our students,” added D’Eliso.

The fire science program at CGCC is designed for students who need (1) advanced training as professional firefighters, (2) basic preparation courses for a career in fire services and/or (3) more comprehensive information about the fire hazard and prevention. Students interested in learning more about the program should visit cgc.edu/firescience.

CGCC helps train 24 Taiwanese students as pilots

UND Aerospace Foundation announced an agreement with TransAsia Airways, based out of Taiwan, to provide an 11-month aviation education program to train pilots with no flight experience to be FAA-certified commercial pilots with instrument and multi-engine ratings.

The 24 Taiwanese students are enrolled as Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) students and taking the required academic class work while conducting flight training with CGCC’s flight training provider, UND Aerospace Foundation (UNDAF).

UND Aerospace and CGCC have had a partnership since 1995 offering a two-year degree program at CGCC with the option to continue flight training and receive a four-year aviation degree at the University of North Dakota.

“Along with our partners at Chandler Gilbert Community College, we are excited to be selected by TransAsia to deliver this aviation education,” said Don Dubuque, UNDAF director of extension programs. “Upon completion of their academic and flight requirements at CGCC and the UND Aerospace Flight Training Center, students will continue their training in Taiwan with TransAsia Airways, transitioning into large commercial passenger aircraft such as the Airbus and ATR.”

The students began in May and will complete their studies in April 2014. They are being housed in the CGCC student housing available at the Williams Campus

“It is a pleasure to have these exceptional students here at CCGC,” said William Crawford III, CGCC vice president of student affairs. “This is a further validation of the benefits of having strategic partnerships with other educational institutions and industry as we fulfill our mission at CGCC.”

Graduation from academy fulfills law enforcement dream

Fetuao Fetuao (top left) stands with fellow June 5
graduates from CGCC’s Law Enforcement Training Academy.

In his mid-teens, Fetuao Fetuao was, in his own words, a troublemaker. Although he hadn’t joined any of the gangs in Riverside, Calif. where he grew up, an interaction with a police officer set his course for the future.

Fetuao was a defensive player on the local high school football team. After winning the night’s game, he peeled out of the parking lot in his car and was immediately pulled over by a local officer who berated and swore at Fetuao. During the incident, he remembers thinking that he could probably do a better job of representing law enforcement than this officer.

“I try to treat others with respect and always do the right thing, regardless of the situation,” said Fetuao. “I knew I could make a difference in the community doing something in law enforcement.”

After following a circuitous path that took more than a decade, Fetuao received his certificate of completion from Chandler-Gilbert Community College’s Law Enforcement Training Academy on June 5.

Fetuao came to the U.S. from Samoa at age 13 with his parents and six siblings.  With a strict mother and a father focused on excellence, Fetuao learned self-discipline and developed a competitive nature with himself to do his best. His size and skill landed him a spot on the football team.

After graduation, he was expected to go on a mission, but attended Riverside Community College for two years instead. He played football and was finishing up the last of his eligibility requirements to play at Cal Poly when he decided a mission was something he wanted to do. He was sent to Arizona for two years and fell in love with the land, the heat and, after completing his mission, a woman who would eventually become his wife.

His interest in serving the community led him to become a correctional officer for a private company working with the U.S. Marshalls. Three years in, he realized he wanted to try and influence individuals before they landed in the correctional system.  He learned about the program at CGCC and he enrolled.

“The program is not like other academies,” said Fetuao. “At first, I couldn’t believe that we were being taught by commanders, lieutenants and officers as the faculty. They take the time to teach us the information and apply it to real-life scenarios so we know how to use it when we need to. We learn a lot of things visually and experientially, not just in a class. I haven’t even started my career and I’ve had such great experiences.”

The 10-month, 800+ hour program meets two evenings a week for four hours and all day Saturday, allowing students to attend classes while remaining employed. The training meets Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (Az POST) standards. Upon successful completion of the program and the Az POST comprehensive exam, students are eligible to be certified police officers. Students also earn 30 college credits from CGCC.

Although he hasn’t yet been employed with any of the local police departments, Fetuao has plans for the future, including returning to Samoa periodically to share what he’s learned.
“I want to tell everyone to act on their dreams. When you feel it, find the courage and go for it. You never know until you try,” said Fetuao.

To learn more about CGCC’s law enforcement training academy, visit cgc.edu/leta or contact Jon Terpay, academy director, at 480.988.8756 or jonathan.terpay@cgc.edu.

Safety is focus at annual aviation event

Ricardo Martinez (seated at table in black) listens 

to one of the many safety presentations at the 16^th 

annual Aviation Maintenance Symposium at the 

Chandler-Gilbert Community College Williams Campus.

Many employers in today’s work environment value highly skilled individuals who have an eye for quality and safety. Ricardo Martinez worked for several years in different environments before putting all these skills together as an airframe and powerplant technician.

Martinez is a 2005 graduate of Chandler-Gilbert Community College’s aviation maintenance program and is now working at Boeing in Mesa. “An emphasis on safety begins the moment you step into the classroom and continues throughout one’s career,” said Martinez. “There is a stronger emphasis on doing things right than on just getting it done fast, which resonates with me.”

Martinez was one of more than 1,200 aviation-interested individuals learning about the latest safety issues at the 16th annual Aircraft Maintenance Symposium sponsored by the college in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Scottsdale Flight Standards District Office on Mar. 8. The FAA develops the program and CGCC provides the facilities.

“It’s a natural fit for us to partner with the FAA and bring continuing education classes to the aviation community,” said Mike Hutto, CGCC aviation division chair. “It is also an opportunity to demonstrate to students entering the field that the aviation profession emphasizes ongoing education, and they need to stay informed to be an asset to their employers and the industry.”  

The two-day symposium offers aviation inspectors the chance to take the eight class-hours needed every year to renew their certificates for free. It also offers aviation professionals like Martinez a chance to hear the latest technology trends and safety issues from volunteer instructors who are leaders in the field. The topics, determined by the FAA, are wide ranging, but each has a focus on safety.

“As the educational outreach arm of the FAA, the FAA Safety Team is committed to serving the general aviation community, and making our skies even safer,” said Dominick Gallo, Jr., FAA Safety Team program manager.  “Our partnership with Chandler-Gilbert Community College is unique because it is the only community college in the state that hosts an event like this and they do it for free, which is a significant benefit to many in the industry.” 

The FAA also recognizes individuals like Ed Daror with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, which recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill and aviation expertise by maintaining safe operations for 50 or more years. Daror shared his story about escaping a concentration camp where his parents perished and his journey to the U.S. after serving the Office of Strategic Services, predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency, during WWII and then the Israeli Air Force.

“I have to admit I’m attached to the symposium,” said Martinez, who isn’t required to attend the event but comes every year. “The FAA brings in really cool speakers who talk about things that haven’t yet been talked about or published, and then I see them incorporated into practices later on.  That has a huge value.”