Anyone who has lived in San Diego County for any amount of time is all too familiar with threats posed by natural disasters.
The 2003 Cedar Fire burned more than 273,000 acres, destroyed more than 2,300 homes and claimed 15 lives. The county’s 2007 firestorms, led by the Witch and Guejito fires, burned more than 368,000 acres, killed 10 people, and destroyed more than 1,700 homes.
The Rose Canyon, Elsinore and San Jacinto faults are among the many ruptures in the earth placing the region in the heart of earthquake country. And extreme weather, as evidenced by impacts from Tropical Storm Hilary in August, is no longer a stranger to the region.
With the implications of climate change becoming more profound and the number and severity of natural disasters threatening our region, San Diego is in need of more well-trained emergency management professionals. This is why San Diego Miramar College is seeking state approval to offer a bachelor of science degree in public safety management. This industry-endorsed, faculty-driven initiative will allow students to meet the skills training and educational requirements needed to become an emergency manager at a fraction of what students must pay at four-year colleges and university.
Our proposal is a true partnership and evolved with several local public safety officials discussing affordable bachelor’s degree options. We have secured letters of support from San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association President Criss Brainard, California State Firefighters’ Association President Eddie Sell, San Diego County Office of Emergency Services Group Program Manager Daniel M. Vasquez, California Fire Technology Directors Association President Peter Cacossa, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Chief Colin Stowell, and more. All noted the growing need for additional emergency management professionals, who can earn annual salaries well into the six figures.
Miramar College is perfectly suited to house such a program. Our School of Public Safety already offers 10 associate of science degrees, 13 certificates of achievement, 10 certificates of performance and hosts the Regional Public Safety Training Institute. And here are just a few additional pertinent reasons why our community would greatly benefit:
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has ranked San Diego County 16th out of 3,142 counties nationwide on the FEMA Hazard Risk Index for counties most vulnerable to natural disasters.
- The degree would incorporate Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Prepare California initiative and embeds industry certifications for disaster and emergency management planning and public safety needs to better equip first responder services.
- Students can earn a bachelor’s degree for a little more than just $10,000 in tuition and fees, a fraction of what a bachelor’s degree costs at public and private universities, and without the need of crippling debt.
Our vision is bold. Miramar College is simultaneously working with California State University campuses to ensure we are not duplicating efforts and has been collaborating with campuses in creating a seamless pathway for our graduates to enroll in CSU master’s degree programs.
Miramar College and the San Diego Community College District are prepared for this important step. Our sister college, San Diego Mesa College, was among the first community colleges in California given approval to offer a bachelor’s degree, in the growing field of health information management, through the Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program. The pilot program, approved by the state Legislature in 2014, was later extended and made permanent, allowing another sister college, San Diego City College, to secure approval in January of 2023 for a four-year Cyber Defense and Analysis Baccalaureate Program, a program that could launch as early as next fall.
More than two dozen California community colleges now offer baccalaureate degree programs under a 2021 law allowing the state to approve up to 30 additional bachelor degree programs annually. A Legislative Analyst’s Office study of the community college bachelor’s degree pilot program found 51% of students responding to a survey would not have pursued a bachelor’s degree if their community college program had not been offered.
The California Community Colleges is the single largest provider of public safety education and training within the state. Given the long-standing commitment to public safety education and training, San Diego County’s vulnerability to natural disasters, and local emergency management director and public safety management needs, Miramar College is in an ideal position to develop and implement the proposed bachelor of science public safety management program.
Darren Hall, who recently retired as Coronado’s fire captain, serves as program director of San Diego Miramar College’s Fire Technology Program.