Gain Field Experience...

Brian Applegate is a fire science generalist from Chicago Ill., with a public administration minor. He is a certified firefighter/paramedic with skills to get into management.

"My public administration minor will give me an advantage when it comes to supervising co-workers and getting promoted to an officer in a fire department," says Applegate.

LSSU's dedicated three-story fire lab made all the difference to Applegate.

"Our certification training classes offered real situations," he says.

Students practice victim search techniques while controlling and extinguishing fires. Applegate says his favorite exercise was the live fire flashover simulation.

"We saw how fires evolved as they burned," he says. "It’s as close as you can get to the real thing and still have fun."

Applegate even has a job lined up after graduation.

"I’ve spent two summers interning with the Glenwood, Ill., fire department, about 25 miles south of Chicago," he says. "It has two operating fire stations staffed 24-hours-a-day that protect about 10,500 homes and businesses."