Documenting an ICS-300 Class for College Credit

As some of you know, I'm in Civil Air Patrol, and I am required to take certain courses for certain duty positions. I'm the deputy PAO of my squadron, and I hope to be qualified as a Mission Information Officer. In order to do that, I have to take an ICS-300 Class. I know ACE has evaluated FDNY's ICS-300 course as being worth 2 Semester Hours, but how would an ICS Course from another institution be validated? Further, how would I be able to document this to earn credit?

 

Did you check the National ACE online guide?

http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/index.cfm?fuseaction=browse.main

 

I am not aware of any way you are going to get an ICS-300 validated for college credit. I do see some possible pitfalls in trying to do so. FEMA has stated that the minimum course contact hours for an ICS-300 course is 18 total hours. I have seen many agencies including police departments and the Civil Air Patrol having courses below the minimum hours. Should you take a class and it is below the minimum hours, you could be drawing unwanted attention to yourself in trying to get college credit for it. So be sure to have a certificate that shows at least 18 hours.

You should also be able to show that the instructor has met the FEMA qualifications to teach. Would you want to find out later that your instructor was not qualified or had not even take ICS300 himself? As FEMA says, "Stakeholders are responsible for validating that vendor courses meet the proscribed course minimums."

 

18 Hours of Sitting

I am in the Civil Air Patrol, and I took the ICS 300 course at a SAR College, sitting on the chairs that were available that one could only comfortably tolerate for a couple hours. I am still feeling that months later.

I get what you are saying... FEMA requires the 18 hour course. The certificate of completion comes from FEMA. If you have the certificate credential, you have earned whatever college credits come with it. FEMA does not make a special certificate for those CAP guys who didn't attend the 18 hour version of the course. If someone went to a course like that, it is really an issue regarding the instructors. My instructors were emphasizing that the course was going to take 18 hours as mandated by FEMA. It was a grind over 2 and a half days. I have an ICS-300 certificate, and the saddle sores that go with it! It's as good as any other!