Message from Captain Schmidt

Thank you for taking the time to visit the website about the Tuolumne County Fire Department Station 79 Columbia College.   The program was started in 1972 by Columbia College to help the graduating students from the Fire Academy to better prepare themselves for a career in the fire service, and over the years the program has changed with the times to adjust to needs of the fire service.   There have been many firefighters that have come through the program and have been very successful. The names of some of those who have gone on to careers in the fire service are located on a board inside the fire station. There are Fire Chiefs, Battalion Chiefs, Captains, Engineers, and Firefighters that have their names on this board that started their careers in this program.  While the students are in the program it is not all about fire service, we encourage all the students to finish their education and obtain a degree before moving on as this has proven to help them later on in their careers when they are seeking promotional opportunities.      I am proud to be in the position of the Training Captain of this program to help mentor and train the students of the program to have successful career and become the future leaders in the ever changing world of the fire service.

 Fire Captain Michael Schmidt

 

If you would like further information about the program contact:
Fire Captain Michael Schmidt
Cell- (209) 770-3895
Office- (209) 588-5303
Email:  michael.schmidt@fire.ca.gov

 

 

Columbia College Fire Department
11600 Columbia College Dr., Sonora, CA 95370