Class named in honor of the late Liberty County Sheriff J. Don Martin

SAVANNAH – Ten students will graduate from the Savannah Technical College Peace Officer Academy at its spring completion ceremony August 8 at 10:30 AM in the Eckburg Auditorium on the Savannah Campus, 5717 White Bluff Road. Of the ten, three are currently affiliated with law enforcement agencies including Savannah Chatham Metro Police and Hinesville Police Department.

Each cohort selects a fallen officer for whom the graduating class will be named. This cohort selected J. Don Martin, the long-time Liberty County Sheriff who passed away in May, 2010. His wife, Polly will attend the graduation.

This is the eighth group of students to complete the program since its inception in 2009. To date, the program has graduated 105 POST-certified officers.

SAVANNAH – Savannah Technical College been accepted as a Certified Testing Agency for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), http://www.nabcep.org meaning that the College can now offer testing for solar energy systems installers seeking to obtain a nationally-accepted endorsement of their skills. Says Department Head and Photovoltaic Systems Installation and Repair Instructor Lester Wiggins, “We’ll encourage all of the students in our solar energy installation program to test for accreditation. When they’re working in the field, consumers will want to have the confidence that their installer has the skills and knowledge to do the job well.”

According to the NABCEP website, standards, developed by subject matter experts, have been set and the eligibility requirements are reasonably achievable being based on extensive input from stakeholders and deliberation among installers.

For installers, the certification:

• Identifies installers as professionals, instilling consumer confidence in their work
• Validates extra resources spent on training and gaining experience
• Allows for installer mobility as the market moves from state to state
• Allows installers to distinguish their skills and experience in the field

For consumers:

• Provides a means to identify qualified installers, promoting confidence in the work performed
• Preserves consumer choice, maintaining access to both certified and uncertified installers

Savannah Technical College was the first technical college in Georgia to offer a solar energy installation program. Since its inception, more than 45 graduates have completed the program. This fall, the college will be adding wind technology classes and is currently working on a new green building technology program to begin next year.

SAVANNAH – Savannah Technical College is hosting an information session July 12 at 5:30 PM at the Crossroads Technology Campus about new instructional programs in Fire Science including:

· Fire Fighter I & II Certification Training: Basic firefighting instruction designed to prepare the student to earn state firefighter certification.

· Fire Officer I & II Certification Training: Comprehensive supervisor and officer development program with credit toward earning a diploma and associate degree.

· Fire Science Diploma: Academic and leadership development program.

· Fire Science Associate Degree: Comprehensive academic and leadership development degree program.

The lead instructor will be Anthony (Tony) Faust, who recently retired from the City of Savannah as a Battalion Chief after 25 years of service. Faust rose through the ranks at Savannah Fire and was its first Public Information Officer. He received numerous accolades during his career including a commendation for rescuing flood victims in the mid-1990s.

“Managing Savannah Tech’s new Fire Science program will allow me the opportunity to support regional fire departments in certifying new employees and preparing firefighters for leadership positions in the fire service,” says Faust.

Classes will be offered at the Crossroads campus with schedules convenient to firefighter work schedules with daytime, evening, online and hybrid classes with practical hands-on training occurring at various fire departments. “We are partnering with the state firefighting certifying agency and area departments to offer this training,” continues Faust. The program will prepare firefighters to earn required state certifications so they can perform their tasks more effectively.

Classes will begin with the fall semester beginning August 24. Interested students should contact Tony Faust by email at tfaust@savannahtech.edu or by calling 912.443.3386.