Fire Protection at Coconino Community College

A fire protection certificate that costs around $9,500 and leads to earnings near $47,000 sounds reasonable on paper, but there's a complication: these figures come from national peer programs, not from Coconino's actual graduate outcomes. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.20 suggests manageable repayment, but the earnings estimate sits well above what we see in Arizona's fire protection market—Pima Community College, the only Arizona program with reported data, shows graduates earning $35,059, a full $12,000 less than the national benchmark used here.

That gap matters. If Coconino's graduates face Arizona's actual fire protection job market rather than the national average, the value proposition shifts considerably. Fire protection jobs in Arizona may simply pay less than in other states, which would mean the estimated debt remains accurate (based on comparable community colleges) while the earnings expectation is too optimistic. This isn't unusual for public safety careers where compensation varies significantly by region and whether graduates work for municipal departments versus private sector.

For families deciding whether to pursue this certificate, the key question is where your student plans to work. If they're staying in Arizona and targeting local fire departments, budget for starting pay closer to $35,000. At that income level, the debt still looks manageable—but barely—and leaves less room for other financial obligations. Request placement data from Coconino directly: where do their fire protection graduates actually get hired, and what do those positions pay?