Fire Protection at Lewis-Clark State College

Nationally, fire protection bachelor's programs typically produce first-year earnings around $67,000—a solid starting point for a field that values professional credentials and offers clear advancement paths. For this Lewis-Clark State program, where both earnings and debt figures are estimated from peer institutions due to small graduate cohorts, the projected debt load of roughly $23,000 sits comfortably below the first-year salary. That 0.34 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests graduates could realistically manage loan payments while building careers in fire science, emergency management, or public safety administration.

The challenge here is uncertainty. With only four schools offering this degree in Idaho and no reported outcomes data from any of them, you're making an investment based entirely on what happens at similar programs elsewhere. Fire protection is a specialized field where geographic factors—population density, fire department budgets, regional disaster risks—heavily influence job markets and salaries. What works for graduates in California or the Southeast may not reflect opportunities in Idaho's smaller cities and rural communities.

If your child has concrete connections to Idaho's fire service community or a clear path into emergency management roles in the region, the estimated numbers suggest manageable debt. But given the data gaps, conversations with local fire departments about hiring practices and salary ranges would be essential before committing.