Fire Protection at Rockland Community College

In New York, fire protection programs produce wildly different outcomes, and Rockland's estimated numbers look unusually strong—perhaps too strong to trust without verification. While peer programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $56,000, the actual reported median for New York fire protection graduates is just $37,705. That's a $18,000 gap that raises real questions about whether this program will deliver outcomes closer to the optimistic national average or the more modest state reality.

The estimated debt of roughly $10,400 is manageable regardless of which earnings scenario plays out, yielding a debt-to-earnings ratio under 0.20 even at the lower state figure. That's a safety net worth noting. But the uncertainty here matters enormously for career planning: $56,000 puts you solidly into middle-class earnings immediately, while $37,705 means you're likely working part-time or in lower-tier positions while trying to break into better-paying fire service roles.

Before committing, contact Rockland's career services and ask what percentage of recent graduates are employed full-time in fire protection within a year, and what their typical starting salaries are. The estimated figures give this program a veneer of strong value, but without actual placement data from this specific school, you're making a decision in the dark about where on that $18,000 spectrum your child will likely land.