Security Officer Network

How security guards can obtain free FEMA certifications and convert them into no-cost college credit.

Those who receive The Professional Security Officer eCourse (it's free to anyone who downloads the free Unarmed Guide from The Security Officer Network) are taught the importance of getting public-safety certifications. Specifically, course participants are encouraged to complete as many free, online, FEMA course certifications as possible.

FEMA offers these credits through the Independent Study Program (ISP). It is a distance learning program offered free of charge to the American public.

It's a great opportunity to build your résumé and show your present and future security employers and clients that you are serious about becoming an expert in the private security industry.

There are other benefits. These courses may entitle you to free college credits. For example: Charter Oak State College in New Britain, Connecticut, is known to accept these credits at no cost to its distance-learning students.

Here's some more information about Charter Oak's law enforcement degree: https://www.charteroak.edu/leo-emt/.

You will notice their commitment to accept FEMA credits as well as other experience such as military and EMT training.

This isn't a guarantee that they will take all of your FEMA courses. At some point they will likely put a cap on the number that you can transfer. But, at least in one case, according to a 2016 report, they accepted as many as 27 of them.

Charter Oak isn't the only institution to accept these credits. Frederick Community College in Maryland also provides academic credit for FEMA certifications. Frederick does charge $88 per credit. Read more about the Frederick program at: https://em-study.com/emsfema/.

Once transferred, and depending on the policies of your preferred college, you may be able to transfer the credits from Frederick to your college of choice.

Here are some resources.

1. SID Number from Fema.

You will need this ID to take your final exams. This allows FEMA to track your achievements: https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid.

2. Providers and Courses.

Courses from FEMA are at https://training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx and providers are listed at https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid/#training-providers.

3. FEMA's Transcript Request Form.

This lets you request your official FEMA transcript: https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/downloads/tranrqst1.pdf.

Even if the credits are never used for college, the certifications are valuable, and this is a fantastic self and career improvement strategy for security officers—especially those assigned to low-profile, no-action shifts with little to do.