To the untrained eye, a day of skills training at NCTC’s Basic Fire Academy may look like a bunch of kids hanging from ropes, crawling on cars and having fun with fire hoses, but instructors warn that there’s a much more serious agenda at play— and it’s not for the faint of heart. Whether students enrolled in the Fire Science program aim for the one-year Basic Firefighter Certificate or...

NCTC’s Emergency Services division, devoted to training a new generation of first responders in careers like firefighting and emergency medical services, is in the midst of a rapid expansion that directly mirrors the incredible growth of North Texas and its host of sprawling communities. Answering the call of the area’s population explosion — and the resulting need for emergency personnel...