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Assistant Professor, Fire Technology

Department: Public Safety Programs
Palomar College

Date Opened: 08/03/2026
Close Date: 09/28/2026

Primary Function

The Assistant Professor, Fire Technology (Fire Academy) is primarily responsible for teaching a variety of courses within the discipline of Fire Technology; specifically for the Fire Fighter I Academy (FIRE 151) course.

Salary

• Starting salary range: $77,011.42 – $122,363.70 annually.
• Academic training and teaching experience will form the basis for salary computation as determined by placement on the regular salary schedule of the College. A maximum of step 8 at the appropriate salary grade will be awarded to new faculty. For a salary estimate, visit www.palomar.edu/hr/employees/classifications/salary/ and use the links in the Full-time Faculty section.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive compensation structure, Palomar College also offers an extremely generous benefits package.

• Insurance fully paid for employees and their eligible dependents: four medical plans, dental HMO, and the vision plan (additional plans are available that require employee buyup/monthly contribution)
• $80,000 employee term life/accident insurance policy (additional buy up options available)
• Employee long-term care insurance
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) – Free counseling, financial, legal, personal and professional development resources
• Additional buy up options available for other voluntary insurance benefits
• Enrollment in CalSTRS (California State Teachers Retirement System)

The estimated maximum value of this employer-paid benefits package is approximately $31,245.84 annually.

Minimum Qualifications

Must meet all the qualifications listed under 1-3 below:

1) Five years of fire service experience to manage the Accredited Regional Training Program (ARTP).2) Must meet one of the sets of qualifications listed under 1) through 3):a) Any bachelor's degree or higher AND two years of professional experience.b) Any associate degree AND six years of professional experience.c) A combination of education and experience that is at least the equivalent of the qualifications in either 1) or 2) above. You must complete and attach the Application for Equivalency form (www.palomar.edu/hr/equivalency-app/), if you do not possess the specific minimum qualifications as stated above, which includes degrees that have not been awarded at the time of submitting the application.

3) Possession of the following California State Fire Marshal (CSFM) certificates by time of appointment:a) CSFM Instructor I (not just course completion), also known as Fire and Emergency Services Instructor 1 or CSFM accepted equivalentb) CSFM Regional Instructor Orientation (RIO)c) CSFM Instructor Ethicsd) CSFM Firefighter Ie) CSFM Firefighter II

Only coursework completed at, and degrees awarded by, accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education will be considered as satisfying the minimum qualifications. Coursework and degrees that are completed outside of the United States are required to have transcripts evaluated (evaluation to U.S. equivalency and a course by course analysis) by an appropriate U.S. credentials evaluation service. For a list of credentials evaluation agencies accepted by Palomar College, visit the National Association of Credentials Evaluation Services (NACES) website at https://www.naces.org/index, or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) website at http://aice-eval.org/.

NOTE: For professional experience, a “year” is defined as equivalent to 40 hours per week for 10 months.

Diversity Statement

Palomar College serves over 30,000 students from a variety of backgrounds and we are proud to be a Hispanic Serving Institution. Our student body is rich in its diversity. Click here to see a quick overview of our student demographics on our recent Student Fact Sheet.

Palomar College is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, access and antiracism. We are dedicated to empowering students to succeed and are guided by our core values; some of which are the following:

• Access - We make education possible for everyone.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - We recognize and respect diversity, seek to foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, and strive to address inequities.
  All positions require cultural competency which includes the sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, faculty, and staff.

About the District

Palomar College, founded in 1946, is a comprehensive, two-year community college that serves the greater North San Diego County region. Palomar College offers over 200 associate degrees and certificate programs to approximately 25,000 full- and part-time students. A favorite in the community among local institutions of higher education, the College is recognized as one of the top 100 Colleges and Universities in the nation for serving Hispanic students. Palomar College is just 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean and 30 miles away from all of the exciting cultural activities that San Diego has to offer.

Palomar College is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).