The program will include 12 class offerings, ranging from a class introducing students to the history of fire service to one training students how to be an airport firefighter.

Only one class will be offered this spring, followed by two offerings in the summer and another two offerings in the fall.

The classes will offer hands-on training and, once the program is completed, students can become certified as firefighters and paramedics.

"It is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to our local residents," Oakland fire Chief Daniel Farrell said in a prepared statement. "We are proud to be involved in what is shaping up to be a terrific program."

Merritt College will join more than a dozen other community colleges in offering the program.

"There isn't a college anywhere that is more perfectly suited to such a program," Peralta Community College Chancellor Elihu Harris said in a prepared statement. "It is an honor that Oakland Fire Department has teamed up with us to provide this program ... and the job opportunities it will inspire."

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