Paul Stein

Professor

“I was crawling around in the smoke, on my hands and knees, when I bumped into another frightened fire fighter. We both jumped. Well, I had just run into a mirror.”

Paul Stein is the Fire Science Coordinator at SMC where he’s taught for 15 years. And as a battallion commander for a local fire department, he has experienced his share of “hot spots” over the years. “I was on my way down into that flaming inferno when another fire fighter grabbed me by the collar and pulled me out. He quite simply saved my life.”

Paul teaches the entire spectrum of fire fighting techniques at SMC. “I teach Introduction to Fire Protection,” he says, “and I also teach Fire 18 which is a class I developed. It’s a class that prepares people to take their fire department entrance exams. And it’s an extremely competitive situation,” he says. “Only 1 percent of the people who apply get accepted.”

Paul says that there is also a whole new field opening up to those who, almost daily, risk their health for public safety. “Next semester, I’ll be teaching a class in handling hazardous materials,” says Paul. “It’s really become a huge issue these days, with all the laws that have to be complied with. And it’s a really fun class to teach.”

“The students at SMC are why I’m here,” says Paul. “They’re a lot of fun and they’re eager to learn.” But it’s when the siren sounds and the red trucks roll that Paul feels most satisfied with his profession. “The best thing about fighting fires,” he says, “is that people are always grateful you’re there for them.”

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