Abstract: Education, especially higher education, is a prerequisite for the professionalization of firefighting industry. The American fire service recognized the importance of higher education early on and established the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) program in 1998. This program outlines the development framework for the fire and rescue profession and establishes a mechanism for mutually beneficial, and interconnected mechanism between the government, universities, industry associations, and certification bodies. It broke down the barriers between higher education, training, and work experience, promoted the popularization of higher education in fire and rescue teams, and facilitated the professionalization of firefighting. Professionalization and specialization of fire and rescue teams are important goals for the development of China􀆳s emergency rescue teams. However, issues such as low professional recognition, insufficient higher education resources, and a lack of systematic training have hindered the development of China􀆳s fire and rescue teams. The FESHE program offers valuable insights for China in areas such as the landscape planning of the fire and rescue services, the expansion of higher education resources, and the establishment of collaborative mechanisms between the government, universities, industry associations, and certification bodies.

Key words: American FESHE program, higher education, fire and rescue teams, professionalization and specialization, mechanism