Amy Tereschuk
B.S. Fire and Emergency Services Administration

An internal fire has always driven Amy Tereschuk in her professional and academic careers. Tereschuk is a firefighter and driver/operator for the Guelph Fire Department in Ontario, Canada. Many different circumstances sparked her career in public service.

When she was a child she remembers watching the first female firefighter in her home city demonstrate a high-angle rescue for her class. She also experienced the need for life-saving help when at age 14 she got caught in a whirlpool despite being a strong swimmer. Later, a 10-year career in the Canadian military cultivated the leadership skills and physicality she currently applies in emergency response on a daily basis.

Amy Tereschuk on duty. (Photo courtesy of the Guelph Fire Department)

It’s fair to say that Tereschuk thrives in situations of constant change and learning. “I’m always looking for ways to educate myself further, because I’d get bored if I didn’t,” she said.

After a decade as a firefighter, Tereschuk knew she needed to find the next step in her career. She didn’t limit herself to local options. She completed her original firefighter training at Texas A&M University and saw U.S. programs at the forefront of her field. When she found the FESA program at CSU she knew it would provide the all-encompassing skills she needed to advance her career.

“The FESA program covered everything you do on the job as well as the added administrative responsibilities of emergency management such as report writing and budgeting,” Tereschuk said.

She learned how to balance two to three courses each semester amidst 24-hour shifts at one of the busier stations in her area. It was stressful at times, but Tereschuk said organizing her time from the start was key.

“When you’re at this level, everything has to come from within,” she found. “You have to be proactive and take the initiative. I learn well on my own and this program kept me motivated.”

Amy Tereschuk shakes hands with Department Head Linda Nagel at the Fall 2017 Commencement ceremony.

Her next step is to become a Training Officer and help other firefighters find the motivation they need to keep improving their skills. She is already interviewing for positions and feels well equipped to move forward into the administrative world of fire management.

“The FESA program provided more than enough as a baseline to start these kinds of positions,” Tereschuk said. “I have never felt unprepared going into an interview or unprepared for anything else I may now take on in the fire service.”

A large number of students in Forest and Rangeland Stewardship are part of the department’s FESA program offered online. In Fall 2017, there were 61 students in the program. 

Congratulations to our other FESA graduates: Robert Bertram, Paul Hemming, Nathaniel Hug, Cameron Nelson, Justin Olomon and David Robbins.