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About
We couldn't hire the people we needed. So we built a way to make them.
Zion Fire Academy is the training arm of Zion Fire Protection, LLC — a licensed Texas fire alarm, sprinkler, extinguisher and BDA/ERCES contractor headquartered in McKinney.
Our story
Field first. Classroom every Friday.
Fire protection has a labor problem: too few trained technicians and inspectors, and no clear on-ramp for people who would be great at it. The Academy started as Zion's internal answer — a paid apprenticeship with a classroom day every Friday, a sponsored NICET and Texas licensing ladder, and measurable milestones.
- 60-course catalog across five career paths, mapped to NFPA, ICC, Texas SFMO and NICET outlines.
- A McKinney lab with addressable panel stands, a sprinkler riser, BDA head-end and DAS antennas.
- Online courses built from the same lessons, now available to the public.
Who teaches
A team of industry veterans — every one of them 10+ years in the trade.
Not instructors who read about fire protection. People who install it, inspect it and sign for it every day, and who hold the credentials the industry respects: multiple NICET Level III and Level II certifications across fire alarm, water-based systems and special hazards, FCC radio licensing and Texas state licenses — with a licensed Professional Engineer supporting the curriculum behind the scenes.
Joel Sadowsky — Founder & CEO
NICET Level III Fire Alarm Systems · multiple NICET certifications in Fire Sprinkler (Water-Based Systems) and Special Hazards · FCC licensed · 15+ years in Texas fire protection. Program architect for the Academy curriculum and the apprenticeship.
Zion's licensed field, inspection and engineering staff
Each with more than ten years in the industry: Texas-licensed fire alarm and extinguisher technicians, NICET-certified inspectors and BDA/ERCES technicians. They review every module against what they see on the job this week — and they are the ones on the other end of your live sessions. Behind them, a licensed Professional Engineer (mechanical, registered in multiple U.S. states and Canada) supports the curriculum, calculations and design-review content.
Honest disclosures
What we are — and what we are not.
Exam preparation and professional training
We prepare you for state and NICET exams and teach the skills behind them. We do not issue licenses or certifications.
Results are reported, not audited
Pass-rate statements on this site come from Zion employees and students who told us their results. They are not a guarantee.
Content is licensed
Our videos, slides and question banks are our livelihood. Seats are personal; copying or sharing ends access.
Questions
Talk to a human.
[email protected] · 855-ZIONFIRE · 3275 N McDonald St, Suite 1, McKinney, Texas 75071