Fire is a frequent and severe disaster in the field of civil engineering, and the development of fire-resistance courses in engineering structures is of great significance for cultivating outstanding engineers with disaster prevention and reduction capabilities. By conducting a comparative study of the course offerings, teaching content and methods of fire-resistance courses at universities both domestically and internationally, this paper systematically analyzes existing issues in the current curriculum, such as insufficient credits, outdated content, and the disconnection between theory and practice. Using the fire-resistance theory graduate course at Shanghai Jiao Tong University as a case study, this paper proposes a localized reform path focused on “optimizing the course structure, updating teaching content, innovating teaching methods, and integrating ideological and political education.” Teaching practices indicate that this reform significantly enhances the course's complexity, innovation, and challenge, effectively improving the course"s appeal and student satisfaction. Additionally, it has achieved notable results in promoting students" research innovation and overall ability enhancement. This study provides valuable insights for the development and educational innovation of disaster prevention courses in civil engineering in China.