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From The Chief’s Desk – Firefighter 1 & 2 Certification Changes

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Chief Wade

The North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission approved, in July 2013, changes that are associated with the recent release of the NFPA 1001 Firefighter Standard, 2013 edition. The Firefighter 1 and 2 program will become one certification. In anticipation of these changes the Commission approved the following:

  1. Stop conducting individual Firefighter Level 1 classes after December 31, 2013.
  2. Stop conducting individual Firefighter Level 2 classes after December 31, 2014.
  3. Firefighter Level 1 and 2 combo classes should be conducted instead of individual Level 1 or Level 2 classes immediately, when possible.

The goal is to allow students who started out taking individual classes time to complete them individually if possible. The student still has the option to take the combo classes to complete certification. These time frames will coincide with the release of the Firefighter Rewrite and Re-qualification. We don’t have an exact date on the release, but the goal is to run the Instructor Re-qualifications April-July 2014 and implement the changes January 1, 2015.

These changes do not affect any members that have already completed their Firefighter Certification. It is recommended that any member close to completing their certification do so by December 31, 2014. The Training Division is willing to work with each of you to help you accomplish your training goals.

North Carolina Firefighter Certification

In a continued effort to reduce firefighter loss in the State of North Carolina, the State Legislature established General Statute 58-78-5.14b, which requires the State Fire and Rescue Commission to establish voluntary minimal professional qualifications for all levels of fire and rescue service personnel. The standard for Firefighter Certification is considered to be a minimum standard and the Fire & Rescue Commission fully recognizes that, due to differing requirements, many fire departments may set forth standards much higher than these for their personnel. It is the intent, however, that through a voluntary program, personnel who provide firefighting services to the communities of our state will meet or exceed this standard. The NFPA 1001 Standard for Firefighter Professional Qualifications, Current Edition, will be the performance standard used for Firefighter certification.

If you have any questions about these changes, please contact me.

– Chief Brian Wade