The document summarizes changes to the SFFMA firefighter certification program over time. It started with Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels in 2011. Objectives were later aligned with NFPA 1001 and split into Modules 1-4. Testing requirements were clarified in 2012-2014. In 2015, Driver/Operator objectives were removed, levels were consolidated, and testing became mandatory for Firefighter I and II certification.

1. Online Workshop
Part 1: Applications and Testing

2. Personal Information
Documentation submitted to the Austin Certification Office requires personal
information:
• Full Legal Name – reference to identify duplicates
• ID Number – required to speed up processing/eliminate crediting errors
• Last 4 digits of SSN – reference to identify duplicates
• Date of Birth – reference to identify duplicates and to identify “Junior”
firefighters.

3. Application Forms
• Always download new applications from the SFFMA Certification website under
“Certification Categories”.
• Certification changes go into effect January 1 each year pre-printed forms may
not reflect changes.
• Applications with a revised date (found at bottom of form) over a year old may
not be valid.
• Prices on the applications also changed on January 1, 2015.
• As soon as a trainee meets the minimum requirements, fax or e-mail the
application form to the Austin Office.
• When everyone waits to submit applications until the end of the year, processing
times increase considerably.

4. Application Forms
• Every application allows submission of an alternate name to print on the final
certificate.
• Some forms allow application for multiple levels simultaneously. Be sure to
clearly indicate at the top of the form which level(s) the submission covers.
• Application forms clearly list the minimum requirements for each certification.
• Fax or e-mail forms and supporting documentation to the Austin Office for faster
processing.
• Austin Staff will reply with an itemized invoice for the necessary processing fees.

5. Application Forms
• Austin Staff review the following with each application submission:
• Annual membership dues for the department, Coordinator, and applicant are
paid
• Department’s annual progress report has been submitted for review and/or
acceptance. (NOTE: The report for the year 2015 is not yet available for
submission and will not be due until at least the end of May 2016)
• All required personal information provided
• Coordinator has met workshop attendance requirement
• If provisional, Coordinator’s 5-year term has not expired
• Submitted documentation meets the minimum requirements

6. Application Forms
• Suggestion from the Certification Staff…
“Don’t wait until the end of the year to submit applications, but submit them
as soon as an applicant meets the minimum requirements. The number of
applications up for review mid-year is lower, so we can review them much
faster. Also, if a change to the minimum requirements goes into effect on
January 1 and your mail is delayed for any reason, we won’t be able to issue
the certificate.”

7. Application Forms
• Policy requires Austin Staff to place “on hold” any applications not meeting all
requirements.
• Austin Staff immediately updates the online database with the new certification.
• Certificates are mailed to the Coordinator’s attention at the department address.
• All applications are digitized and retained on file at the Austin Office. Archived
records go back to the mid-1970s.

8. Exam Availability
• Examination for full Firefighter I & II certification required as of January 1, 2015.
• Examinations for Driver/Operator to be available as of January 1, 2016.
• ProBoard, IFSAC, or TCFP examination results are accepted in place of SFFMA
examinations.
• Documentation should be submitted to the Austin Staff through the
department’s Coordinator.

9. Written Exams
• All written examination sessions are set up by your TEEX regional coordinators.
• Each TEEX region schedules at least four testing sessions every year.
• Additional sessions may be scheduled at the discretion of the TEEX regional
coordinator.
• Eligibility verification and registration is maintained through the SFFMA Austin
Office.

10. Skill Exams
• Contact the Austin Office to set up a skill exam date.
• Austin Staff will request the date and location of the exam session and notify
your Zone Representative.
• The zone representative must be notified of the skills exam date. They have the
option to attend and provide oversight.

11. Skill Exams
• Austin Staff will verify that the department’s Coordinator meets the minimum
requirements to serve as a skill evaluator.
• In cases where the department’s Coordinator does not meet the minimum
requirements, another individual from the department can serve as the lead
evaluator as long as they meet the minimum requirements.
• If necessary Austin Staff will help locate an approved skill examiner in your area
to help.

12. Skill Exams
• Two days ahead of the skill session, Austin Staff will e-mail all of the necessary
documentation to the lead evaluator.
• At least one Firefighter I skill will be from SCBA. The skill sheet provides four
scenarios and the lead evaluator may select any of them. Only one scenario is
required for the examination.
• After the skill exam, the lead evaluator can scan or fax the documentation back
to the Austin Office for review.

13. Skill Exams
• Skill evaluators must meet the following requirements:
• already have at least their full SFFMA Firefighter I or II certification, and can
evaluate up to that level.
• document one of the following:
1. minimum instructional requirements for a full Certification Coordinator
2. completion of a Board-approved skill proctor course
3. credentialed proctor of an approved emergency services training
entity (TEEX or TCFP).

14. Skill Exams
• Lists of approved evaluators are provided upon request from the Austin Office.
• E-mail to certification@sffma.org to request a list at any time.
• Lists are updated continuously based on certification issuance and
documentation submission.

15. Online Workshop
Part 2: Changes to Firefighter Curriculum

16. Certification Staff Disclaimer
Certification Staff in Austin do not make the changes to the program. All changes,
updates, improvements are approved by a majority vote of the Board members at
their meetings.

17. Overview
• “It’s not just you.”
• We have been through a lot of changes over the last few years, and it is very
confusing.
• This section of the workshop will review the changes since 2011.

18. 2011
• Let’s start with the old structure before the changes that made our lives so much
fun.

19. 2011
• We had three certification levels: Basic, Intermediate
• Individuals who completed a sub-set of the Basic objectives could apply for
Introductory
• Optional “Accredited” certificate issued after passing a written exam.
Basic (including Intro)
Intermediate
Advanced

20. 2011
• TEEX provided Firefighting Phase I – IV courses based on this structure from
2006-2014
• Phases I & II covered all of the Introductory objectives aside from First Aid
• Phases III & IV completed the Basic objectives
Basic (including Intro)
Intermediate
Advanced
Phases I & II + First Aid = Intro
Phases I – IV + First Aid = Basic

21. 2011 2012 – 2014
• The Certification Board reviewed the full set of objectives regardless of existing
levels and aligned them with the JPRs of NFPA 1001: Standard for Fire Fighter
Professional Qualifications (ed. 2008).
Basic (including Intro)
Intermediate
Advanced
Big Pile of Objectives

22. 2011 2012 – 2014
• There were meetings… fights… children cried...
Basic (including Intro)
Intermediate
Advanced
Big Pile of Objectives

23. 2011 2012 – 2014
• First, all objectives that were specific to Firefighter II were separated out to
create Module 4: Firefighter II (Advanced)
• The term “Advanced” was carried through based on the requirements for TCFP
testing.
Basic (including Intro)
Intermediate
Advanced
Big Pile of Objectives
Module 4: (Advanced)

24. 2011 2012 – 2014
• Next, all objectives that were left from the old Introductory became Module 1:
Firefighter I (Intro)
Basic (including Intro)
Intermediate
Advanced
Big Pile of Objectives
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 1: (Intro)

25. 2011 2012 – 2014
• All remaining objectives were split evenly into Module 2: Firefighter I (Basic) and
Module 3: Firefighter I (Completion)
• The term “Basic” was retained to ensure individuals could still receive their
Firefighter license plates.
Basic (including Intro)
Intermediate
Advanced
Big Pile of Objectives
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)

26. 2011 2012 – 2014
• Optional Full Firefighter I or II certificate issued after passing written and skill
exams.
Basic (including Intro)
Intermediate
Advanced
Big Pile of Objectives
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)

27. 2011 2012 – 2014
Basic (including Intro)
Intermediate
Advanced
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)
• Database relabeled to align with the new format
• M1 – Module 1 M2 – Module 2 M3 – Module 3 M4 – Module 4

28. 2011 2012 – 2014
Basic (including Intro)
Intermediate
Advanced
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)
• In 2013 NFPA released an update to the 1001: Firefighter standard
• The program then went back under required review.

29. 2012 – 2014 2015
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)
• This time just the Firefighter I material needed extensive review.
• Completion of the objectives established testing eligibility (more on that later).
Big Pile of Objectives
Firefighter II
Training Completion

30. 2012 – 2014 2015
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)
• NFPA 1002: Driver/Operator material removed from the firefighter program.
• Extra non-1001 material removed and some remaining categories combined.
Big Pile of Objectives
Firefighter II
Training Completion
D/O
objectives
Non-1001
objectives

31. 2012 – 2014 2015
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)
• NFPA 1002: Driver/Operator material removed from the firefighter program.
• Extra non-1001 material removed and some remaining categories combined.
Smaller Pile of
Objectives
Firefighter II
Training Completion

32. 2012 – 2014 2015
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)
• NFPA 1403: Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions recommends certain
categories of training be completed prior to beginning Live Fire training.
Smaller Pile of
Objectives
Firefighter II
Training Completion

33. 2012 – 2014 2015
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)
• The specified categories were separated out to create 1403: Introductory as a subset
of the Firefighter I objectives.
• Completion of these categories qualifies the individual for an Introductory Fire
Fighting training completion certificate.
Smaller Pile of
Objectives
Firefighter II
Training Completion
1403: Introductory

34. 2012 – 2014 2015
Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)
• The remaining Firefighter I objectives remained to establish testing eligibility.
Smaller Pile of
Objectives
Firefighter II
Training Completion
1403: Introductory
Firefighter I
Training Completion

35. Testing…
• Let’s take a moment to talk about testing.

36. • Up until 2011 individuals who received their Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced
Firefighter certificates had the option to take a written examination.
• After passing the exam, they would receive an Accredited Basic, Intermediate, or
Advanced Firefighter certification.
Basic
Accredited
Intermediate
Accredited
Advanced
Accredited
2011
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced

37. • There were essentially six different certifications to track.
• This was also a consistent source of confusion, especially when listed as a
prerequisite for another certification.
Basic
Accredited
Intermediate
Accredited
Advanced
Accredited
2011
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced

38. • While making other changes to align the program with Firefighter I & II, the
Board clarified the certificates to be clearer to those outside the SFFMA family.
Basic
Accredited
Intermediate
Accredited
Advanced
Accredited
2011
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced

39. • Anyone who tested out at the Intermediate and Advanced levels prior to 2012
were “grandfathered” on January 1, 2012 with their records in the database
relabeled to Firefighter I or II.
• Those who tested out to the Basic level remained with a label of Basic in the
same area but no further exams were offered.
Basic
Accredited
Intermediate
Accredited
Advanced
Accredited
Basic
Accredited
Firefighter I
Firefighter II
2011 2012 – 2014

40. • It was progress, but still left us tracking six separate certifications.
Basic
Accredited
Firefighter I
Firefighter II
2011 2012 – 2014
Basic
Accredited
Intermediate
Accredited
Advanced
Accredited
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)

41. • At the request of the SFFMA Executive Board the Certification Board mandated
that firefighter certifications require some form of testing for issuance.
• Since January 1, 2015 individuals who complete their Firefighter I or II training and
have their applications fully processed are designated as trained through
Firefighter I or II.
• At that time they are also listed as eligible to take their written and skill exams.
• Upon completion of both exams (it doesn’t matter which is done first), the
individual will receive a full SFFMA Firefighter I or II certification.
2011 2012 – 2014 2015

42. • As of January 1, 2015 SFFMA offers one training completion certificate and two
full firefighter certifications.
Basic
Accredited
Firefighter I
Firefighter II
Basic
Accredited
Intermediate
Accredited
Advanced
Accredited
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced Module 4: (Advanced)
Module 3: (Completion)
Module 2: (Basic)
Module 1: (Intro)
2011 2012 – 2014 2015
1403: Introductory
Firefighter I
Firefighter II