Professional qualifications testing becomes more widely available
Wherever there’s enough interest, fire inspector certification testing will be available, thanks to an agreement between the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Fire Protection Association. Fire officer tests will be added next year.
Previously, certification for the two job functions has been available only where state agencies administer it. In contrast, IAFC and NFPA will determine locations for their tests by the response to candidate bulletins, and groups of 12 or more people can request a special test center, says Robert Barr, director of the NFPA’s Fire Service Professional Qualifications Program.
Certification serves a function similar to a college degree, Barr notes: It’s “a means by which an individual can demonstrate competence.” Some fire departments also list certification as a job requirement when recruiting from outside, he adds.
One hundred people took the first inspector’s test at more than a dozen sites around the country, says Barr. A second test is scheduled for May 21. The exam determines whether a candidate meets the performance levels of NFPA 1031, “Fire Inspector Professional Qualification Standard.” It consists of 100 questions to be answered within four hours and costs $125.
Tests for Fire Officer I and II will be ready early next year, and for Fire Officer III and IV later next year. They’ll be based on NFPA 1021, “Fire Officer Professional Qualification Standard.”
