FIRE INSPECTORS: BRIDGING THE CREDIBILITY GAP
Dave was sitting in his office at one of the city’s largest architectural firms. John, the senior partner, had just walked in and wanted to know why the new mixed-use development they were working on was running behind schedule. “The fire marshal has been busting our chops on this one. He’s insisting that we provide hose cabinets in the corridors even though the code only requires fire department hose outlets in the stairways. He also doesn’t like where we’re showing the lire department connection. We’ve specified a wallmounted one, but he wants a freestanding connection. We’ve tried negotiating the requirements because they’re not called for by the code, but he won’t budge. These changes are going to cost us at least S50,000 unless we can get a variance from the Board of Adjustments and Appeals.” Dave’s frustration was obvious. He had seen this too often. A fire official with a high school education and 20 years of firefighting experience trying to do the job of a fire prevention specialist. “I’m sure he means well, but how are these requirements going to make the building and its occupants safer?”
“You should have seen the drawings I just received for a new office building over on Third Street. What a mess! The developer didn’t want to put sprinklers in the electrical rooms, the fire department connection was around back on the loading dock, the tire alarm control unit was in a closet in the security office….” The lieutenant was on a roll. This wasn’t the first time in his 10 years as a fire inspector that a contractor had submitted drawings that should have been prepared by a registered design professional. He knew’ it was common on such speculative office buildings for the developer to try to save a few bucks wherever possible, and it was disturbing to see someone show so little regard for doing the job right. He wondered why people didn’t make more of an effort to get the right information before they galloped off in the wrong direction. “Why don’t people use experts when they need them?” he wondered.
Do these scenarios sound familiar? Indeed, they are two sides of the same coin: credibility. Both the fire official and the designer are frustrated because they artdealing w-ith someone who doesn’t speak their language, someone who is working without a net The fire marshal is frustrated because the developer is using a contractor to prepare drawings rather than spending a few more dollars to hire a registered architect or engineer. The architect is upset because he is dealing with a fire official who is making unreasonable and unsubstantiated requirements
How do the parties in these situations know the person with whom they’re dealing is not credible? One of the first clues is the way the other party presented himself through his work. Sure, the developer’s design was wrong and the fire official’s requirements were off base, but how do we know the lieutenant and the architect aren’t wrong also? First, both arc certified Their job knowledge and professional experience have been validated by their having taken and passed certification examinations in their respective disciplines. They have been recognized as professionals by their peers Second, they are familiar with the job knowledge and skills of the other professional and recognize what is required to perform that job competently. Ix-t’s look at what each profession requires of its practitioners.
DESIGN PROFESSIONALS
The design professions—architecture and engineering, in particular — require advanced academic preparation. Each now requires a minimum of four years of postsecondary academic preparation at an accredited college or university. After graduation, a design professional must accumulate three to five years of documented experience under the supervision of a registered design professional in that discipline and pass one or more registration examinations. The academic and experience standards are developed by practicing professionals. The examinations are developed and administered by the professionals themselves, not by a governmental body.
After being admitted to practice, a design professional is pledged to uphold and advance the profession’s standards. The recognition of the design professions’ credentials is nearly universal. Every state in the nation recognizes and registers architecture and engineering credentials obtained through these processes. This simple. balanced, and straightforward program has considerable credibility.
FIRE INSPECTOR PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS1
For more than 20 years, the fire service has been in the process of developing and refining professional standards for all fire department positions. Originally established as a project of the Joint Council of National Fire Service Organizations (JCNFSO ), the development of professional standards is now conducted under the auspices of the National Fire Protection Association. NFPA 1031. Standard on Professional Qualifications for Fire Inspector, Fire In res fixator, and Fire Pretention Education Officer, was first issued in 1977. in 1987, the standard was revised and reissued as three separate standards tailored to the unique requirements of each fire prevention discipline. The 1993 edition of NFPA 1031, Standard on Fire Inspector Professional Qualifications, is the latest and the first developed by a balanced technical committee under the NFPA consensus standards system. Like previous editions, it establishes three levels of professional competence: Fire Inspector I, II, and ill. These levels correspond with increasing levels of technical and professional responsibility.
Originally, the professional qualifications standards were developed as part of an integrated professional qualifications system oriented solely toward the uniformed career fire service. In recent years, the professional qualifications standards have widened their scope in recognition of the increasing use of civilian and nonuniformed staff to perform these functions and the increased demand for such standards in volunteer, part-paid, and privatesector organizations. As a result, these standards now focus exclusively on what a competent individual needs to know rather than being concerned with the type of agency for whom the individual works. The following descriptions summarize some of the important competencies addressed by the standard.
Fire Inspector I. The entry level inspector generally performs field inspections of existing facilities to identify fire hazards and implement corrective actions. He must have a good understanding of the hazards of common commercial and industrial materials and processes; how fires start, grow, and spread; the specific tactics and strategies firefighters must use to control them; and how occupants will respond to escape or combat fires if they occur. He also must possess good oral and written communication skills to ensure compliance with fire safe practices, respond to citizen complaints, and maintain effective relations with superiors.
Fire Inspector II. The intermediate level is associated with increased technical responsibilities, including new construction inspection, system testing, and plan review. In addition to the skills associated with Fire Inspector I, a Fire Inspector II must be familiar with the preparation of construction documents; the design and performance of fire protection systems, equipment, and devices; the arrangement and identification of means of egress; the design, construction, and protection of fire resistant assemblies; the safe storage, handling, and use of hazardous materials; and procedures for planning and preparing tor emergencies. He also must have excellent communication skills and be able to present expert technical evidence in legal proceedings. Most also perform supervisory duties.
Fire Inspector HI The top level denotes a person with considerable technical and supervisory responsibilities. He must have a detailed understanding of the administrative, legislative, and judicial procedures associated with the development, adoption, enforcement, and amendment of fire prevention regulations. He also must be skilled in the evaluation of alternative methods and materials for meeting the technical requirements of the fire prevention code.
“WE DON’T NEED NO STINKING CERTIFICATIONS!”
Fire inspectors receive their authority to interpret, apply, and enforce compliance with fire safety regulations by virtue of their office. The same regulations that specify minimum standards of fire safety do not establish mandatory minimum qualifications for those who enforce them. At present, it seems a badge is more important than professional credentials in many jurisdictions.
Despite a continuing national interest in establishing and maintaining professional standards, fire inspectors have shown a profound lack of interest in achieving recognition through certification. Although NFPA 1031 defines the criteria for evaluating the technical and professional competence of fire inspectors. the NFPA does not currently certify fire inspectors. Between 1988 and 1991, the NFPA and the International Association of Fire Chiefs jointly sponsored a testing program that led to certification as either a Fire Inspector 1 or 11 under the 1987 edition of NFPA 1031. (This program also was recognized by Building Officials and ( ode Administrators International. Inc., or BOCA.) The NFPA discontinued the program because it was unable to support itself financially due to the fire service’s lack of participation. Between 1988 and 1991.801 individuals became certified as Fire Inspector I and 182 as Fire Inspector II.’ The explanation for the low level of interest may liein the lack of certification requirements. Only 23 states currently require inspectors to be certified,’ and until very recently none of them recognized the NFPA certification system.
BALKANIZATION OF CERTIFICATION
In place of a nationally recognized certification testing program, three national accreditation bodies have emerged: the Emergency Management Accreditation and Certification System (EMACS), the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), and the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (NBFSPQ). The purpose of these organizations is to evaluate and recognize the procedures employed by regional, state, or local programs for certifying fire service professionals. The proliferation of accrediting bodies and certification programs has necessitated a new’ standard on accreditation and certification systems, NFPA 1000.
The results of this balkanization of fire service professional qualifications programs are confusion and lack of universal professional recognition. Linlike design professionals, it remains rare for fire service professional qualifications to receive reciprocal recognition beyond the certifying jurisdiction or accrediting body domain. This produces a wider credibility gap as it becomes difficult to dissociate the certification of fire inspectors from the authority to appoint them. Unlike thirdparty certification by organizations composed of professional peers, third-party accreditation is unlikely to change this perception if credentials do not achieve a high degree of portability.
To put the lack of interest in certification in context, note that the NFPA survey of fire department experience estimates that 261,800 individuals were employed as firefighters in career departments in 199U Most career departments dedicate three to five percent of their personnel to, fire prevention activities. If this is true, somewhere between 7,500 and 13,000 people perform duties associated with fire prevention. Even if only one-third of them are engaged in code-enforcement activities. the number of people who should be certified is between 2,600 and 4,300.
CURRENT TESTING PROGRAMS
Although the NFPA no longer offers a testing program for fire inspectors and most states that require certification set their own standards, two of the three, model code organizations currently offer certification training and examination programs. (All of the model code organizations have educational products and programs oriented toward the needs of fire inspectors.) Southern Building CodeCongress International, Inc. (SBCC1), whic h publishes the Standard Fire Prevention Code”. has been offering fire inspector certification exams since 19K2. At the end of 1993. 696 individuals had been certified as Fire Inspector I, 78 as Fire Inspector II, and 76 as Chief Fire Code Analyst or Fire Inspector III.’ The SBCCI program is jointly sponsored by the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs (SEAFC). In January 1994, the SBCCI/ SEAFC program became accredited by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications The International FireCode Institute (li t I). which develops the Uniform Fire Code”, has a certification program for fire inspectors and company officer fire code inspectors/’ The Il’CI program is recognized by many jurisdictions that adopt the Uniform Codes'” but is not accredited by one of the threenational bodie-s,
WHY JOHNNY CAN’T PASS
Something else may be lacking besides uniform certification requirements anel a universal, if not unified, credentialing system Despite a rigorous validation process designed to ensure that the test fairly and accurately evaluates job performance requirements, the passing rate for SBCCFs l ire Inspector I examination during the period from May 1993 to February 1994 was only 42 percent. This represented a significant improvement over previous periods, when it had dipped as low as 30 percent on some quarterly test administrations. Officials at the NFPA report that the pass/fail rate for their examinations was somewhat better overall, with 77 percent passing the Fire Inspector I exam and approximately 50 percent passing Fire Inspector II.
At least two factors seem to explain the poor performance of those who attempt the examinations. Despite their obvious interest in professional advancement, many of the individuals participating in fire inspector training express considerable discomfort and concern about taking certification examinations. This may be due to the fact that many of these individuals have not taken a standardized exam since taking their original civil service examination to become firefighters. Since fire inspector positions usually are promotional or are reserved for those with somedegree of line experience, many experienced firefighters may be intimidated by the requirement to demonstrate their knowledge on an examination.
This problem may be compounded by a lack of academic preparation. As the descriptions of the fire inspector competence levels suggest, the training, education, and experience required to perform the duties of each position are considerable. Most fire departments will require’ only basic academic preparation—a high school diploma or GED—to become a firefighter or fire inspector. However, a technical education, equivalent to an associate’s degree, often is required to master the knowledge and skill prerequisites for each of the fire inspector job performance requirements.
EDUCATION, NOT TRAINING
In the fire service, education often is confused with training. While training focuses on acquiring skills and mastering tasks, education focuses on understanding concepts and applying knowledge. The ability to extract abstract information front codes and standards, apply it to realworld situations, and communicate it effectively is dramatically different front, learning how to raise a ground ladder or advance a handline. Although both types of knowledge are important in the context of fire inspection, conceptual abilities and communication skills are very difficult to acquire on the job.
Like the lack of interest in fire inspector certification, a lack of interest in education has been evident in the fire service as well. Although it has become increasinglycommon to see two-year, four-year, and even graduate degrees required for executive-level fire service positions, such requirements are still rare at the entry and midmanagement levels. Indeed, fire ser-. vice support for higher education may be increasing, but it has been a long timecoming. It was not too long ago that the International Association of Fire Fighters withdrew its support for the National Fire Academy’s Open Learning Fire Service Program, a four-year science degree cur-„ riculum offered through a consortium of I’.S. colleges and universities.
In this respect, we are behind the times. In the United Kingdom, the nationalized fire service requires all candidates for advancement to take standardized promo-, tional examinations. However, the mem-‘ bership examinations of the Institution of, Fire Engineers (IFE)—an organization comparable to the International Association of Fire Chiefs in the United States— have been recognized as equivalent to these tests for purposes of attaining promotional credentials. Indeed, corporate membership in the IFE also is recognized as equivalent to a Higher National Ccrtificate or one year of college.
The IFF has become a world leader in promoting fire service education through its efforts to promote the academic preparation of fire engineers. As a result of its efforts to promote educational standards for fire service officers, it has successfully established part-time academic programs leading to a series of academic credentials culminating in four-year degrees in fire engineering and fire engineering management. The B.Sc. (Hons.) degree in fire engineering qualifies members for Chartered Fngineer status, equivalent to Professional Engineer (P.E.) registration in the United States. The IFF also has been successful in defining the educational competence of private-sector fire safety practitioners through its joint-sponsorship with the Fire Service College (national training academy), Institute of Building Control (building officials). Incorporated Association of Architects and Surveyors, and Royal Institute of British Architects of a National Core Curriculum in Fire Safety Studies, now offered through the University of Central Lancashire and the Fire Service College at Moreton-in-Marsh.B
CERTIFICATION: MAKING INITIALS FOR YOURSELF
Certainly professionalism is more than where you went to school or for how long, how many years you’ve been working in your field, whom you work for, how much you are paid, or what initials you have after your name. That said, however, we must recognize that all of these things together say a lot about how professional someone is. What is really important is how these things are put into practice to solve practical problems with creativity, discipline, and clarity of purpose.
A profession is defined by the standards it sets and judged by the competence demonstrated by those who practice it. All true professionals set standards for their members to follow, file professions promote these standards and police themselves to ensure the standards are maintained.
Before fire inspectors make a name for themselves (be it good or bad) by the way they enforce the code, they should give serious consideration to obtaining the credentials that define them as true professionals. If fire inspection is to gain recognition as a credible profession in an area where designers typically possess such credentials as advanced academic degrees and registration, it must similarly embrace education and certification as means of defining the profession. Fire service members and organizations must begin policing themselves by actively campaigning for uniform adoption and recognition of professional qualification standards and credentials
References
- NFPA 1031, Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Inspector (1993). Quincy. Mass.: National Fire Protection Association.
- Jones, J.C. 1991. Certified Fire Inspector Examination Statistics (unpublished). Quincy, Mass: National Fire Protection Association.
- American Fire Sprinkler Association (1993). “1993 Legislative Review: An Overview of Codes, Standards and Regulations Across the U S. and Canada,” Sprinkler Age, XII: 11, 16.
- Karter. Jr., M.J. 199.3. “NFPA Surveys U.S. Fire Departments,” NFPA Journal, 87:4, 60.
- SBCCI 1993a. Certified Code Enforcement and Administration Professionals. Birmingham, Ala.: Southern Building Code Congress International. Inc., and SBCCI correspondence.
- IFCI 1993“Certification Advisory Committee Meets in Orange County, California,” IFCI Fire Code Journal, 2:2, 19.
- Davis, D. 1993. “A path to higher qualifications for fire engineers: The Institution’s strategy,” Fire Engineers Journal, 53:17.
- Home Office 1992. National Core Curriculum in Fire Safety Studies by Design. Leicester, UK: Institution of Fire Engineers.
