Professionalism in public safety is continuously evolving into what other career fields have been doing for years. In the fields of education, medicine, law and engineering, there are minimum training standards and professional qualifications that have been accepted as well as accredited forms of training that provide for “professional” competencies and acknowledgement.
Within the fire and emergency services, we can be qualified to perform certain functions based upon our training, certifications, credentials, degrees and other educational factors. Based on each classification, an individual can perform the duties of a street-level firefighter up to and including the function of a fire chief.
Benefits abound
The benefits of training, certification and credentialing are enormous for individuals who hope to establish themselves as a professional in the public safety sector. Those who choose to add the academic segment to their acquired training and certifications are the ones who will most likely promote to be the leaders of the future. Proof of this can be seen by the increased degree requirements for promotion by departments throughout the country, including at the highest level, with many now requiring a master’s degree for the fire chief position.
But professionalism begins at the entry level, with requirements that everyone must obtain and maintain the training, certifications and credentials required for the position they serve. It should be noted that there will likely always be evolving discussions among fire and emergency services leaders, as well as governing officials, as to what the minimum requirements for each position should be and how best to recognize the hours logged in the pursuit of such training and certifications.
Credit where due
Today, firefighters are continually seeking out ways to apply their training, certifications and credentials for academic value and, potentially, college credit toward a degree path. Firefighters who have Firefighter I and II training, fire captains who have Fire Officer I, II, III and IV certifications, or fire chiefs who have Executive Fire Officer (EFO) credentials from the National Fire Academy may all be pursuing internal promotion or want to seek college credit for the training, certifications or credentialing that they have acquired.
Training, certifications and credentials demonstrate that an individual has met some type of competency that has been measured by written tests or by manipulative skills evaluation. They can also be awarded for specialty areas, which are numerous in emergency services, and may range from simple skill development to advanced academic programs that require specific skills that are acquired through an identified program.
Training has numerous components within an academy as well as in-service for firefighting personnel. When training is completed by qualified instructors who have acquired specific certifications, and the applicable standards are met, the recipient receives a documented certification that states the student has met specific objectives and/or demonstrated the required competencies that have been tested, and a skill level is now present.
The total number of contact hours of training provided will determine how much credit the student will receive. In most cases, a training class that has at least 40 hours of training will receive up to 3 hours of credit. For instance, most schools will give 3 hours of credit for a 40-hour trench rescue class. However, for a full-fledged academy, they may get 6 hours or more depending on the school/institution. The same is true with EMT and paramedic training. Training that is not transferable usually includes anything less than 40 hours of training or where the rigor of the course is such that it is determined to not meet or exceed the college equivalence.
Next steps
Firefighters who are interested in applying existing certifications toward a degree program are said to be “cross-walking.” Cross-walking opens career pathways and additional opportunities for firefighters, either in hiring or promotional steps within an organization, or even just the satisfaction that a firefighter has accomplished personal goals for themselves. When considering potential options, a firefighter must understand what each level of training, certification or credentialing means and how each can play into the application of academic credit toward a degree path.
When looking at recognition for any academic level, a firefighter must identify the source that will grant or validate training. Training should have measurable or desired outcomes that can be objectively measured for skill proficiency and competencies, as this develops consistency, reliability and, most importantly, credibility in a department or organization.
Recognition needs to be verified by an internal department committee or by an external third-party agency as having defined and attainable objectives and measureable outcomes. Internally, an agency or department may have instructors who have met guidelines and requirements established by an outside agency, which provides credibility and validity to the training programs. The training may or may not have a written test attached, but the instructors must hold some type of instructor certification. In some cases, the training can meet academic credit value; this can lead to a degree path and is usually given credit in an elective area.
Technical training can have additional credit if evaluated prior to a training session with a college that offers courses in fire science and technology.
Gaining recognition
There are agencies that recognize training, certifications and credentialing for academic credit. Some agencies or third-party evaluators include the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), ProBoard, the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE).
The NFPA establishes qualification standards for the fire service. There are standards that apply to fire training, fire apparatus, PPE, and equipment standards for fire protection codes and enforcement, to name a few.
ACE is a major coordinating agency that will review all course content and testing and can provide a credit value to the areas needing review. Following federal guidelines, ACE has been a go-between for institutions of higher education for career/technical education counselors that can award credit toward a fire science technology degree.
ProBoard will recognize professional achievements in the fire service and some related agencies, with the primary goal of recognizing departments that follow NFPA standards. ProBoard does follow an accreditation process that includes a self-study and peer evaluation, which is typical in this area. Institutions of higher education and technical education may recognize ProBoard and give credit for a selected degree path in fire science technology.
IFSAC provides recognition of certificate programs and degrees. IFSAC can be of benefit if certificates, courses and potentially credentials are completed in an area that has been reviewed for transferability, as the fire and public safety arena has become quite technical and advanced. Some intuitions have completed the requirements of IFSAC, and local colleges will transfer credit into both elective and core subject areas of a degree path. On the degree side of IFSAC, courses are awarded credit in college programs that offer fire science technology or higher education programs, such as an EFO credential that can benefit a master’s-level degree path.
CPSE provides a unique effort for credentialing of specific ranks within the fire service, typically those that have an advanced degree up to and including a doctorate. A benefit of CPSE is that one may look at this agency as a local city/county manager making a decision for a new chief officer and see that one possess a credential that will make them a better choice for a leadership position.
Putting it all together
For example, in a department-sponsored recruit academy, if the department is following the NFPA guidelines for fire training, and the training staff has met defined qualifications, then a successful recruit can be granted certification for Firefighter I and II. This training can also be recognized for college credit in fire technology-specific degree paths. NFPA also has requirements for additional certifications that can have credit value at the community college level.
In the case of IFSAC, if a department is within a state or training organization that has been recognized by IFSAC, the training and certifications can be recognized by fire departments in other states that are also IFSAC-accredited. This important option allows the firefighter to take courses in one state and transfer to another as long as qualifications of reciprocity have been established.
ProBoard also offers similar reciprocity conditions if courses are taken within accredited states. This is a great option for those who have been in different types of training throughout the United States and want recognition or transferability of certified training, possibly toward a college degree in fire science.
Knowing their pathway or crosswalk for credit recognition opportunities, a firefighter can now go to the local community college or university to determine how their training, certifications and credentials can be transferred toward a degree path in fire science technology at the associates, bachelor’s and master’s degree levels.
In sum
Training, certifications and credentialing each have an academic value for fire service personnel. Options for each will depend on what direction the firefighter wants to pursue and the level of education they are seeking. Regardless of the level, there are avenues for credit recognition from several agencies, so it is important that firefighters understand the processes of cross-walking or building pathways toward a degree.
As a firefighter moves through their career, they will acquire numerous certificates and credentials via the constant training that is required by their departments and also through self-motivation to become more “professional” and promotable. These certifications and credentials attest to the fact that the fire service is constantly evolving, furthering its members’ abilities to serve the public at the highest levels.
