Ala. Admin. Code r. 360-X-1-.01 - General Regulations And Administrative Procedures
The General Regulations and Administrative Procedures Section of the Rules and Regulations of the Commission covers those areas that are required for all levels of certification and personnel administration. Specific requirements for each level are set forth in separate provisions that follow this section.
NOTE: Participation in the certification program shall not be mandated for any level or position of fire service personnel except trainee which is required by the Code of Ala. 1975, § 36-32-7.
(1) Responsibilities of the chief of each
fire fighting agency.
(a) The chief shall be
responsible to see that all required forms and necessary information is
properly filed with the office of the Commission.
(b) The chief shall be responsible to see
that each employee, who is required, receives the required training at an
approved school. Training is required under State Law when:
1. The employee is a firefighter or fire
protection personnel as defined in §
36-32-1, and
2. The firefighter is employed by a "fire
fighting agency," as defined in §
36-32-1, and
3. The firefighter provides services to the
public, and
4. The firefighter
receives compensation for those services, and
5. Compensation received obligates the
firefighter to perform.
(c) The chief shall be responsible to see
that required training is conducted within the time set forth in the
Code of Ala. 1975, §
36-32-7. When an employee is
voluntarily or involuntarily terminated from employment and rehired by the same
employer, such employment shall be calculated as though employment was
continuous since the time of the first employment date.
(d) The chief shall cooperate with the
Commission and Executive Director in carrying out the mandates and
responsibilities of the Code of Ala. 1975,
§§
36-32-1 through
36-32-12 and the By-Laws and
Regulations of the Commission.
(e)
The chief shall be responsible to see that his instructors are kept informed of
the procedures for certification.
(2) Personnel records and information.
(a) Notice of Employment of new personnel.
1. The chief shall, within ten (10) days
after the date of employment of a new employee subject to the provisions of
§
36-32-7 of the Code of
Ala. 1975, file with the office of the Commission AFC & PSEC
Form-04 entitled "Notice of Employment."
2. The chief shall, within thirty (30) days
after the date of employment of a new employee subject to the provisions of
§
36-32-7 of the Code of
Ala. 1975, and who is not currently certified as a firefighter in
the State of Alabama, file with the office of the Commission AFC & PSEC
Form-05 entitled "Physical Statement" certified by a licensed practicing
physician or such designee as satisfactory by the appointing authority
designated as in good health and physically fit for the performance of duties
as a firefighter. Provided, however, Form-05 must be submitted prior to
beginning any certification training leading to certification as a Fire Fighter
or Volunteer Fire Fighter.
NOTE: The physical and medical examination should be conducted for the purpose of detecting or determining the presence of deficiencies or abnormalities which would reasonably be expected to limit the abilities of the applicant to satisfactorily and safely perform all the duties associated with fire fighting.
(b) Notice of termination.
1. The chief shall, within ten (10) days
after the date of termination of the employment of personnel subject to the
provisions of §
36-32-7 of the Code of
Ala. 1975, file a completed AFC & PSC Form-06 entitled "Notice
of Termination."
(c)
Submission of departmental and municipal roster.
1. The chief shall, prior to October 1st of
each year, file with the office of the Commission a true and complete roster of
all departmental and municipal personnel subject to the provisions of §
36-32-7 of the Code of
Ala. 1975,
(3) Issuance of certificates.
(a) The Commission may issue fire services
certifications to any individual who satisfactorily completes the requirements
for a specific level of competence as prescribed by the Commission.
(b) The Commission shall have the power to
cancel, suspend, or recall any certificate upon due cause as determined by the
Commission.
(c) Reciprocity
1. The Commission shall not issue reciprocal
certificates above the level of Fire Fighter I or Certified Career Fire
Fighter, but may elect to recognize those certifications from other states as
pre-requisites for training, provided that such certifications were issued by a
ProBoard or IFSAC accredited agency.
2. In considering applications for
reciprocity the Commission may elect to give credit for training received in
other states, provided such training has been approved or accredited in the
state where the training was received.
3. The Commission may elect to prescribe as a
condition for certification:
(i) Applying the
state examination for appropriate level.
(ii) Supplementary training as required to
fulfill areas of training not covered in previous training. Such supplementary
training may be completed and documented by the fire department employing, or
seeking to employ, the candidate for reciprocity if the training is conducted
at an approved training center.
4. Notwithstanding the above provisions, the
Commission may enter into standing reciprocity compacts or agreements with
those states which by law regulate and supervise the quality of fire service
training.
5. The Commission shall
not consider an application for reciprocity of any individual who has been
separated from the fire service for a period greater than five years
immediately preceding the application for reciprocity.
6. The Commission shall only consider an
application for reciprocity when the application is made by the chief officer
of a municipal, county, state, or federal fire fighting agency within the state
of Alabama.
7. When determining
eligibility for issuance of Certified Career Fire Fighter certification for
out-of-state candidates, the Commission shall require the following:
(i) Certification as Fire Fighter I/II based
on NFPA 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, or any
successor standards, as adopted by the Commission.
(ii) Certification as Hazardous Materials:
Awareness and Operations based on the applicable NFPA standard(s) in effect at
the time that certification was issued.
(iii) Completion of a course of instruction
equivalent to Rapid Intervention Crew Member as approved by the
Commission.
(iv) Completion of 400
total hours of training to be comprised of subject matter in the courses listed
in (i) - (iii) above.
(v) The
candidate must have successfully completed emergency medical care training that
included infection control, CPR, bleeding control and shock
management.
(vi) Successful
completion of the Candidate Physical Ability Exam (CPAT) required by the
Commission for entry into a Fire Fighter I/II course.
(vii) Submission of a properly completed
physical statement on the form approved by the Commission.
8. Candidates who are granted Certified
Career Fire Fighter status are then eligible to take the examination(s) for
certification by the Commission for Firefighter Levels I and/or II, Hazardous
Materials: Awareness and Operations, and/or Rapid Intervention Crew Member.
Upon successful completion of any or all of these certification examinations,
the candidate shall then be awarded certification as indicated.
(d) Expiration of certification.
1. Fire Fighter I certifications issued by
the Commission shall expire under either of the following circumstances:
(i) One (1) year from the date an individual
leaves the fire service employment. Fire service employment is any paid
municipal, county, state, or federal occupation that requires the candidate, as
his primary duty, to actively and routinely engage in fire protection services.
Volunteer status is not sufficient to maintain Fire Fighter I certification.
(ii) In the event that the
certified individual fails to obtain 30 hours per calendar year of continuing
training that is relevant to the performance of firefighting duties.
Documentation of such training shall be maintained by the employing agency and
made available for inspection by the Commission upon request.
2. Volunteer Fire Fighter
certifications issued by the Commission shall not expire provided that the
certified individual obtains 30 hours per calendar year of continuing training
that is relevant to the performance of firefighting duties. Documentation of
such training shall be maintained by the department with which the Volunteer
Fire Fighter is affiliated and made available for inspection by the Commission
upon request.
3. All certifications
that have as prerequisite one or more separate certifications shall expire upon
the expiration of the underlying prerequisite certification. Reinstatement of
the Firefighter I certification shall reinstate those certifications expired
under this provision.
4. Expiring
Fire Fighter I certificate shall be converted to a Certified Volunteer Fire
Fighter certificate, provided that the remaining requirements of
360-X-2-.01 are met.
5. The Commission may defer the expiration of
a certification for up to one (1) year when the certificate holder is actively
engaged in an approved postsecondary degree program in Fire Science or closely
related subject or a certificate or degree program in Emergency Medical
Services. Application for deferral must be made upon the prescribed forms and
prior to the expiration of the certificate.
(e) Certificates may be issued only to
individuals of good moral character and reputation as determined by the
Commission, namely:
1. The individual shall
not have been convicted of a felony or convicted of a crime involving fire
and/or explosion; or
2. The
individual shall not have been found guilty of a crime of moral turpitude or
have engaged in immoral conduct which indicates an unfitness to discharge the
duties of such certificate holder, as determined by the Commission.
(f) The Commission may issue
provisional certifications to individuals enrolled in Commission-approved
secondary educational career-technical educational programs if such individuals
do not meet the age requirements for certification at the time that they
complete training and testing. These provisional certifications may convert to
full certifications upon the candidate's attainment of the required age for
regular certification.
(g)
Certification(s) issued to individuals shall be based upon the requirements for
certification in effect at the time of issuance and shall remain valid
notwithstanding subsequent changes to the certification process or
requirements.
(4)
Requirements for recertification upon re-entry into the fire service.
(a) Any individual who was previously issued
Fire Fighter I certification by the commission, and whose Fire Fighter I
certification has expired, may be recertified by successfully completing a
recertification course as prescribed by the commission.
(b) The requirements for recertification
shall not be construed as to preclude any employing agency from requiring any
individual to complete any training required by the employing agency.
(5) Rescinded.
(6) Rescinded.
(7) Protection of existing positions.
(a) The standards adopted by the Commission
shall not be used to render invalid any rank, qualification, or appointment
acquired prior to the adoption of a standard.
(8) Specification for approved training for
certification.
(a) To be recognized for
certification by the Commission, training shall be obtained under the following
conditions:
1. All certification courses must
have prior approval by the Commission. Those agencies desiring to have a course
taught must submit AFC & PSC Form-09 entitled "Application for Course
Approval" completed with all the required information.
2. All certification courses must be taught
using the current course curriculum approved by the Commission.
3. All certification courses must be taught
by an instructor certified to the appropriate level or otherwise qualified by
his or her education and experience to a level demonstrating particular subject
matter expertise.
4. All
certification courses must be taught at a facility appropriate to promote a
learning environment and able to safely and comfortably accommodate the number
of students involved in the course. Certain certification courses have more
particular facility requirements as set out in the provisions below.
5. All certification courses must have a
sufficient number of students to facilitate the instructional process and
ensure the safety of the student involved in the course. Certain certification
courses have more particular requirements regarding the number of students as
set out in the provisions below.
6.
The instructor will request that the state certification written examination be
scheduled at the completion of the required training.
7. Attendance of certification courses taught
at locations other than the Alabama Fire College shall be restricted to members
of Alabama state, county, and municipal agencies, and members of volunteer fire
departments certified by the Alabama Forestry Commission and active affiliated
members of the Alabama Association of Rescue Squads, except where courses are
established through the AFC Industrial or DoD Programs Division or by an
articulation agreement with a postsecondary institution.
(9) Specification for approval as
a fire training center.
(a) Any agency may,
upon submitting AFC & PSC Form-08 "Inventory and Application for Approval
as a Fire Training Center" to the Commission, be approved as a permanent Fire
Training Center.
(b) An approved
permanent Fire Training Center must undergo re-evaluation and approval at a
minimum of five-year intervals. Such re-evaluation may also be required at the
discretion of the Commission prior to the approval of any course as required in
Section 8 above.
1. To be approved as a
permanent Fire Training Center the agency shall have in its custody or readily
available for use the required training structures, apparatus, and equipment as
listed below:
(i) Classroom with adequate
lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, seating facilities with support for
writing, and standard classroom equipment: chalkboard, speaker's rostrum,
etc.
(ii) Pumper apparatus which
meet specifications outlined in NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire
Apparatus, within the two most recent editions.
(iii) A complete and current set of training
manuals approved by the Commission for use in fire service training.
(iv) Current types and classes of portable
fire extinguishers.
(v) A training
tower or suitable structure not less than two (2) stories in height, suitable
for use as a training structure for ladder evaluations, rescue drills, hose
advancement, and rope work.
(vi)
Forcible entry and ventilation drill facilities including a means of providing
the trainee an opportunity to practice and/or demonstrating opening a variety
of doors, windows, roofs, floors, and partitions.
(vii) Salvage equipment including covers,
coveralls, scoops, squeegees, mops, and sprinkler kits.
(viii) Ropes of assorted lengths suitable for
rescue and practicing knots.
(ix)
Self-contained breathing apparatus, NFPA compliant within the two most recent
editions, in sufficient numbers to enable each student to be completely
familiar and functionally competent in their use.
(x) A smoke and fire room or building
suitable for containing and equipped for simulating fire atmospheres and
conditions.
(xi) Facilities for
conducting live fire training and rescue in:
(I) Structural Fire Fighting
(II) Flammable Liquid Fire Fighting
(III) Automobile Fire Fighting
(xii) First-Aid supplies/equipment
required to meet DOT standards for EMT Basic.
(xiii) Audio-visual training aids and
equipment are encouraged but not required.
(10) Specification for Training
involving Live Fire Evolutions.
(a) Training
or instruction of any nature involving live fire evolutions, regardless of
whether course completion results in certification, carried out by or in
cooperation with the Commission or the Alabama Fire College shall be conducted
by an instructor certified by the Commission as a Live Fire
Instructor.
(b) Training or
instruction of any nature involving live fire evolutions, regardless of whether
course completion results in certification, carried out by or in cooperation
with the Commission or the Alabama Fire College shall meet or exceed the
requirements of NFPA 1403 Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions, current
edition.
(11) Candidate
Physical Ability Test Standard for Fire Fighter I Training.
(a) As prescribed by the Commission, job
related physical performance requirements shall be used to select candidates.
Therefore, the fire fighter candidate shall successfully complete the Fire
Service Joint Labor Management Wellness/Fitness Initiative Program Candidate
Physical Ability Test (CPAT) or other such validated physical ability
evaluation prior to entering a minimum standards course for Fire Fighter I.
Departments shall place on file with the Personnel Standards Commission the
type test used and all associated validation documents prior to such
testing.
(b) The physical ability
evaluation shall be valid for 1-year from the date of completion.
Notes
This agency was previously named "Alabama Fire Fighters' Personnel Standards And Education Commission".
Author: Allan C. Rice
Statutory Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§ 36-32-1 thru 36-32-12.
State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare.
No prior version found.