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Here are some certification requirements that the Texas Commission on Fire Protection has set. These certification requirements are required to be passed by Firefighters in Texas. Candidates interested in the job are required to complete a certified basic training course, pass a written test and demonstrate the physical abilities required for the job. Certifications in emergency medical procedures are also required.
 
What Do You Need?

• Approved firefighter training course
  
• Certification Exam
  
• Emergency Medical Training
  
• Background check
  
• Application from TCF – 002
  
• $35 Application fee
  

Step By Step Guide
Texas Firefighter Certification

1. Are you interested in becoming a Texas firefighter? If your answer is yes, the first thing you need to do is complete a basic training course. Actually the course confirms at least to the minimum standards set by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. The Fire Service Accreditation Congress or the State Firemen’s and Marshal’s Association of Texas certified basic fire suppression training program is required to pass by every Texas firefighter. Generally certification from the above mentioned two agencies is held by candidates transferring to a Texas fire department from another state or those who completed fire training in the military. After passing a skills proficiency evaluation, those who are the certificate holders of these programs are qualified for certification. Generally firefighters complete a training program in a city fire departments sponsored training academies in the state. 

2. You are also required to pass the fire suppression exam that the Texas Commission on Fire Protection gives. On the written section you are required to score not less than 70. A skills test designed to verify the physical requirements of firefighters must be passed. The physical test involves things like climbing, lifting and hauling equipment.

3. You are also required to obtain certification in emergency medical training. Following are the agencies from which the Texas Commission on Fire Protection recognizes emergency medical certification: the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, the American Red Cross Emergency Response course, the American Safety and Health Institute and the Department of State Health Services Emergency Medical Services Personnel. Any kind of certification for training other than above mentioned agencies depends on approval by the Commission. For those who attend a basic fir academy, additional training is not required. The reason is that the emergency medical training is included in the course outline of basic fire academy.

 4. Apply for certification as a Texas firefighter. You are entitled for certification only when you successfully complete a basic course, receive emergency medical training and pass the exam, according to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. As of January 2011, an application form TCFP-OO2 requires $35 nonrefundable fee. The state requires you to apply for certification using the above mentioned application form. 

CHRISTOPHER COLLINS ON AUG 13, 2014 
SOURCE: ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS, TEXAS

Aug. 13--ABILENE, Texas -- On average, 100 U.S. firefighters die in the line of duty each year.

But that doesn't have to be the case, said Joel Thompson, a fire academy instructor and a chief of operations at the Haltom City Fire Department. On Tuesday, Thompson taught a two-hour seminar to volunteer firefighters at the Abilene Civic Center, part of the 60th annual Abilene Fire Control Conference.

The conference, which includes training on pump operations, hazardous material awareness and safety is put on by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.

During the class, Thompson said that 75 percent of on-duty deaths could be prevented by using proper firefighting techniques and by staying in shape.

"I'd say many of these could have been prevented," he said.

About half of each year's deaths are from heart attacks, Thompson said, the apparent result of a unhealthy lifestyle and a bad diet.

"When I was a volunteer, our dinner consisted of something fried, bacon and gravy," he told the class.

The other half of deaths can mostly be attributed to firefighters going too far inside a burning structure and becoming trapped. He called the blind bravery and aptitude for thrill-seeking shown by some firemen "a culture" that needs to change.

"When that building's on fire, we're going to go inside," Thompson said. "But if we continue to operate this way, we'll continue to have 100 more deaths a year. That will only change when we change the culture."

Some tips he gave to prevent unnecessary death while fighting structure fires:

• Have knowledge of the structure, know if other structures are in proximity
• Have an action plan for how to fight the fire
• Make sure someone competent is in command
• Communicate effectively
• Identify the most significant problem -- don't get "tunnel vision" and only focus on the fire
• Have sufficient staff to fight the fire
• Use enough water

With the completion of the course, volunteers gained 70 hours of training and earned a level one firefighter certification. About 90 firefighters attended.

Twitter: @ChrisCollinsARN

Copyright 2014 - Abilene Reporter-News, Texas

“There’s a lot of attention for line of duty deaths. Firefighters who die in a burning building, in a collapse—the funerals are on television. The truth is the number of us dying with our boots off is far greater."

CBS4 in Miami recently published an article highlighting the silent killer known as cancer and how strong of an effect it has on putting firefighters' lives in danger. The article, which we highly recommend reading, can be read here: http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/04/29/cbs4-investigates-silent-killer-claiming-lives-of-firefighters while the video report is embedded above.

Cancer is unfortunately a disease that should be on the minds of all individuals involved in emergency services. And unfortunately, many have no coverage under an Accident and Sickness program and limited, if any coverage, available through Workers’ Compensation.

However, with the VFIS Critical Illness Insurance Program, your emergency service personnel can receive a lump sum cash benefit when diagnosed with a heart attack, stroke or life threatening cancer. Coverage is provided on a 24 hour on and off duty basis. Of course like all insurance policies, there are certain conditions of coverage among them:

Conditions of Coverage:

• The coverage must be in effect for a Covered Person for at least 90 days prior to the diagnosis of the condition
  
• The Covered Person must survive for a period of 30 days after the diagnosis (The VFIS Group Term Life Insurance Policy is intended to provide survivor benefits in the event the Covered Person does not survive)
  
• The Covered Person is under age 75 when first diagnosed with cancer
  

Who is eligible?

• All members of an emergency service organization whose name appears on the roster submitted at policy inception will be considered Covered Persons. New members are eligible for coverage at the next anniversary date upon receipt of an updated roster. Coverage terminates on the policy expiration date when a member is no longer with the organization and therefore not listed on the renewal census.

Learn More: CRITICAL ILLNESS FLYER

Leading by example is the best way to ingrain health and safety practices in firefighters

By Linda Willing - Shared from www.firerescue1.com

There were many big questions in the air at the recent Tampa2 Summit on the 16 Life Safety Initiatives. How can firefighter suicide be prevented? What is the connection between organizational culture and firefighter life safety?

What is the actual instance of firefighter cancer, and how can these illnesses be prevented? Are some casualties inevitable among those who do an inherently dangerous job?

Ten work groups were formed, each creating recommendations on specific topics from behavioral health to wildland firefighting. All of the recommendations were on point and valid, but I could also sense a little frustration among conference participants.

Of course it's important to talk about and plan for the big issues, but what can one person do right now to make a difference?

Immediate impact
This question was on my mind during one lunch break when I happened to share a table with two company officers from a large metropolitan department. They were talking about the problem of firefighters failing to always wear their air packs during overhaul, and how this exposure can lead to a number of long term illnesses.

"When I was a new firefighter, I took off my mask the minute my officer did," said one. "I didn't want to look weak in his eyes."

Others at the table echoed this attitude, reinforcing that the example set by the company officer often establishes the standard for health and safety during an entire emergency response.

Follow my lead
So the first obvious thing an individual can do is set a good example. It is critical that officers do this, but others — the senior firefighter, the highly respected engineer — should not underestimate their influence either.

Then another firefighter at the table recounted a system they had developed on his department for encouraging firefighters to stay on air longer.

"We use Scott masks, and you have to put your palm over your face to unscrew the regulator," he said. "So now when you put your hand over your mask to take it off, we look at it as if someone were holding a hand up in front of your face to stay 'Stop.' And then we look at the five fingers of the glove, and that means, wait five more minutes before you take off your mask."

Simple tools
I don't know who came up with this idea, but it's brilliant. It's not a sweeping policy that says firefighters must stay on air from the minute the get off the engine at the fire until the moment they step back on the rig to return to quarters. Certainly requiring firefighters to wear SCBA 100 percent of the time at fire calls would reduce toxic exposures, and that's a good thing.

But realistically, firefighters are not going to adhere to such an all-or-nothing policy. They will make decisions along the way about when to remove their breathing protection. And systems like the one I heard about in Tampa over lunch are great tools to assist every firefighter in making incrementally better decisions.

There are hundreds of ways individual firefighters can come up with reminders, rules of thumb, or individual systems for making firefighting a safer profession.

Conferences like the one last month in Tampa are great for talking about the big ideas, but may be even more valuable for sharing these smaller, more specific ideas in an informal way: over lunch, over beers, while riding the shuttle back to the airport.

Most importantly, whether the conversation centers on a nationwide study about cancer or a trick of the trade to get firefighters to use their protective gear more effectively, leadership always comes from example.

If officers want their crews to do something or to value something, then they must set the example in their actions and continue to live those values both on and off the emergency scene.

Original Source Article - http://www.firerescue1.com/firefighter-safety/articles/1878655-1-easy-step-to-get-firefighters-to-follow-safety-rules/

About the author

Linda F. Willing worked for more than 20 years in the emergency services, including 18 as a career firefighter and fire officer. For more than 15 years, she has provided support for fire and emergency services and other organizations through her company,RealWorld Training and Consulting. Linda's work focuses on developing customized solutions in the areas of leadership development, conflict resolution, diversity management, team building, communications and decision making. She is the author of "On the Line: Women Firefighters Tell Their Stories." Linda is also an adjunct instructor and curriculum advisor for the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program. She has a B.A. in American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. from Regis University in Denver in Organization Development, and is a certified mediator. To contact Linda, e-mail Linda.Willing@FireRescue1.com.