Q&A - Certification
I am GS-07 Lead Firefighter and I am NOT certified up to next level (GS-09). According to the information I read, it states that noone can act or be promoted to the next HIGHER GRADE unless one is certified to that next higher level. I have been assigned to fill in for Asst. Cheif for years now. DOesn't seem fair that I have filled in so many times without the benefit of higher compensation. Is this right?
- Phil Gil, Local 1380, NAS Panama City, October 20 2004
When Certification became a qualification for employment as a DOD fire fighter, it meant that you could not hold a position unless you had all of the certifications for that position. The effect of this is exactly the same as if you did not meet the NFPA Medical Standards. You are ineligible to occupy the position. That being the case, you cannot temporarily occupy a position for which you are not qualified. It is recognized, however, that this poses a problem especially in smaller departments where there is insufficient staffing at various levels to cover certain positions when the incumbent is on leave. To address this concern, some Locals have entered into MOU's which specifically provide that no firefighter will act in a position for which he does not hold the certifications.
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If I was a firefighter when Certification became a qualification for employment, do I now have to obtain Certifications? Can I be required to obtain all Driver/Operator certs? Can I be fired for failure to obtain the basic Certifications for a firefighters’ position?
- Rick Stewart, L-2303, Ft. Knox, KY October 7, 2002
At the time certification became a qualification for those applying for Fire Protection and Prevention positions within DOD (2000), those employees who currently held such positions were grandfathered on a limited basis. Essentially, if the firefighter continued to hold the same position, he/she is not required to obtain the requisite certifications. However, without the certifications for any other position, the firefighter is ineligible for promotions, details or for lateral transfers to any other position. In addition, the firefighter is not considered to stand-in for any other firefighter in another position, e.g. a firefighter standing-in for a driver-operator.
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Without an IFSAC Certificate rather than a degree in fire science, DOD simply will not issue certifications under the reciprocity provisions. How come? Several of the firefighters at our installation took an Instructor I class at an IFSAC accredited college. Then, we got turned down for equivalent DOD certs. We were told that the fire science degrees offered by the college had IFSAC approval. However, the main accreditation did not apply specifically to each and every course.
- Chris Jung, L-1914, Umatilla Army Chemical Depot August 30, 2002
The reciprocity provisions under the DOD Certification Program only recognize those courses that are IFSAC or ProBoard accredited. A school may award a degree in Fire Science but if each of the various courses has not received IFSAC or ProBoard accreditation, then DOD will not issue a DOD Certification under the reciprocity provisions. If someone has a degree in fire science, then they must find out if the courses themselves were accredited and if so, then in addition to their degree, they must actually get certificates the school for each IFSAC or ProBoard course taken. It is possible that if someone has a degree in fire science and all of the courses have been accredited and if IFSAC or ProBoard would certify to that effect via a letter, then DOD would recognize each of the courses taken.
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I was just reading some of the questions on the Q&A Certification site and was wondering why some classes taken in college do not qualify for a DOD Certification. Most of the classes taught use the same IFSTA books that are required for the DOD CDC Courses. The only reason I can think of as to why DOD won’t provide a Certificate is because in some colleges there is no practical exam given. The result is a person with an Associates or Bachelors degree in fire science is not considered qualified for a firefighter position within DOD but a person without a degree in fire science but who has DOD Certifications is considered qualified. Can you please explain.
- Lucas-Lara Ohana, August 30, 2002
The reciprocity provisions under the DOD Certification Program only recognize those courses that are IFSAC or ProBoard accredited. A school may award a degree in Fire Science but if each of the various courses has not received IFSAC or ProBoard accreditation, then DOD will not issue a DOD Certification under the reciprocity provisions. If someone has a degree in fire science, then they must find out if the courses themselves were accredited and if so, then in addition to their degree, they must actually get certificates from IFSAC or ProBoard for each course taken. It is possible that if someone has a degree in fire science and all of the courses have been accredited that if IFSAC or ProBoard would certify to that effect via a letter, then DOD would recognize each of the courses taken.
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Can firefighters be detailed to higher level positions if they do not have the Certifications for the higher level position. We have uncertified people acting in detail positions that they are not capable of being promoted to because they fail to meet the DOD certification requirements. An example: A GS-6 Driver/Operator does not hold (nor desire) the certification to hold the position of GS-7 Fire Captain. The GS-6 is assigned to "act" as a Captain in a detailed capacity.
- Gregory Russell, Secretary, Naval Academy Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local F-254 July 25, 2002
In my opinion, if an employee is not qualified for a position, e.g. he could not be promoted to it, then he cannot be detailed to it. This opinion is based on two things: First, in June, 2000 when DOD issued the change to the Certification Program that made certification a qualification for employment rather than a condition of employment, the change was accompanied by an explanatory letter signed by Dr. Diane Disney, Civilian Personnel. That letter pointed out that those who occupied positions as of June 30, 2000, did not have to have the requisite certifications for the positions but they would be ineligible for detail, transfer or promotion until such time as they obtain all required certifications. (Emphasis added)
Second, Certification is now a qualification for various positions--i.e. you are ineligible to hold a position unless certified. As a qualification it operates as a bar to positions for which you do not have the requisite certs in the same way that medical standards do--i.e. if you do not meet medical standards, you cannot occupy a position. Just as the Civilian Personnel letter pointed out, if you are not qualified for a position then you cannot be appointed to it, promoted to it, detailed to it, etc. Perhaps, the easiest analogy is that of a Doctor--in order to be appointed to a position as a doctor you must be certified and licensed. Certainly you cannot merely detail a nurse to a doctors position just temporarily any more than you can detail a driver /operator to an Assistant Chief's position.
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Are certifications for certain apparatus required when some stations do not have the apparatus? Eglin Fire Department recently open a GS-8 position (Station Chief) at station 4, our outlying station. The Job description required us to have ladder and water tender certifications. The position is located twenty miles out from the main base and that station has no ladder truck. Can the Chief require these two certifications for promotion and would the chief have to make notification in advance to all personnel that the ladder and water tender will be required for a GS-8 position. The main problem is not all personnel have been given the opportunity to get both certifications. The ladder certification had been limited due to wear and tear on the vehicle.
- Richard Laurich, L-1897, Eglin AFB June 11, 2002
The qualifications for each position within a fire department are based on the installation's apparatus. Thus, if an installation has a water tender and a ladder truck, all firefighters must hold these certifications. The only exception would be a waiver issued by AFCESA and if this has occurred at Eglin, then it would be waived for positions at the outlying stations. What cannot occur is to waive the requirement for some people and not for others. In this instance, the Local needs to obtain a copy of the waiver from AFCESA and see exactly what it says.
Secondly, what did the Local negotiate concerning implementation of the Cert program? Did your MOU provide that all firefighters would be given the opportunity to obtain the certs for their current position and one level above? If so, then the Chief cannot suspend training on the ladder truck. In this case, it is not just the GS-8 position that would need the water tender and ladder certs but all positions above a firefighter position and it would be a basic requirement for anyone to be hired, promoted, detailed or transferred.. In other words, no one without those certs could serve in a driver operator position, captain position or any other position even if just temporarily detailed.
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I have a question that needs clarifying. I work at a 24 hour fixed station that has two emergency vehicles. We only have one firefighter at this field who is certified as a driver/operator. Under the Management Rights provision, can a firefighter be routinely detailed to drive the apparatus during non-emergency without the required DOD cert?
- John Coon, L-1815, Ft. Rucker March 5, 2001
Local 1815 entered into an MOU with Ft. Rucker Fire Department agreeing that they would comply with the Certification requirements. Those requirements provide that everyone is to have the certifications for the positions they occupy. That also means that they must have the certifications for positions to which they are detailed. If an individual is being asked to drive (whether occupying the position or detailed to it either formally or informally) then they must be qualified for that position which means they must have the driver/operator certifications. The fact that you are responding to an emergency or not is immaterial--in order to drive fire apparatus you must be certified as a driver operator just as an attorney must be admitted to a bar and court before they can appear and argue a case.
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If someone possesses an associate degree in fire science, does he or she qualify for any DOD firefighter certifications? And could you tell me where to find a list or more information about the accredited courses by IFSAC or ProBoard that qualify for DOD certifications. thanks
- August 7, 2001
DOD Certifications are issued to those DOD employees who have completed either a DOD CDC course or a course within the past five years that is accredited by either IFSAC or ProBoard. Therefore, if you are a DOD employee and the courses leading to the associate degree in fire science were completed within the last five years and the courses themselves were accredited by either IFSAC or ProBoard, then yes, you could be issued DOD certifications. First, start with the DOD Certification Manual, 6055.6M, to determine what courses are needed for the various Fire Protection and Fire Prevention Positions. Then you can go to the IFSAC web site at www. IFSAC.org and the ProBoard web site at www.npqs.win.net to determine which entities offering courses have been accredited. Then, you can contact those entities to determine what courses they have which also have been accredited. Remember, both the entity and the course must be accredited. You can find firefighter I & II courses offered at many entities (state colleges, universities, fire academies, etc.) but there are only a few which offer Fire Officer IV.
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If an answer to your question has not already been provided, please feel free to contact Sandra Adams-Choate, legal counsel for AFGE Firefighters.
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