National Fire Academy Criteria for Contract Instructor Selection

Course: Fire Inspection Principles 1 (R/N0390)

Curriculum: Fire Prevention: Technical

This foundational-level, 6-day course has been designed to provide the student with the 

fundamental knowledge, skills and attitudes to conduct basic fire safety inspections effectively 

and confidently. This course is appropriate for fire prevention or code enforcement officials and 

other allied professionals with limited fire inspection and code enforcement experience who have 

the responsibility for conducting fire safety inspections. Students will be introduced to various 

codes and standards to develop a working knowledge of their application in the inspection 

process. Areas of study include the inspector’s role in code enforcement, the relationship 

between fire and codes, general fire safety, life safety, and hazardous materials and processes. 

All of the course activities have been designed to allow the student to complete them from the 

perspective of the code being enforced in their local jurisdiction. 

Criteria for Contract Instructor Selection

All new contract instructors or those existing instructors wishing to expand their teaching 

portfolio must be instructionally dedicated to the Fire Prevention: Technical curriculum and 

cannot cross boundaries teaching in other National Fire Academy (NFA) curricula. Interest with 

other curricula will signal a voluntary withdrawal of teaching privileges from the Fire 

Prevention: Technical courses.

This curriculum teaches finely detailed and meticulously specific content concerning 

construction and maintenance codes, standards, guides, recommended practices, testing criteria, 

and manufacturers’ specifications for the built environment. Instructors must be national subject 

matter experts, as compared to a local, fundamentally strong code enforcer, since the country has 

a geographically diverse array of students and code requirements.

A major characteristic necessary to serve in this instructional capacity is the willingness to coach 

the student cadre to success. The philosophy of the instructor is to mentor less knowledgeable 

individuals by transferring highly detailed information, using verbal skills coupled with visual 

graphics, to propel them to excellence. This curriculum does not support self-absorbed 

instructors appeasing their own interests but is squarely focused on the student-centered learning 

outcome.

All new contract instructors shall be evaluated in 3 consecutive course deliveries in accordance 

with the NFA’s Contract Instructor Evaluation program. Existing contract instructors are subject 

to evaluation in accordance with this program. 
1. Academic Requirement

a. Bachelor’s degree from an institution that is accredited in fire protection 

technology, fire administration, fire science or similar program. Candidates are 

encouraged to have successfully completed this course in the last 3 years and/or 

served as an adjunct instructor (in training) in the course. 

b. Candidates with an associate degree from an institution that is accredited in fire 

protection technology, fire administration, fire science or similar program will be 

entertained on a case-by-case basis. Additional formal education consisting of 1 

semester each of college-level algebra, fire protection hydraulics and physics 

must have been successfully completed. Candidates are encouraged to have 

successfully completed this course in the last 3 years and/or served as an adjunct 

instructor (in training) in the course. 

2. Documented Technical Knowledge and Relevant Experience

a. The candidate must have extensive experience as a fire inspector for a local, state 

or national entity that is legally responsible for the enforcement of building and/or 

fire codes. Provide specific, quantifiable and qualifiable (simplistic to complex) 

examples of work performed and the codes and standards (editions) utilized. List 

the examples in a tabular format such as: 

Project name Value, square footage or 

description

Codes and

editions Year

Acme Hotel 7-story high-rise hotel 

including swimming pool, 

restaurant and integrated 

parking garage, $50 million

2018 IBC, 2018 

IFC, 2018 LSC 

2020

ACME Hardware 

and Warehouse

500,000-square-foot 

mercantile store and 

warehouse

2021 IBC, 2018 

NFPA 1

Current

b. The candidate should be experienced, proficient and knowledgeable of current 

issues in the field of expertise for the content of this course. Active participation 

with relevant national code and/or standard committees, such as National Fire 

Protection Association (NFPA) and International Code Council (ICC) committees 

or state committees for adoption of building and fire codes, is highly 

recommended. List the examples in a tabular format such as:

Committees Year(s)

NFPA 1, Building Systems and Special Occupancies 

subcommittee (alternate)

2016-present

Maryland State Fire Prevention Committee — Code Update 2018
c. The candidate should have the necessary education and experience to be capable 

of presenting all units of the course. It is recognized that exceptions may occur 

where courses are of such a technical nature that no one person may be 

technically competent to instruct all units. Verifiable examples of professional 

licensure such as Professional Engineer, Registered Architect and Certified Safety 

Professional can be provided. Professional certificates such as Certified Fire 

Protection Specialist, Certified Building Official, Certified Fire Marshal, and ICC 

or NFPA Fire Inspector can be submitted. State fire inspector certificates have 

differing requirements which may or may not be recognized nationally. Only 

national certificates will be recognized.

Licenses Regulatory 

body Dates

Professional Engineer Maryland 1994-current

Certified Safety Professional ASSE 2005-2015

Certifications Organization Dates

Certified Building Official ICC 2000-current

Certified Fire Protection Specialist NFPA 2001-current

d. Current knowledge of general fire safety conditions of a site including access and 

maintenance for fire apparatus and exterior fire hazards. Provide a narrative to 

support your knowledge and experience. 

e. Knowledge of general fire safety pertaining to a structure’s use; special storage 

problems; special requirements for high-rise, underground and windowless 

structures; and ignition control methods. Provide a narrative to support your 

knowledge and experience. 

f. Expert-level knowledge of occupancy classifications and associated hazards, 

occupant life safety components, building exiting systems arrangements, occupant 

load and egress width calculations, and human behavior in fire situations. Provide 

a narrative to support your knowledge and experience. 

g. Extensive knowledge of electrical systems wiring arrangements; heating, 

ventilating and air conditioning systems; and cooking equipment with the

associated system hazards. Provide a narrative to support your knowledge and 

experience. 

h. Current knowledge of fire behavior and its effects on building materials and 

systems, heat and smoke spread and travel in a structure, and fire dynamics. 

Provide a narrative to support your knowledge and experience. 
i. Current expertise of building construction classifications including mixed 

construction materials; podium construction and tall mass timber construction; 

passive fire protection methodology; fire/smoke barrier penetration installation 

and integrity to include fire doors, fire dampers and firestopping; researching and 

confirming fire rating of assemblies; and industry means for testing of fire 

resistance. Provide a narrative to support your knowledge and experience. 

j. Experience with recognition systems for hazardous materials, understanding of 

hazardous materials properties, and principles of controlling fire hazards 

associated with hazardous materials. Provide a narrative to support your 

knowledge and experience. 

3. Documented Educational Instruction and Experience

Accepted formal instructional training, such as:

a. State fire training certificate. List the information in a tabular format such as:

Certificates Year completed

Fire Instructor I (PA) 2015

Fire Instructor II (MD) 2016

IFSAC Fire Service Instructor I 2015

Pro Board Fire Instructor II 2017

b. College instructor/professor’s credential with courses designed/instructed. List the 

information in a tabular format such as:

Institution Credential Courses

University of Maryland Lecturer Fire Protection Hydraulics

Oklahoma State University Adjunct Faculty Building Construction 

Components

c. College education instruction courses with a transcript supplied. List the 

information in a tabular format such as:

Institution Course 

number Course name

University of Maryland TLPL 101 Inquiry Approach to Teaching 

STEM

University of Maryland 

Global Campus EDTP 600 Foundations of Teaching for Learning
d. A minimum of 48 hours of detailed, documented and successful fire/emergency 

services instruction listing each course and dates of delivery. List the information

in a tabular format such as: 

Courses Frequency/history

Firefighter I (120 hours) Once/January 2015-May 2015

Fire Inspector 1 (40 hours) October 2016, April 2017, August 2017, January

2018

e. Speaking engagements and/or presentations at national/state conferences for the 

fire service or other relevant professional organizations with a listing of topics and 

dates.

Conference Topic Year

NFPA Annual Conference NFPA 25 Proposed Changes 2020

ICC Expo and Code Hearings Marijuana Code Concerns 2019

4. Continuing Practice or Education

Ability to maintain currency in the field and the specific course by: 

a. Teaching a similar course at a training academy, college or university. 

b. Taking a similar course within the last 5 years. 

c. Developing a similar course within the last 5 years. 

d. Teaching the course at the NFA or in the field within the last 2 years. 

e. Writing and researching a paper or article related to the course topic for at least 1 

of the fire service or related disciplines’ trade journals within the last 2 years. 

f. Attending and/or speaking at a conference related to the field at the local, state,

tribal or national level within the last 3 years. 

g. Active participation with local/state/national building/fire code(s) or standard(s) 

committee(s).

Failure to provide approved documentation of ongoing training or instruction may result 

in revocation of the contract instructor status. 

5. How To Submit a Portfolio

Follow the instructions located on the website: 

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/training/nfa/instructors_officials/criteria.html. 

A portfolio addressing all of the previous items must be submitted to: femanfainstructorapp@fema.dhs.gov.