National Fire Academy Criteria for Contract Instructor Selection

Course: Applications of Community Risk Reduction (R0385)

Curriculum: Fire Prevention: Public Education

This course is one of the four courses in the Managing Officer Program. This six-day course 

seeks to improve the skills of Company Officers (COs) to lead and conduct risk-reduction 

activities within the service area of their station/community. The course features the role of the 

CO as a leader in community risk reduction at the station level. Students will learn how to plan, 

implement and measure success of a risk-reduction plan to benefit the residents they serve.

Incorporated in this course is how to reach diverse groups. The course emphasizes a broader 

approach to risk reduction involving multiple interventions, and when applied to a specific risk 

issue, a difference is likely to occur, reducing risk for both residents and firefighters. The course 

leads students through activities and culminates in a risk-reduction plan for their own service 

area.

Criteria for Contract Instructor Selection

This course will consist of an instructional team of three people. Two of the contract instructors 

must have extensive knowledge and experience in community risk reduction. One of the contract 

instructors must be considered a subject matter expert in community risk reduction. This 

instructor will be known as the Risk-Reduction Practitioner. The other instructor must have 

experience at the operations level in community risk reduction, preferably station based. This 

instructor will be known as Risk-Reduction Operations. The third person in the instructional 

team will be drawn from the field of cultural competence experts. This instructor will be known 

as Cultural Competence Expert. Separate bidding lists will be created for each category. The 

requirements for each role are listed below. Applicants should select the most appropriate 

category — either risk reduction or cultural competence — and submit a packet that addresses

that category’s instructional criteria only.

All new contract instructors shall be evaluated in three consecutive course deliveries in 

accordance with the National Fire Academy’s (NFA’s) Contract Instructor Evaluation program. 

Existing contract instructors are subject to evaluation in accordance with this program. 

1. Applicants not meeting the basic criteria as listed on the general requirements (found on 

NFA’s web page) will not qualify.

2. Applicants should submit a resume that includes at a minimum name, address, phone 

number, employment history and references. Please note that resumes do not necessarily 

provide adequate responses to each criterion. All applicants should select the appropriate 

role first, and then submit a response that addresses those criteria.
Criteria for Contract Instructor Selection: Risk-Reduction Practitioner Category

A response that addresses each of the criteria listed below must be submitted. Candidates should 

have attained a fully professional level in each item. Factors under consideration include 

experience, level and extent of activity, and leadership skills. In addition to meeting the general 

criteria for the instructor selection process, the potential contract instructor must provide 

information for the following requirements.

1. Academic Requirement

The candidate must possess an earned graduate level degree from a regionally accredited 

institution of higher education. Consideration will be given to those applicants who 

possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. 

Academic degrees should be in a discipline closely related to those subjects covered in 

this course (i.e., public administration, emergency management, public health or other 

related fields).

2. Instructional Experience

Candidates must have successfully completed a recognized educational methodology 

course and must demonstrate successful instructional delivery to adult learners at local, 

regional, state, and/or federal fire service training academies, colleges, or universities. 

Instructor II level certification (National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1041) or 

equivalent satisfies this requirement. Candidates must be proficient in the facilitation of 

intensive small work groups.

3. Documented Knowledge and Experience in the Subject Area

a. Solid experience as a prevention program practitioner in the public or private 

sector. 

b. Minimum of five years of experience as a risk-reduction practitioner.

c. Experience in managing a prevention/community risk-reduction process that 

involved assessing risk in the community and development of programs which 

incorporated multiple intervention strategies.

d. Experience in planning, implementing, evaluating and reporting on successful 

prevention/community risk-reduction programs involving multiple community 

partners at the grassroots level. 

e. Experience in representing the fire department or other organizations in a 

leadership capacity in a community-based prevention/risk-reduction coalition(s). 

f. Experience in training fire officers and firefighters in fire prevention and/or 

community risk reduction. 
4. Continuing Practice or Education

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

a. teaching a similar course at the college or university level;

b. taking a similar course within the last five years;

c. teaching the course at the NFA or in the field within the last two years; or

d. writing and researching a paper or article related to the course topic for at least

one of the fire service or related disciplines’ trade journals within the last two 

years.

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

in revocation of the contract instructor status.

Criteria for Contract Instructor Selection: Risk-Reduction Operations Category

A response that addresses each of the criteria listed below must be submitted. Candidates should 

have attained a fully professional level in each item. Factors under consideration include 

experience, level and extent of activity, and leadership skills. In addition to meeting the general 

criteria for the instructor selection process, the potential contract instructor must provide 

information for the following requirements.

1. Academic Requirement

The candidate must possess an earned graduate level degree from a regionally accredited 

institution of higher education. Consideration will be given to those applicants who 

possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. 

Academic degrees should be in a discipline closely related to those subjects covered in 

this course (i.e., public administration, emergency management, public health or other 

related fields). 

2. Instructional Experience

Candidates must have successfully completed a recognized educational methodology 

course and must demonstrate successful instructional delivery to adult learners at local, 

regional, state, and/or federal fire service training academies, colleges, or universities. 

Instructor II level certification (NFPA 1041) or equivalent satisfies this requirement. 

Candidates must be proficient in the facilitation of intensive small work groups. 

3. Documented Knowledge and Experience in the Subject Area

a. Candidate must have solid experience in community risk reduction at the 

operations level. 
b. Candidates must address their own knowledge and experience with each of the 

following course topical areas:

- Leadership at the station/service area for community risk reduction.

- Risk assessment of the station/service area.

- Strategies for local risk reduction.

- Implementing risk-reduction plans.

- Monitoring and measuring success of risk-reduction programs. 

4. Continuing Practice or Education

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

a. teaching a similar course at the college or university level; 

b. taking a similar course within the last five years; 

c. teaching the course at the NFA or in the field within the last two years; or 

d. writing and researching a paper or article related to the course topic for at least 

one of the fire service or related disciplines’ trade journals within the last two 

years. 

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

in revocation of the contract instructor status. 

5. How to Submit an Application 

The following documents are required with each submission:

a. A cover letter listing the courses you want to teach.

b. Your résumé.

c. Documentation that clearly addresses how you meet the instructor selection 

criteria for each course you are seeking to teach (e.g., academic requirement, 

instructional experience, knowledge and experience in the subject matter, and 

continuing practice or education). This document needs to be written in that order. 

Incomplete packages will not be processed.

d. Three references from persons who are knowledgeable about your character as 

well as your teaching ability. One reference letter should be from the department 

or agency head in your organization or certifying organization.

e. Include a current email address so we can communicate more efficiently with 

you.

Application package(s) must be submitted to:

National Fire Academy

fema-nfainstructorapp@fema.dhs.gov