Texas Administrative Code › Title 37 - PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONS › Part 13 - TEXAS COMMISSION ON FIRE PROTECTION › Chapter 441 - CONTINUING EDUCATION › Section 441.5 - Requirements

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) Continuing education shall be required in
				order to renew certification.
(b)
				The continuing education requirement for renewal shall consist of a minimum of
				18 hours of training to be conducted during the certification period. Of the 18
				hours, two hours shall be a review of the most recent TCFP injury report, with
				a focus on the top three leading causes of injuries during the reporting
				period. All documentation of training used to satisfy the continuing education
				requirements must be maintained for a period of three years from the date of
				the training. Continuing education records shall be maintained by the
				department in accordance with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission,
				State and Local Records Management Division, Records Schedule, or Local
				Schedule (GR 1050-28), whichever is greater.
(c) Level 1 training must be conducted by a
				certified instructor. Interactive computer-based continuing education training
				that is supervised and verified by a certified instructor is
				acceptable.
(d) The continuing
				education program of a regulated entity must be administered and maintained in
				accordance with commission rule by a certified instructor.
(e) No more than four hours per year in any
				one subject of Level 1 training may be counted toward the continuing education
				requirement for a particular certification.
(f) There shall be no "hour per subject
				limit" placed on Level 2 courses, except that emergency medical courses shall
				be limited to four hours per year.
(g) The head of a fire department may select
				subject matter for continuing education appropriate for a particular
				discipline.
(h) The head of a fire
				department must certify whether or not the individuals whose certificates are
				being renewed have complied with the continuing education requirements of this
				chapter on the certification renewal document. Unless exempted from the
				continuing education requirements, an individual who fails to comply with the
				continuing education requirements in this chapter shall be notified by the
				commission of the failure to comply.
(i) After notification from the commission of
				a failure to comply with continuing education requirements, an individual who
				holds a certificate is prohibited from performing any duties authorized by a
				required certificate until such time as the deficiency has been resolved and
				written documentation is furnished by the department head for approval by the
				commission. Continuing education hours obtained to resolve a deficiency may not
				be applied to the continuing education requirements for the current
				certification period.
(j) Any
				person who is a member of a paid or volunteer fire department who is on
				extended leave for a cumulative period of six months or longer due to a
				documented illness, injury, or activation to military service may be exempted
				from the continuing education requirement for the applicable renewal period(s).
				Such exemptions shall be reported by the head of the department to the
				commission at renewal time, and a copy kept with the department continuing
				education records for three years.
(k) Any individual who is not a member of a
				paid or volunteer fire department who is unable to perform work, substantially
				similar in nature as would be performed by fire protection personnel appointed
				to that discipline, may be exempted from the continuing education requirement
				for the applicable renewal period(s). Commission staff shall determine the
				exemption using documentation provided by the individual and the individual's
				treating physician of the illness or injury that cumulatively lasts six months
				or longer, or by documentation of military service or activation to military
				service.
(l) In order to renew
				certification for any discipline which has a continuing education requirement
				stated in this chapter, an individual holder of a certificate not employed by a
				regulated entity must comply with the continuing education requirements for
				that discipline. Only 20 total hours of continuing education for each
				certification period in Level 1 or Level 2 subjects relating to the
				certification being renewed shall be required to renew all certificates the
				individual holds, except as provided in §
									441.17
				of this title (relating to Continuing Education for Hazardous Materials
				Technician).
(m) An individual
				certificate holder, not employed by a regulated entity, shall submit
				documentation of continuing education training upon notification by the
				commission. An example of documentation of continuing education training may
				include, but not be limited to, a Certificate of Completion, a college or
				training facility transcript, a fire department training roster, etc.
				Commission staff will review and may approve or disapprove such documentation
				of training in accordance with applicable commission rules and/or procedures.
				The training for a resident of Texas at the time the continuing education
				training is conducted shall be administered by a commission instructor,
				commission certified training facility, an accredited institution of higher
				education, or a military or nationally recognized provider of training. The
				training for a nonresident of Texas shall be delivered by a state fire academy,
				a fire department training facility, an accredited institution of higher
				education, or a military or nationally recognized provider of training. The
				individual must submit training documentation to the commission for evaluation
				of the equivalency of the training required by this chapter. The individual
				certificate holder is responsible for maintaining all of his or her training
				records for a period of three years from the date of the training.
(n) If an individual has completed a
				commission approved academy in the 12 months prior to his or her certification
				expiration date, a copy of that certificate of completion will be acceptable
				documentation of continuing education for that certification renewal
				period.