Texas Administrative Code › Title 37 - PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONS › Part 13 - TEXAS COMMISSION ON FIRE PROTECTION › Chapter 449 - HEAD OF A FIRE DEPARTMENT › Subchapter A - MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR HEAD OF A SUPPRESSION FIRE DEPARTMENT › Section 449.1 - Minimum Standards for the Head of a Suppression Fire Department

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) An individual who becomes employed and is
				  appointed as the head of a suppression fire department must be certified by the
				  commission as Head of a Suppression Fire Department within one year of
				  appointment. The requirements in this subchapter also apply to an individual
				  who is appointed on an interim basis to head of a suppression fire
				  department.
(b) Prior to being
				  appointed as the head of a suppression fire department, an individual must:
(1) hold a Texas Commission on Fire
				  Protection certification as fire protection personnel in any discipline that
				  has a commission approved curriculum that requires structural fire protection
				  personnel certification. The individual must have five years of experience in a
				  full-time fire suppression position or ten years in a part-time fire
				  suppression position at the time of appointment, or attain the required years
				  of experience within one year of the appointment; or
(2) provide documentation of accreditation
				  from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress that is deemed
				  equivalent to the commission's approved basic fire suppression curriculum, and
				  provide documentation in the form of a sworn non-self-serving affidavit of five
				  years of experience in a full-time fire suppression position in a jurisdiction
				  other than Texas; or
(3) provide
				  documentation in the form of a sworn non-self-serving affidavit of ten years of
				  experience as an employee of a local governmental entity in a full-time
				  structural fire protection personnel position in a jurisdiction other than
				  Texas; or
(4) provide documentation
				  in the form of a sworn non-self-serving affidavit of ten years of experience as
				  an active volunteer fire fighter in one or more volunteer fire departments. The
				  ten years of volunteer service must include documentation of attendance at 40%
				  of the drills for each year and attendance of at least 25% of a department's
				  emergencies in a calendar year while a member of a volunteer fire department or
				  departments with ten or more active members that conducts a minimum of 48 hours
				  of drills in a calendar year; or
(5) document a combined total of five years
				  of experience using:
(A) full-time experience
				  while holding a commission certification as referenced in paragraph (1) of this
				  subsection; and
(B) provide
				  documentation in the form of a sworn non-self-serving affidavit of experience
				  as an employee of a local governmental entity in a full-time structural fire
				  protection position in a jurisdiction other than Texas as referenced in
				  paragraph (3) of this subsection, with two years of affidavit time counted as
				  one year of experience for purposes of this qualification; or
(C) provide documentation in the form of a
				  sworn non-self-serving affidavit of experience as an active volunteer fire
				  fighter and meeting the attendance requirements referenced in paragraph (4) of
				  this subsection, with two years of affidavit time counted as one year of
				  experience; or
(6)
				  document a combined total of five years of experience using:
(A) full-time experience while holding a
				  commission certification as referenced in paragraph (1) of this subsection; and
(B) documentation of accreditation
				  from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress that is deemed
				  equivalent to the commission's approved basic fire suppression curriculum while
				  appointed to a full-time fire suppression position in a jurisdiction other than
				  Texas. Documentation of experience will be in the form of a sworn
				  non-self-serving affidavit; or
(7) document a combined total of five years
				  of experience using:
(A) documentation of
				  accreditation from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress that
				  is deemed equivalent to the commission's approved basic fire suppression
				  curriculum while appointed to a full-time fire suppression position in a
				  jurisdiction other than Texas, with documentation of experience being in the
				  form of a non-self-serving affidavit; and
(B) provide documentation in the form of a
				  sworn non-self-serving affidavit of experience as an employee of a local
				  governmental entity in a full-time structural fire protection position in a
				  jurisdiction other than Texas as referenced in paragraph (3) of this
				  subsection, with two years of affidavit time counted as one year of experience
				  for purposes of this qualification; or
(C) provide documentation in the form of a
				  sworn non-self-serving affidavit of experience as an active volunteer fire
				  fighter and meeting the attendance requirements referenced in paragraph (4) of
				  this subsection, with two years of affidavit time counted as one year of
				  experience for purposes of this qualification; or
(8) document a combined total of ten years of
				  experience using:
(A) documentation in the
				  form of a sworn non-self-serving affidavit of experience as an employee of a
				  local governmental entity in a full-time structural fire protection position in
				  a jurisdiction other than Texas as referenced in paragraph (3) of this
				  subsection; and
(B) documentation
				  in the form of a sworn non-self-serving affidavit of experience as an active
				  volunteer fire fighter and meeting the attendance requirements referenced in
				  paragraph (4) of this subsection.