Illinois Administrative Code
Title 41 - FIRE PROTECTION
Part 141 - REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PARTICIPATION AND CERTIFICATION OF FIRE PROTECTION PERSONNEL
Subpart C - EXAMINATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Section 141.200 - State Examinations
Universal Citation: 41 IL Admin Code ยง 141.200
Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) State Written Examinations shall be developed and provided by the Division and administered by approved testing facilities. The battery of State Written Examinations to be given shall be determined by the Division.
1) The Office may approve vendors to proctor
State Written Examinations following established State procurement
rules.
2) When challenging a State
Written Examination, candidates shall follow established rules and guidelines
set forth by the vendor proctoring the State Written Examinations.
A) The Office shall pay, one time only, for a
candidate to challenge a State Written Examination of a specific
level.
B) If a candidate fails the
State Written Examination or fails to appear for their scheduled examination,
it shall be the responsibility of the candidate or fire department to pay for
additional opportunities to challenge the State Written Examination of the
specific level.
3) Fire
service-related State Written Examinations require a 70% overall passing rate.
In the case of State Written Modular Examinations, a 70% overall passing rate
for each module is required.
4)
State Written Examination results shall be posted to the candidate's records
and made available by accessing the DPSE WebAccess Portal. The Division shall
maintain these scores and may use them internally for statistical or employment
purposes.
5) Procedure to Request
State Written Examination
A) The training
facility or fire department shall submit the completed Request for Examination
utilizing the DPSE WebAccess Portal.
B) The Request for Examination attests that
each candidate has a documented learning experience in each of the subject
areas of the State Written Examination requested. It shall be the
responsibility of the candidate's employing fire chief, or their designee, to
verify completion of all prerequisites for Requests for Examination submitted
to the Division.
C) A Request for
Examination includes:
i) Name of training
facility submitting Request for Examination;
ii) Name of State Written
Examination;
iii) Training facility
with proper Course Approval;
iv)
Fire Chief or Director's name;
v)
Name of Qualified Instructor;
vi)
Names of candidates; and
vii) Test
start date.
D) The
candidate must be registered on the DPSE WebAccess Portal with a valid e-mail
address as required in Section
141.65.
E) When a Request for Examination is
approved, a confirmation e-mail will be sent to the candidate's registered
e-mail from the vendor with instructions and examination requirements. The
candidate has 45 days after the test start date to schedule their examination
date. The test start date shall be submitted as part of the Request for
Examination.
F) Candidates
challenging the State Written Examinations shall meet one of the following
employment requirements and be at least 18 years of age:
i) Engaged in firefighting in an organized
Illinois fire department in accordance with the Act and attested by the
candidate's employing fire chief;
ii) Employed by a local governmental
agency;
iii) Employed by an
Illinois fire brigade;
iv) Employed
by the Office; or
v) Individuals
who have retired from active fire service duties and are officially affiliated
with fire service training, mutual aid, incident command, fire ground
operations or staff support for fire associations.
G) Candidates who have not met minimum
requirements for a State Written Examination shall not be examined.
H) Reasonable modifications to the practices
or procedures for proctoring State Written Examinations, in accordance with the
federal regulations implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities
Act ( 28 CFR 35), shall be permitted upon the Office's receipt, review and
approval of a written request from the candidate requesting the specific
accommodations. Formal documentation supporting the modification or
accommodation sought shall accompany the written request. The vendor shall be
notified by the Division of the approval, including the name of the candidate,
the accommodations approved and the specific OSFM identification number for the
candidate.
6) The Office
and IFSI, pursuant to the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act [5 ILCS 22] and in
accordance with the Civil Administrative Code [20 ILCS 5/5-655], entered into
an Intergovernmental Agreement, in furtherance of the certification program,
which allows IFSI end of course examinations that pertain to certifications to
be reviewed and approved as equivalent to the State Written Examinations.
Candidates who complete the approved equivalent IFSI examinations and
requirements are not required to challenge and pass the State Written
Examinations. The Intergovernmental Agreement will be reviewed and revised as
necessary.
7) Re-examination of
State Written Examinations
A) No candidate
shall be re-examined without further documented learning experiences in each of
the failed subject areas.
B) There
shall be no limits set by the Division for the number of times a candidate may
take the State Written Examination, except when the State Written Examinations
are allowed under Section
141.120.
b) State Practical Examinations shall be developed and provided by the Division.
1) The
test site shall have toilet facilities in proximity of the area.
2) A Qualified Instructor is required to sign
documentation confirming passage of the practical examinations.
3) For all certification courses that require
a Qualified Instructor, at minimum, additional instructors must be certified as
Instructor I and to the certification level when evaluating practical
examinations.
4) All candidates
shall be in clear view of the Qualified Instructor or an additional instructor
that meets the requirements of subsection (b)(3).
5) The proctor shall not be permitted to
discuss or answer inquiries regarding skills required for the State Practical
Examination.
6) State Practical
Examination results shall be posted to the candidate's records and made
available by accessing the DPSE WebAccess Portal. The Division shall maintain
these results and may use them internally for statistical or employment
purposes.
A) Candidates challenging the State
Practical Examinations shall meet one of the following employment requirements
and be at least 18 years of age:
i) Engaged in
firefighting in an organized Illinois fire department in accordance with the
Act and attested by the candidate's employing fire chief;
ii) Employed by a local governmental
agency;
iii) Employed by an
Illinois fire brigade;
iv) Employed
by the Office; or
v) Individuals
who have retired from active fire service duties and are officially affiliated
with fire service training, mutual aid, incident command, fire ground
operations or staff support for fire associations.
B) Candidates who have not met minimum
requirement for a State Practical Examination shall not be examined, nor shall
candidates who are ill or obviously under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In
making the determination of drug or alcohol impairment, the Division shall
consider, but is not limited to, observation of demeanor, slurred speech, odor
of alcohol, general behavior and other considerations that may aid in making
the determination.
7)
State Practical Examinations required by the Division for all certifications
other than Basic Operations Firefighter are valid for 12 months. If a candidate
has not passed the State Written Examination within 12 months after passing the
State Practical Examination, the candidate must retake the State Practical
Examination. State Practical Examinations for Basic Operations Firefighter are
valid for 5 years. If a candidate does not pass the State Written Examination
for Basic Operations Firefighter within 5 years after passing the State
Practical Examination, the candidate must retake the State Practical
Examination.
8) The passing rate of
all State Practical Examinations shall be 100% and it shall be the
responsibility of the qualified instructor to follow the Division's
administrative rules and assure accuracy of the skills.
9) If firefighters from a given fire
department experience excessive or repeated failures of a State Written or
Practical Examination, the fire chief and appropriate officers of the
department are encouraged to contact the Office for assistance.
10) Non-affiliated individuals may not
challenge any State Written or Practical Examinations except as permitted under
Section 141.215.
11) The Office may extend deadlines for
requirements of this Section for good cause shown (e.g., military deployments,
medical leaves, personal emergencies, Acts of God or natural disasters,
Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation, etc.).
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Illinois may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
