Current through September 24, 2024
(1) One department
may administer a practical examination to another participating department
and/or may enroll students from another department in an approved Recruit
Training Program provided the following conditions are met:
(a) The administering department's practical
examination and/or Recruit Training Program have been approved by the
Commission;
(b) Both departments
have agreed to allow the applicant(s) to utilize the administering department's
practical examination; and
(c)
Proof of successful completion of the practical examination is sent to the
applicant's department and placed on file.
(2) The application for a practical
examination shall be submitted by the department of which the applicant is a
member and the examination results will be forwarded to that
department.
(3)
(a) For practical or live burn practical
examinations, compliance with
29 CFR
1910.134, Respiratory Protection Standard, is
required. An applicant is required to have been SCBA fit tested for within
twelve (12) months of the examination and a SCBA Fit Testing Verification form
is to be completed. Appropriate documentation shall include:
1. The signature of the Fire Chief from the
applicant's sponsoring department; and
2. Documentation from an authorized
fit-testing entity.
(b)
No one shall be allowed to participate in the practical or live burn practical
examination in which a SCBA is used unless their fit testing is
documented.
(c) Applicants for
Tennessee State Fire Commission Certification in Fire Fighter I or II practical
or live burn practicals, who have beards or facial hair in the area of the SCBA
face piece seal (examples may include, but not be limited to: full-face beards,
muttonchops, goatees, sideburns, mustaches, or even a few days growth of
stubble) shall not be allowed to participate in the practical exam if the
facial hair between the wearer's skin and the sealing surfaces of the face
piece prevents a good seal with the respirator. A fire fighter shall not enter
an area in which it has been determined that respirator protection is necessary
when conditions prevent a good seal of the respirator face piece to the face.
This provision shall be enforced regardless of the live fire skills being
tested at any site. No exceptions to this provision shall be granted. This
provision is in conjunction with
29 CFR
1910.134 Respiratory Protection
Standard.
(d) Ordinary eyeglasses
shall not be used with full face piece respirators. Eye glasses with temple
bars or straps that pass between the sealing surface of a full face piece and
the fire fighter's face will prevent a good seal. Special spectacle kits can be
ordered and mounted inside a full face piece respirator.
(4)
(a) For
Regional Practical Examinations, a department shall furnish a minimum of one
(1) evaluator for every two (2) applicants that the department submits for
examination. If a department submits less than two (<2) applicants, that
department will not be required to provide an evaluator but is strongly
encouraged to do so.
(b) Evaluators
shall be certified by the Commission at a minimum of Fire Fighter II level
(Fire Fighter III for 1987 NFPA Standard or earlier) and are encouraged to be
certified at the Fire Department Instructor I level.
(c) Evaluators shall successfully complete a
Commission-approved examination before being allowed to serve as an Evaluator.
The Evaluator training and examination may be available online over the
Internet.
(5) Regional
Practical Examination Site Requirements. The department hosting a regional
practical examination shall meet the following conditions:
(a) Have adequate space to conduct the
practical examinations;
(b) Be able
to provide all equipment required for the examination, excluding the equipment
each applicant shall provide in accordance with Commission rules;
(c) A member of the host department shall
have attended a regional practical examination before hosting one within the
department;
(d) Provide a minimum
of three (3) evaluators who are certified by the Commission at a minimum of
Fire Fighter II level (Fire Fighter III for 1987 NFPA Standard or earlier) and
are encouraged to be certified at the Fire Department Instructor I
level;
(e) The proposed examination
site was inspected by the Commission representative in order to ensure it meets
the requirements of the program; and
(f) Provide for their fire fighters and for
practical examinations equipment which has been inspected and meets all
applicable NFPA safety standards.
(6) A host department for a practical
examination shall provide the Commission representative on the day of the
practical examination a letter addressed to the Commission and signed by the
Fire Chief or Training Chief certifying that all equipment used in the
practical examination meets all applicable NFPA, OSHA and other applicable
standards for safety and required inspections. Included in the letter shall be
a certification statement that all equipment that is required to be tested
according to said standard (e.g., ladders, hose, pumps, SCBA, etc.) has been
tested according to the standard. Failure to provide this letter shall result
in the cancellation of the practical examination for that day.
(7) All instructors, evaluators, and approved
applicants who participate in a live fire practical shall meet the requirements
of Chapter 4, Section 4.3, Student Prerequisites, of the latest adopted edition
of NFPA 1403. Written documentation of completion of this training shall be
kept on file by the department and shall be subject to audit by the Commission.
All requirements listed in the Live Fire Training Requirements Book shall be
completed.
(8) Practical skill
sheets shall be available to all applicants through the Commission
website.
(9) Practical examination
sites shall have adequate space to safely hold the examination. The site shall
have an isolated holding area for the applicants waiting to take the
examination and a separate area for applicants who have completed the
examination. The Commission representative shall ensure that the site meets
these requirements prior to the start of the examination.
(10) Guidelines for Practical and Live Burn
Practical Examinations
(a) No fee shall be
charged by the Commission for these examinations.
(b) Practical regional examination sites will
be established in each Commission representative's territory, on an as needed
basis, to meet the needs of the fire departments within their
territories.
(c) Live Fire
Practical examination sites will be established by the Commission
representatives in conjunction with a department's ability to host these types
of practical examinations which shall be NFPA 1403 compliant.
(d) Applicants may travel out of their region
to take examinations at other sites.
(e) The Commission representative is to
conduct a training seminar for evaluators prior to each practical examination
to ensure the evaluators understand examination procedures, grading procedures,
performance criteria, and instructions on completing required paperwork. The
Commission will provide the Commission representative with documents to be
utilized during this training. Any evaluator who fails to attend this training
will not be allowed to serve as an evaluator.
(f) Applications to challenge the practical
examination shall be submitted to the Commission a minimum of two (2) weeks
prior to the examination date. A minimum of ten (10) applicants shall be
scheduled in order to conduct the practical examinations; a maximum of fifty
(50) applicants may be tested per day. The Commission or Commission's designee
may waive this requirement if justification exists.
(g) An applicant who fails any evolution
shall be notified immediately of his/her failure and will be allowed to leave
the practical immediately.
(h)
Copies of the entire practical examination will be provided to all departments.
A copy may also be requested by individuals from the Commission Office either
by e-mail or US mail.
(i)
Applicants who complete the examination shall remain at the host facility until
the end of the day to assist in cleaning and restoring the host facility to
original condition prior to receiving test results. Leaving early will result
in automatic failure unless the applicant is given permission to leave by the
Commission representative.
(j)
Applicants who have completed their practical examination shall remain separate
from those waiting to challenge the examination.
(k) Applicants waiting to challenge the
practical examination shall be secluded from the actual practical. Under no
circumstances shall an applicant waiting to challenge the practical examination
be allowed to see the practicals being administered or be in contact with any
individual who has completed the practical.
(l) The applicant or the applicant's
sponsoring department shall provide at least one (1) SCBA and mask; and each
applicant shall bring a mask which has been fit tested to them.
(m) The applicant or the applicant's
sponsoring department shall inspect each applicant's equipment to ensure it
meets current additions of applicable safety standards. These standards
include:
1. NFPA 1981;
2. NFPA 1971;
3. NFPA 1976;
4. NFPA 1977; and
5. NFPA 1982.
(n) Each applicant shall bring his/her own
personal protective equipment (e.g., helmet, turnout gear, gloves, and coat)
including SCBA.
(o) The host
department shall provide the equipment to be used for testing (e.g., adders,
hose, etc.).
(p) The applicant
shall assume liability in case of injury. A statement to this effect is
included on the application which shall be signed by the applicant.
(q) The Commission will solicit individuals
who are Fire Fighter II or Fire Instructor I certified or individuals deemed by
the Commission to be subject matter experts in the area of firefighting and are
interested in serving as evaluators. Individuals shall submit their names and
qualifications. This list of names will be maintained by the Commission office
which will rotate through the names for each examination. Individuals may add
their names at any time.
(r) An
applicant shall perform the practical skills examinations as required for each
class of certification. An applicant may not refuse to perform a practical
skills examination even if his/her department does not have the equipment
specified to perform that practical skill.
(s) The Commission representative shall have
the authority to adopt these guidelines to address specific life safety
problems as they arise.
Authority: T.C.A. §§
4-24-101,
4-24-106, and
4-24-107.
