Tennessee fire commissioners and volunteers seek to simplify EIP requirements for volunteer firefighters

At a Tennessee Fire Commission subcommittee meeting, commissioners, commission staff and volunteer firefighters discussed changes to the Volunteer Education Incentive Program intended to make the certification process more attainable for volunteer departments across East, Middle and West Tennessee.

The subcommittee focused on reducing paperwork and scheduling barriers that volunteer departments say have driven participation down since the program’s 2021 rollout. Commissioners and volunteers discussed potentially waiving the Oct. 1 curriculum‑submission deadline, accepting documentation of training as it occurs during the year rather than requiring a single annual submission, and creating an online bank of preapproved course materials.

The matter matters because volunteers and commission staff told the subcommittee that small departments often lack dedicated training officers, reliable internet or time to handle a single large end‑of‑year submission. A volunteer representing Camden County said the program’s scheduling demands can make participation impossible: "the fire chief never could come up with a date," the volunteer said, describing an inability to gather personnel for required training and meet the deadline for submissions.

Commissioners described two competing priorities: simplify and expand participation for volunteers while preserving auditability and program integrity. "If we allow exemptions, there has to be a check and balance," one attendee said, noting earlier concerns that exemptions could be misused. Commissioner Green questioned how audits are performed, asking, "When a department submits their in service to you for review, do you go and verify the dates on their in service program that was submitted at the first of the year and then verify that it was done on the dates that it was supposed to be done before you submit them and approve them for pay?" Tina, commission education staff, replied, "I don't know that I've ever paid attention to the date. I'm more concerned with the actual class itself."

Participants reiterated operational details that shape any rule change. Several volunteers and commissioners emphasized that the statutory minimum training remains in effect: volunteers must complete the basic 16‑hour and 64‑hour courses and the required live‑burn elements for certain certification stages; practical skills and written tests are still required for many classes. Subcommittee members noted two statutory exemptions under Tennessee law: (1) medical exemptions certified by a physician, and (2) chief‑certified exemptions for firefighters who will not operate in immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) environments. The commission’s existing EIP rules, however, do not automatically accept those statute exemptions for stipend eligibility, and commissioners discussed reconciling rule language with the statute to avoid excluding volunteers who are otherwise eligible under TCA.

Multiple volunteers described operational barriers that lead departments to drop out when the program requires an operations‑level hazmat certification or extended course sequences. Volunteers urged a more flexible approach to the operations/awareness split for hazmat training and suggested a Tennessee‑issued, commission‑level certification path that would be easier for volunteers to complete but still include core competencies.

Staff and volunteers proposed concrete administrative changes: allow roll‑forward of already‑taught classes by submitting rosters when training occurs (rather than forcing all documentation in a single October 1 pile); build a downloadable, preapproved library of PowerPoint materials, test questions and rosters that departments can adapt; and separate the statewide Acadis/Cadence account into individual accounts to permit more user‑friendly local recordkeeping. A participant said the state education association intends to submit roughly 60 hours of prebuilt, downloadable training content to the commission for review and use.

Commissioners emphasized the need to keep practical skill checks and to avoid turning the program into mere paperwork. Volunteers said some practical assessments already exist but that small departments find the added written tests and documentation onerous. Several volunteers asked whether practical checklists could satisfy testing requirements in some cases; staff replied that practical checklists are used for some commission tests but that written tests remain required in many circumstances.

The subcommittee heard that participation and stipend numbers have declined since the program’s first year and that many smaller, rural combination departments lack staff, equipment or internet access to manage the documentation load. Commissioners said the subcommittee will use the feedback to draft rule changes aimed at increasing reach while preserving auditability and training quality.

The subcommittee closed the meeting at 14:18 hours.