Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Certification Progression topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subcommittee weighs continuing waiting periods between advanced certifications; leans to keep narrow waits
Summary
Members heard widespread input from chiefs and training officers and debated removing most 30-day waits while retaining a multi-year separation for instructor certification; staff will draft redlines that remove routine waits and keep a three‑year instructor threshold tied to a certification date.
The subcommittee considered whether to retain waiting periods between certification levels. Commissioners and stakeholders offered competing views: many training officers opposed statewide time-based progression requirements and said departments prefer local career-development plans; several chiefs and commissioners argued for minimum experience windows before advancing to higher, leadership-focused certifications.
Vice Chairman Bill Scott had circulated a proposed progression schedule (HMA/HMO/Firefighter 1/2 with no wait, one-year waits for some driver/operator and officer steps, and a three-year wait for Fire Instructor I). Some commissioners and chiefs urged keeping a three‑year separation for instructor certification to ensure candidates have adequate experience; others urged eliminating most mandated waits (today many progressions have a 30‑day mandated wait) and relying on local departmental controls and waivers.
After extended discussion, the subcommittee generally agreed to remove routine 30-day waiting periods between entry-level certifications (HMA, HMO, Firefighter 1 and 2) and to keep a three-year waiting period tied to a certification date for Fire Instructor I (staff to decide whether the three years count from the entry-to-service date or from the issuance date of a prior certification). Staff was directed to prepare redlines that: (1) remove most 30-day waits, (2) keep a three-year instructor threshold, and (3) include a waiver process for exceptional cases (for example, career hires or promotion needs). The commission will solicit public comments during the formal rulemaking period.
