| Intermediate SFFMA Course |
| New Fax Number: 888-817-3108 |
Intermediate SFFMA Certification Course (186 hours):
This course meets all requirements from the State Firemen and Fire Marshal's Association of Texas
In order to complete the course requirements the student must complete all academic sections which are offered in the on-line format and are available for student access from the comfort of their home or fire station. While the student is receiving the on-line academic course work instructors from Fire In Texas are available through email, phone, or personal visits to our facility in Granbury, Texas. Mr. Ronnie Gothard is our lead instructor and is certified through the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as a Master Firefighter and Fire Service Instructor III Master.
In addition to the required on-line academic course work the student will be responsible for successful completion of some forty (40) required skills in the Intermediate SFFMA course. The student may work with their local Fire Chief and Training Coordinator in order to meet this requirement by demonstration of the skills as administered by approved personnel.
Fire In Texas will be hosting various hands-on skills training sessions around the state and as these dates and locations become available they will be posted on our website for viewing. Any student enrolled in our Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced SFFMA courses will be eligible to attend these sessions at no charge.
Upon successful completion of the Fire In Texas portion of training the student will recieve Certificates of Completion which will make the student eligible for their Fire Chief and Training Coordinator to submit the application paperwork for the student to become Certified as an Intermediate SFFMA Firefighter.
The student will then be eligible to take the SFFMA written examination and upon successful completion of this examination the student will be eligible for certification as an Accredited Intermediate SFFMA Firefighter.
Any firefighter that receives Accredited certifications as Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced SFFMA Firefighter are then eligible to challenge the Texas Commission on Fire Protection Basic Firefighter Certification Test. Upon successful completion of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection Basic Firefighter Certification Test and verification of the acceptable level of medical certification, the student is eligible for Certification by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as a career firefighter.
Our courses are self-paced unless your department is hosting the course as a training module at which time a start date and end date for each session may be imposed. Contact our office for additional information regarding this matter and your individual needs.
The required textbook for this course is the IFSTA, Essentials of Fire Fighting, 4th edition as explained below. These reference books may also be purchased through the SFFMA organization.
Our program is designed to take the individual that is just entering the fire service through the Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels of SFFMA certification as quickly or as slowly as the individual wishes to proceed. In addition, our program is designed to assist that firefigher that is lacking only a few hours or skills in any of the various different chapters or levels and needs assistance from outside their local department in order to complete the requirements in a timely manner.
Please contact our office at any time for additional individual information or information for your department on how they may host a local program to move several or all of their members through the certification levels in a timely manner.
As explained below these programs are eligible for funding through HB 2604 which is administered by the Texas Forest Service.
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The following courses have been approved by the State Fireman and Fire Marshals Association of Texas.
SFFMA Basic
SFFMA Intermediate
SFFMA Advanced
Below is a copy of the "Application for Rural Fire Defense Assistance"
Go directly to : All of our classes are also eligible for the House Bill 2604. This is available through the Texas Forest Service.
Go to their website Texas Forest Service Website
1. Click on the Fire Department link
2. Rural Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) Assistance Program Link
3. Form 400- Application for Rural Fire Defense Assistance Link
4. W-9 Form
5. Print and Complete the Application for Rural Fire Defense Assistance
6. Send it to the Texas Forest Service by mail:
Texas Forest Service
John B Connally Building
301 Tarrow, Suite 304
Attn. Emergency Services Grants Division
College Station , Texas 77840-7896
or Fax:
Fax # (979) 845-6160
If you have questions please call:
Telephone # (979) 458-6505
Once you receive approval for the class you may begin the class |
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Tips
These are a few things we have learned when working with the Texas Forest Service on the grant process.
1. When filling the grant application out be sure and let them know if it is an onsite, online, or blended course. Online courses are given a three month time frame to be completed.
2. Be sure your start date is at least two weeks or more from the time you fax them the application to ensure they have plenty of time to process the paperwork and approve you before the class starts.
3. Make sure you have been approved before starting the class or they may not reimburse you.
4. First you should be preapproved verbally.
5. Then you should receive a letter of approval in the mail. Which must be signed and returned within the designated time limit.
6. Make a copy of your check before you send it to your provider (for example: Fire In Texas) .
7. Fire In Texas will send you an invoice or a sales receipt for your records.
8. At the completion of the course Fire In Texas will send you a Certificate which will show the course you completed and the hours in the course.
9. These three things will need to be mailed/faxed to the Texas Forest Service before your 3 month deadline in order for you to get reimbursed.
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Presentations, Video Clips of Performance Skills, and Tests are received online.
Your Fire Chief or Training Officer are generally approved by SFFMA to conduct the performance skills and sign the skill sheets for each level of training. However, if Fire In Texas is running an open skill session Fire In Texas students can generally pick up performance skills that are not being offered at their volunteer department that need to be completed. You will need to verify with your Chief or Training officer that they will accept our training. Although we are approved through SFFMA and the Texas Commission on Fire Protection and our Instructors are TCFP approved Instructors some Volunteer Departments will choose to do their own performance skill sessions.
At the completion of the Advanced SFFMA level the IFSTA Study Guide will have to be completed and turned into Fire In Texas for Documentation to complete the Advanced SFFMA Course. Fire In Texas suggests you purchase the study guide and work on it as your going through basic and intermediate courses.
Once you've successfully completed our Basic SFFMA course, and have successfully completed the SFFMA Accreditation test for each level up to and including the Advanced Accreditation level, you will be eligible to challenge the state test with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection.
After giving TCFP the appropriate documentation that you have achieved the Accredited Advanced SFFMA Level. You can request a "Testing Application" from Joyce Sanders 512-936-3816.
What to expect when you arrive to take your state test.
1. First and foremost be sure and have a drivers license or a picture ID (example: Military ID). The State Representative will check your ID and if you do not have one available you will not test.
2. Performance skills are tested in the morning. The Texas Commission on Fire Protection Testing Department chooses what skills you will be tested on, not the state representative overseeing the testing.
3. Once the you have successfully completed the Performance skills. Generally, (not always) you will break for lunch. The State Representative for the testing department will set a time to be back at the Training Facility to start the written test.
4. The written test will consist of 150 questions. The breakdown of the test questions is: Firefighter I, HazMat Awareness, Firefighter II, and HazMat Ops.
5. Once you have successfully completed the Performance skills and the Written Test with the Texas Commission on Protection. An overall score of 70 must be made to pass and become a certified Firefighter. All four sections will also be graded individually. A passing Score of 70 or more is required on each of those sections to receive IFSAC Certification. For each section that you score 70 or more you can receive an IFSAC seal. An IFSAC seal is a form of "International" Certification that will allow you to go to another state or country that is IFSAC accredited. www.ifsac.org is the website that gives you information on who all is a member of IFSAC.
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| If you have the 4th you may use it if you do not you will have to order the 5th and use it. The 4th ed. is no longer in print. |
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| Essentials of Fire Fighting 4th ed. $40.00 if ordered from IFSTA as of 2/12/07 |
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| Essentials of Fire Fighting and Fire Department Operations 5th ed. |
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| The 5th ed. Study Guide will be required to complete the course at the completion of the Advanced SFFMA Certification Level.
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