Entry Level Personnel

(1) (a) It shall be mandatory for all qualified volunteer firefighters to become certified, when eligible, at the Fire Fighter I level in order to become eligible for educational incentive pay. (b) It shall be mandatory for all qualified career firefighters to become certified, when eligible, at the Fire Fighter I level and progress when eligible through the Fire Fighter II level of certification in order to become eligible for educational incentive pay. (2) (a) 1. The volunteer firefighter must complete the sixteen (16) hour Introduction to Fire and Emergency Services Course, the sixty-four (64) hour Basic Firefighting Course, and the Commission-approved Live Burn by the end of the calendar year in which the volunteer reaches the firefighter’s thirty-sixth (36th) month of service with a recognized department, or within thirty-six (36) months after July 1, 2021. EDUCATIONAL INCENTIVE PAY CHAPTER 0360-07-01 This requirement will be satisfied if the firefighter can show proof of having completed the sixteen (16) hour Introduction to Fire and Emergency Services Course, the sixty-four (64) hour Basic Firefighting Course, Commission-approved Live Burn within ten (10) years of December 31, 2021, or Fire Fighter I or above, having no break in service exceeding sixty (60) months. 2. A volunteer firefighter must complete Fire Fighter I, Hazardous Materials Awareness, and Hazardous Materials Operations certification levels by the end of the calendar year in which the volunteer applicant reaches his/her sixtieth (60th) month of service with a recognized department, or within the firefighter’s sixtieth (60th) month after July 1, 2021. Firefighters who have not obtained Fire Fighter I, Hazardous Materials Awareness, and Hazardous Materials Operations certification after that date shall not be eligible for educational incentive pay until required certification(s) have been obtained. This requirement will be satisfied if the firefighter can show proof of having completed Fire Fighter I and no break in service exceeding sixty (60) months. (b) A career firefighter must complete Fire Fighter I, Fire Fighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness, and Hazardous Materials Operations certification levels by the end of the calendar year in which the applicant reaches the applicant’s thirty-sixth (36th) month of employment with a participating fire department. Firefighters who have not obtained Fire Fighter I, Fire Fighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness, and Hazardous Materials Operations certification after that date shall not be eligible for educational incentive pay until required certification(s) have been obtained. (3) Qualified personnel, who are separated from the fire service for a period of greater than sixty (60) months and then reenter the fire service shall subsequently obtain certification in accordance with rule 0360-05-01-.02. (4) Individuals hired into a department as Fire Safety Inspectors after December 31, 1990, and who are not trained in fire suppression, may meet the requirements of this section by completing certification as prescribed by T.C.A. § 68-120-113 by the end of the calendar year in which they reach their twelfth (12th) month of employment. If an individual is hired as a Fire Safety Inspector and later transfers to fire suppression, the individual shall achieve Fire Fighter I, Fire Fighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness, and Hazardous Materials Operations certifications within thirty-six (36) months after the transfer date. (5) Individuals hired into a department as Public Fire and Life Safety Educators after December 31, 1990, and who are not trained in fire suppression may meet the requirements of this section by completing certifications as Public Fire and Life Safety Educator I and Public Fire and Life Safety Educator II by the end of the calendar year in which they reach their twenty- fourth (24th) month of employment. If an individual is hired as a Public Fire and Life Safety Educator and later transfers to fire suppression, the individual shall achieve Fire Fighter I, Fire Fighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness, and Hazardous Materials Operations certifications within thirty-six (36) months after the transfer date. (6) The date an individual became employed as a firefighter or volunteered as a firefighter, respectively, for participation in the Educational Incentive Pay Program shall be the date used to calculate deadlines for certification. (7) All career fire departments participating in the Educational Incentive Pay Program shall ensure that their qualified personnel obtain the Fire Fighter II level of certification no later than the thirty-sixth (36th) month from the date the department enters into the Educational Incentive Pay Program. Department personnel that have not obtained the required certification(s), as provided in rule 0360-07-01-.04(1)(a) and (b) and (2)(a) and (b), shall be EDUCATIONAL INCENTIVE PAY CHAPTER 0360-07-01 ineligible to receive educational incentive pay until the required certification(s) have been obtained.