Colorado Firecamp, Fire Instructor I

Motivated by the deaths of three firefighters in two separate live-fire training incidents, the Florida State Fire Marshal’s office successfully gained legislative support for a bill designed to mandate safe live-fire training. On June 1, 2005, Governor Jeb Bush signed HB 69 into law as the Lt. John Mickel and Dallas Begg Act, effective January 1, 2007. The act is named for two Oceola County firefighters who died in a training incident in 2002.

The Mickel/Begg Act mandates that NFPA 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions (2002), must be complied with at all live-fire exercises. Live-fire facilities must meet NFPA 1403 requirements before any live-fire training. Live-fire training must occur at state-certified training centers (including burn buildings and props) that are compliant with NFPA 1403 and NFPA 1402, Guide to Building Fire Service Training Centers (2002). Acquired structures must also be NFPA 1403 compliant. Additional requirements include using thermal imaging, ensuring prop maintenance and safety, using Class A burn props, establishing a rapid intervention team (RIT) during training, ensuring the ability for fast prop venting, and ensuring NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program (2002), compliance.

Beginning January 1, 2007, a certified live-fire instructor must be present at all live-fire training events. A 40-hour certification program for live-fire instructor (Level I instructor prerequisite) will begin in July 2005. To certify, instructors must pass a pretest by 80 percent and a final posttest by 100 percent (mastery). Unfortunately, this Act does not apply to industrial fire brigade training (NFPA 600, Standard on Industrial Fire Brigades, 2005). Virginia also has begun a NFPA 1403 compliance-training program for instructors.

For additional information on the process used to initiate the legislation, contact Elias “Buck” Tomlinson, Instructor, State Fire Marshal, Bureau of Fire Standards and Training, at 352.369.2845. For information on the certification program, contact Jeremy Donovan, Director, or George Mullins, Program Manager, Central Florida Fire Academy, at 407.855.3281. Information on the two training incidents may be found on the Centers for Disease Control (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH]) web site under Mickel/Begg and Port Everglades (Wayne Mitchell).

The enactment of this law is an example of how the fire service can influence the legislative process for the improvement of firefighter safety. It should be a model for other states, provinces, or local authorities as a means for preventing unnecessary fatalities and injuries.

— from IFSTA Speaking of Fire, Winter 2006.

2005 Florida Statutes

Title XXXVII Insurance

Chapter 633 FIRE PREVENTION AND CONTROL

633.821 Workplace safety.--

(2) The division shall have the authority to adopt rules for the purpose of ensuring safe working conditions for all firefighter employees by authorizing the enforcement of effective standards, by assisting and encouraging firefighter employers to maintain safe working conditions, and by providing for education and training in the field of safety. Specifically, the division may by rule adopt all or any part of subparts C through T and subpart Z of 29 C.F.R. s. 1910, as revised April 8, 1998; the National Fire Protection Association, Inc., Standard 1500, paragraph 5-7 (Personal Alert Safety System) (1992 edition); the National Fire Protection Association, Inc., Publication 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions (latest edition), as limited by subsection (6); and ANSI A 10.4-1990.

. . .

(6)(a) The division shall adopt rules for live fire training that all firefighters subject to this chapter must complete. The division shall also adopt rules for a training and certification process for live fire training instructors.

(b) Such rules for training shall include:

1. Sections of the most current edition of the National Fire Protection Association, Inc., Publication 1402, Guide to Building Fire Service Training Centers, relating to establishing policies and procedures for effective use of such permanent facilities or structures.

2. Sections of the most current edition of the National Fire Protection Association, Inc., Publication 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions, excluding, however:

a. Any chapter entitled "Referenced Publications."

b. References to the National Fire Protection Association, Inc., Publication 1975, Station Uniform.

c. The National Fire Protection Association, Inc., Publication 1001, or any references to such publication in the National Fire Protection Association, Inc., Publication 1975.

d. Any reference to an authority having jurisdiction in the National Fire Protection Association, Inc., Publication 1403, defined as the organization, office, or individual responsible for approving equipment, materials, installations, and procedures.

3. A 40-hour training program for live fire training instructors, including:

a. Live fire instructional techniques.

b. Training safety in acquired or permanent facilities or props.

c. Personnel safety.

d. Exterior props, including, but not limited to, liquid petroleum gas, other liquid fuels, and similar props.

(c) The rules, excluding those pertaining to live fire training instructor certification, shall take effect no later than January 1, 2006.

(d) Each live fire training instructor is required to be state certified. All live fire training commenced on and after January 1, 2007, must be conducted by a certified live fire training instructor.

(e) This subsection does not apply to wildland or prescribed live fire training exercises sanctioned by the Division of Forestry of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.

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Fire Instructor I

class information

IFSTA “Fire & Emergency Services Instructor”

Pre-course Assignments

Equivalency to M-410, Facilitative Instructor

Poinciana, Florida Live-Fire Training Deaths — July, 2002

Links to Instructor Resources

Lt. John Mickel and Dallas Begg Act

Florida Law Adopts NFPA 1403 for All Live-Fire Training

2005 Florida Statutes

Title XXXVII Insurance