Washington Fire-Rescue-EMS Command Staff Become First In State To Earn Fire Officer III Certification (April 26, 2005)

Six members of the City of Washington's Fire-Rescue-EMS Department have become the first fire service professionals in North Carolina to be granted Fire Officer III certification, the highest level available in North Carolina, by the NC Department of Insurance.

Those who received certification at a ceremony in Greensboro on April 12 are Captain Scottie Taylor, Division Chief Robbie Rose, Division Chief Gerald Seighman, Chief Jimmy Davis, Division Chief Mark Yates, and Division Chief Jasper Hardison. They join four members of the City of Greensboro Fire Department as the only 10 certified Level III Fire Officers in North Carolina.

Washington Fire-Rescue-EMS is also the first fire department in the state whose full command staff has received Fire Officer Certification at Levels I, II and III. And the department also has been recognized by the NC Department of Insurance for its role in developing and implementing a statewide certification program by participating in pilot programs for all three levels.

The Fire Officer Certification program trains professional fire service personnel in the management and administrative skills needed to run a professional fire department. These management skills are in addition to the tactical skills required for state certification as firefighters and emergency medical technicians. North Carolina's Fire Officer Certification program is voluntary and has been modeled after national performance standards recommended by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

"Fire Officer III certification tells the citizens of Washington that our fire officers have met professional qualifications developed around national guidelines for the fire service profession," said Chief Jimmy Davis. "The program provides additional knowledge and professional qualifications that allows our command staff to do a better job as far as managing a professional fire department."

Chief Davis pointed out that development of and participation in the Fire Officer Certification program was consistent with the department's Vision Statement, which calls for members to "share a vision of creating and maintaining a leading edge organization of highly trained, competent career and volunteer professionals." Chief Davis noted that "This is an example of our department being on the leading edge in the fire service, not just in our area but in the state as well."

He credits retired Fire Chief Nelson Pyle for getting Washington Fire-Rescue-EMS involved in establishing the statewide program. "Chief Nelson Pyle came from a state (Maryland) that already had a certification program in place up to Level IV," he noted. "At that time North Carolina was working on establishing its own program. Our department offered to assist the state in setting up its program by volunteering to be part of a pilot project."

Individuals seeking Fire Officer Certification must compile written documentation of the department's policies and operating procedures, which could include assisting in policy development if needed. Individuals also must complete written exercises demonstrating use of fire service professional skills and knowledge. If written work and documentation is deemed acceptable by a review committee, then the individual is invited to take the state examination. Individuals who pass the examination are awarded certification at that level. Individuals have a year to complete the work and take the examination for each level.

As participants in the pilot programs for each level, members of Washington Fire-Rescue-EMS had to start the process from scratch, which included compiling instructional materials and giving guidance on topics, training and skills that should be emphasized at each level. In addition, pilot program participants had to take an examination consisting of the entire bank of test questions, rather than a selection of questions, which is how the examination typically is structured, to help the NC Department of Insurance validate all test questions and to test the actual working of the questions.

Since the state certification program was established, 772 individuals have completed Fire Officer I certification, 162 have completed Fire Officer II certification and 10 individuals have been certified at Fire Officer III level. Washington Fire-Rescue-EMS staff first completed FOI in 2000, FOII in 2001 and FOIII in 2005.