Policy for the National Board of Fire Service Professional Qualification
certification testing
Lanier Technical College has obtained a “Delegation of Authority” from the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council. This Delegation of Authority authorizes certain certification privileges to LTC. Some of the privileges are to present course work, to test for certain Standards, and to request certification for the Standard.
This policy delineates the process and procedure that the student must follow in order to apply for and receive the Standard Certification testing.
LTC has the Authority to test Fire Instructor I, Fire Officer I & II.
REQUIREMENTS FOR STANDARD TESTING
FIRE INSTRUCTOR I• The student will complete FSC 132 Fire Service Instructor with a grade of C+ or better.
FIRE OFFICER I & II
• The student will complete the following courses with a grade of C+, for each, or better:
o FSC 101 Introduction to Fire Service
o FSC 110 Fire Service Supervision and Leadership o FSC 121 Fire Fighting Strategy
o FSC 141 Hazardous Materials
o FSC 151 Fire Prevention and Inspection o FSC 161 Fire Service Safety & Loss Control o FSC 201 Fire Service Management
o FSC 210 Fire Service Hydraulics o FSC 220 Fire Protection Systems
o FSC 230 Fire Service Building Construction o FSC 241 Incident Command
• The student will have completed the ProBoard Prerequisites by obtaining the Georgia Certifications of Firefighter II and Fire Instructor I.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Any FSTP student that wishes to take a certification exam that comes under the Delegation of Authority to LTC by The Georgia Firefighters Standards and Training Council (GFSTC) must submit the following to the FSTP Director/Lead Instructor:
A. A written request (email is OK) stating which Standard they want to test for. B. Proof of the required course work completed for the particular exam.
C. Proof of “Prerequisite Requirement/s” completed for the particular exam.
NOTIFICATION TO STUDENTS OF TESTING
1. Test information for the Fire Service Instructor I is included in syllabus and schedule.
2. Testing for the Fire Officer I and/or II will be held upon request and validation of eligibility.
AT A DISTANCE WRITTEN CERTIFICATION TEST MONITORS.
1. The Director of the LTC FSTP is the main proctor of all written certification exams. As these exams are electronic, some tests may be given at a distance. In these cases a third party monitor will be chosen to maintain the security of the test site.
2. The “At Distance” written certification test monitor will be a person that has no affiliation with the testing student. This would include anyone serving on the same Fire Department, any relative, long or short time friend, member of the same organization; be it fraternal or charitable. 3. Examples of a qualified “AT Distance” written certification monitor. Librarian of a Public Library, High School or College Councilor, Fire Department Fire chief (different department), Fire Department Training Officer (different department), etc..
4. The “At Distance” written certification test monitor will sign and adhere to the Testing Monitor agreement. This agreement can be seen in Appendix A.
TEST
Qualifying tests that are given for each Standard level will be considered a comprehensive exam. What this entails is that each test will cover all the knowledge levels of the Standard level you are seeking.
The qualifying tests for the skills portions of the Standard levels will also be considered
comprehensive. Again for this test each skill will be presented to ensure mastery of each skill. To ensure the security of the tests given each test will be updated periodically and without warning.
TESTING PROCEDURES
1. The test individual verifies their identity by presenting a governmental picture ID. 2. Testing instructions will be read to the student.
3. The student may ask questions at this point. After the student starts the test the proctor/monitor will not answer any questions.
4. Unless otherwise stated in the instructions to you, materials such as textbooks, notes, and references are NOT permitted; this is not an “open-book” test.
5. The student/s will be monitored continuously during the test.
6. If more than one student is being tested, students must be placed in a position so that they cannot see the computer screen of the other testing student/s and at separate tables if possible.
7. There is no talking or other collaboration between students.
8. Once a test begins, it must be completed before the student leaves the testing area. It will be permissible for the student to visit the restroom provided all test materials are left with the proctor/monitor.
9. Students shall not discuss the test, or any subject matters, with others.
10. The student shall not be permitted to make notes or otherwise record test questions or answers.
11. Immediately upon completion of the test, the student will account for any allowed scratch paper, or previously allowed material and returned to the proctor/monitor.
12. The test is timed and the system will automatically stop and submit the test when the allotted time has expired.
GRIEVANCE OF QUESTIONS
Any student may challenge a test question. The following steps are the process that the student must take. • The student must submit a written challenge before leaving the testing area.
• The challenge must have the following. o The students name
o The question number that is challenged o Reason of the challenge.
o The days date
• The challenge is then handed to the test monitor
The test monitor will submit the challenge to the Director of the Fire Science Technology Program. The Director will research the challenge and report to the student the findings.
If after analysis, a test item is found to be inappropriate then the Director of the FSTP will determine what changes or action must be taken.
1. If repairing (Example; misspelled wordage, improper grammar, wrong answer shown and the correct one, etc..) is deem appropriate. The Director will repair the problem and then submit the repaired question to the Advisory Committee for approval.
2. If replacement is necessary then the director will research and develop another question that will fulfill the same objective, JPR, and reference subject. The Director will then submit the new question/s to the Advisory Committee for approval.
FAILING TESTS
If a student fails the first test, the student may retake the test any time after seven business days and must give the FSTP Director a four business day notice of the date of retest.
If the student fails the second test, the student may retake the test again but must wait 30 business days and give the FSTP Director a four business day notice of the date of retest.
If the student fails the test for a third time, the student must complete a review project that will be established by the FSTP Director.
LTC’S PROCEDURE FOR REQUESTING CERTIFICATION
After the student has completed the above requirements and prerequisites the Director of the LTC FSTP will schedule a test for the testing students.
After the test has been scored and it has been determined that the student has passed the exam successfully, the Director of the LTC FSTP will submit a certification request to the GFSTC. In this request the Director of the LTC FSTP will state that the student has successfully passed the exam, has successfully fulfilled the prerequisites, the students SSN, and the student’s address. The Director of the LTC FSTP will then enter the date that the request was submitted.
Upon receipt of the certification request the GFSTC will process the request and upon determining that the prerequisites have been fulfilled GFSTC will issue an application to the student.
After the certification request has been submitted by LTC. The responsibility of notifying the student of the certification falls upon the GFSTC.
FAIRNESS AND EQUITY
1. Lanier Technical College’s Fire Science Technology Program (FSTP) will follow The Lanier Technical College and The Technical College System of Georgia’s policies on
discrimination and fairness.
APPEALS
Any student that believes they have not been treated fairly during the process of certification testing may appeal any decision made by a Lanier Technical College Faculty. The process must follow the procedure published in the Lanier Technical College’s Catalog and Student
Handbook.
QUALIFICATIONS OF EVALUATORS
1. No instructor that has taken an active role in the training of a testing student will be permitted to evaluate skills or to examine a written test.
APPENDIX A
CERTIFICATION TESTING MONITOR SURETY AGREEMENT
Thank you for agreeing to serve as an “At Distance” written Certification test monitor for the Lanier Technical College’s Fire Science Technology Program. By signing below you agree to monitor a certification test for Name: ________________________ on the following date and time, Date: _____________________ Time: _______________.
Please ensure that the following items are carried out:
1. The test individual verifies their identity by presenting a governmental picture ID.
2. All testing information will remain confidential until you administer the test to the student identified in the testing information.
3. Unless otherwise stated in the instruction material to you, materials such as textbooks, notes, and references are NOT permitted; this is not an “open-book” test.
4. Ensure that the testing environment is comfortable with adequate lighting, ventilation, and without interruptions or distractions.
5. If more than one student is being tested, students must be placed in a position so that they cannot see the computer screen of the other testing student/s and at separate tables if possible.
6. You will ensure that there is no talking or other collaboration between students.
7. Once a test begins, it must be completed before the student leaves the testing area. It will be permissible for the student to visit the restroom provided all test materials are left with you. Students shall not discuss the test, or any subject matters, with others.
8. The student shall not be permitted to make notes or otherwise record test questions or answers.
9. Immediately upon completion of the test, you will account for any allowed scratch paper, or previously allowed material. You will collect said materials and return them to LTC FSTP.
10. The test individual stops when their time is up.
As the Certification Testing Monitor you will be given the following items: 1. Instruction that will be read to the testing individual
2. Direction on how to sign on to the test site. 3. The password required for the test. 4. The time limit for the test.
These instructions will be sent to your email one day before the scheduled date of the test. By signing below you agree to the above stipulations.
Print Name: __________________________ Signature: _________________________ Agency: ____________
Title: __________________ Phone ______________________ Email: _______________________________
