During a recent National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (Pro Board) meeting, the committee on accreditation voted to allow the Texas Engineering Extension Service’s (TEEX) Emergency Services Training Institute (ESTI) to grant certification to individuals in several new areas within National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 472, which is the Standard for Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incident. The extension of accreditation into these new areas will now allow TEEX to respond to its customers’ needs in a variety of ways.

Within NFPA 472, TEEX is currently allowed to grant certification to individuals in Awareness, Operations and Technician, which has 14 different courses, and Incident Command. Soon, TEEX will be able to grant HazMat certification in the following curriculums:
• Competencies for the Technician with a Tank Car Specialty.
• Competencies for the Technician with a Cargo Tank Specialty.
• Annex B — Competencies for the Technician with a Flammable Liquids Bulk Storage Specialty.
• Annex C — Competencies for the Technician with a Flammable Gases Bulk Storage Specialty.

Pro Board, an internationally recognized professional organization that represents the fire service and related field of emergency response, has already accredited TEEX training in more than 30 certification levels in 11 different NFPA standards. According to Gordon Lohmeyer, CFPS, program manager for TEEX, agencies that achieve Pro Board accreditation are recognized as having met the rigors of review by an independent organization.

“This independent review is the best way to assure candidates and governing bodies that the training agency’s program meets the national standards,” Lohmeyer said.

When students attend a TEEX certification course, they will be trained and tested based on competencies. Upon successful completion of the course and the passage of both written and skills exams, students receive a certificate that contains the TEEX logo and the Pro Board seal, which indicates a quality standard in both training and testing.

Certification from a nationally accredited agency is a statement of success and an indisputable mark of performance belonging to individual fire service professionals. Obtaining certification in these or any of the other Pro Board classes that TEEX offers is an internationally recognized means of acknowledging professional achievement in the fire service and related fields.

“Each successful candidate for certification from an accredited agency knows that he has been measured against peers and meets rigorous national standards,” Lohmeyer said. “National certification affords the individual a uniformity and portability of qualifications.

“In addition, the credibility of an organization is enhanced by having members certified to national consensus standards. A high percentage of certified members within a department should certainly help managers in their pursuit of adequate funding at budget time.

“With the addition of NFPA 472 Annex B and C curriculum, TEEX will be better able to serve its customers who seek to have individuals certified to national consensus standards in LPG and flammable liquids specialties.”

Texas Engineering Extension Service’s Emergency Services Training Institute
Firefighters and emergency responders from across Texas and the world call on TEEX/ESTI for its renowned training. Since 1930, TEEX has established itself as the leader in year-round, hands-on training of municipal, industrial, volunteer and marine firefighters. Each year, more than 81,000 firefighters and emergency response personnel from all 50 states and from more than 45 foreign countries receive the necessary training from TEEX/ESTI to face difficult rescue situations with confidence.

In addition to firefighter training, TEEX trains emergency response personnel in rescue operations, emergency medical services, hazardous materials, incident management/unified command, rescue, marine, LNG, oil spill and environmental areas. Firefighters and emergency response personnel can participate in extension courses and area schools near their communities, on-site at approved facilities around the world or at the largest emergency services training facility anywhere — TEEX’s Brayton Fire Training Field and Disaster City®. During the training, students participate in extensive hands-on scenarios enabling them to apply newly acquired skills and knowledge in a challenging, real-world environment.

For more information about any of TEEX’s classes, please visit the company on the Web at www.teex.org/esti or call (866) 878-8900.

Become an Industrial Emergency Response Specialist

TEEX is proud to announce the new Industrial Emergency Response Specialist certificate program. This program is designed for emergency response professionals associated with all types of industrial facilities and processes.

To become an Industrial Emergency Response Specialist, participants must complete required courses in any three of the six modules within five years from the date of the first completed course. There is no degree required and no annual membership dues. Credit will be granted for previous training at TEEX including the Emergency Services Training Institute, OSHA Training Institute Southwest Education Center and PS&S. And, training is verifiable by any employer and transferable from employer to employer.

“TEEX has long been recognized for its outstanding training services. With the addition of the Industrial Emergency Response Specialist certificate program, we can help industry further its safety goals,” said Gordon Lohmeyer, CFPS.

The six modules in the program include:

Module 1 — Industrial Firefighting:
• NFPA 1081 Industrial Exterior Fire Brigade Training.
• NFPA 1081 Industrial Interior Fire Brigade Training.
• NFPA 1081 Industrial Fire Brigade Leadership.

Module 2 — Hazardous Materials Response:
• NFPA 472 Hazardous Materials Technician.
• NFPA 472 Hazardous Materials Incident Command System.

Module 3 — Rescue Techniques:
• NFPA 1006 Confined Space Rescue Technician.
• NFPA 1006 Rope Rescue Technician.

Module 4 — Occupational Safety and Health:
• OSHA 501 OSHA Standards for General Industry (Train-the-Trainer).
• OSHA 2015 Hazardous Materials.
• OSHA 5600 Disaster Site Worker (Train-the-Trainer).

Module 5 — Hands-on Industrial Emergency Response Training:
This module requires the successful completion of a minimum of 40 hours of TEEX training though any one or a combination of the following:
• Corporate Fire School.
• Annual TEEX Industrial Fire Training School.
• Company-sponsored classes.
• Open enrollment classes in Industrial Firefighting, Rescue or Hazardous Materials.

Module 6 — Private Industry Safety and Security:
• Vulnerability Assessment: Strategy Design and Mitigation (PST-601).
• Business Continuity Planning (PST-603).
• Security Manager Operations (PST-605).

For more information on the Industrial Emergency Response Specialist program, call Lohmeyer or Robert Moore at (866) 878-8900 or visit www.teex.com/fire.