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For a summary of what's available in each section, see the site outline page.

July 29, 2010
Important notice: New certification renewal procedures for departments
The agency will NOT mail certification renewal statements to departments this year.

Beginning early September 2010, the commission will make available a new web-based renewal process in the FIDO system. Regulated entities will be able to get their renewal invoice by following the procedure below.

The designated person in a department (Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 account holders) will:

Log on to the fire department's FIDO account.
Review the information regarding the department’s personnel and make necessary employment changes.
Review the continuing education (CE) for certified employees and validate CE.
Validate that the information is correct and accurate.
Generate and print the invoice that will appear.
Obtain the head of the department’s signature on the invoice.
Mail the invoice, with EXACT payment, to the commission.

In late August, the commission will mail each regulated entity a "time to renew" notice. The notice will include general information regarding the new procedures. The FIDO renewal module will include specific step-by-step instructions.

Please contact a member of the certification staff at (512) 936-3838 if you have any questions about the upcoming renewal process. Thanks!

August 24, 2010
Appropriations process for next session begins
Commission Presiding Officer Chris Connealy, Commissioner Micheal Melton, Executive Director Gary Warren and other agency staff attended a Joint Budget Hearing (Real Media file) on Friday, Aug. 20, 2010. The hearing was the first step in the state leadership's review of the agency's Legislative Appropriations Request for FY 2012-2013.

July 6, 2010
Attention training facilities: performance skills changes
Due to recent rule changes in Chapter 439 of the Standards Manual, some skills had to be revised:

Driver Operator: Routine Inspections, Maintenance and Documentation Skills 1, 2 and 3, were revised and are now called Preventive Maintenance Skill 1 and General Skill 2. There is not a Skill 3.
Fire Officer I: Human Resource Management Skills 3 and 4 were combined to become Human Resource Management Skill 3. There will not be a Human Resource Management Skill 4.
Fire Officer I: Community and Government Relations Skills 6 and 7 were combined to be Community and Government Relations Skill 6. There will not be a Community and Government Relations Skill 7.
Instructor II and Instructor III skills: Some wording has been removed or revised on the first page of some of the skills in these chapters.

For more information, please contact Larry Whitis, curriculum and test development supervisor, phone (512) 936-3822.

June 22, 2010
June 2010 commission meeting materials published
The agenda and notebook for the June 30, 2010 commission meeting have been published. Links to the materials are accessible from the commission's calendar page.

June 3, 2010
Attention all chief training officers/coordinators:
New skills evaluation procedures and updated form published
The commission has updated the Academy Examination Procedures and Training Prior Approval form (TCFP-030) to address the new commission-designated skill evaluation process. Course approval applications submitted on or after June 1, 2010 must use the new procedures and forms. For questions regarding these changes, please contact a Training Approval and Testing staff member at (512) 936-3819.

June 1, 2010
Governor appoints Cortes to commission
Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Tony Cortes of San Antonio to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2015. Please join us in welcoming our newest commissioner!

May 19, 2010
Attention all training facilities: Curriculum manual updates published
The commission has updated Chapter One - Basic Fire Suppression and Chapter Six - Hazardous Materials of the Certification Curriculum Manual. Course approval applications submitted after June 1, 2010 must use the new chapters.

A summary of the changes for June 1, 2010 is available at the curriculum manual downloads page.

For questions regarding the new curricula, please contact Larry Whitis, curriculum and test development supervisor, at (512) 936-3822.

May 14, 2010
Ernest A. Emerson Fire Protection Resources Library survey
The commission's Ernest A. Emerson Fire Protection Resources Library wants to get to know you better! Please take a few moments to fill out the linked survey. This short survey will not only help us get to know you better, but will also help us to better serve you. Thank you for your time!

Feb. 26, 2010
Attention fire chiefs and heads of departments:
Please assign an "online account owner"
In order to meet new online information-gathering requirements (including online injury reporting), the commission is implementing several changes to its website security. The commission recently mailed a letter to the heads of all regulated entities requesting the assignment of a "department online account owner." In the letter, the commission has asked department heads to mail a letter on the department's letterhead to the commission designating an "online account owner."

An online copy of the letter to department heads is now available. (The link includes a sample of the return letter the commission is requesting from department heads.)

Originally posted Jan. 25, 2010. Reposted Feb. 16, 2010
Commission passes mandatory fire protection personnel injury reporting rules
During the 81st Legislative session, the Texas Legislature passed a law (Texas Government Code, §419.048) requiring the Texas Commission on Fire Protection to begin gathering and analyzing fire service injury data. At its January 2010 meeting, the commission adopted new rules (Texas Administrative Code, new section §435.23) requiring regulated entities to report injuries to the commission. Agency staff will mail instructions to fire chiefs about how to set up online departmental accounts and how to access the online injury reporting form within the next few weeks.

Feb. 17, 2010
Attention training officers – textbook survey
The Texas Commission on Fire Protection's curriculum and testing committee is interested in knowing which textbooks you use to teach your basic fire fighter and fire officer courses. If you have five minutes to spare, please take the short, three-question curriculum reference materials survey. Thanks in advance for your input!

Originally posted Dec. 3, 2009. Updated Jan. 6, 2010.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Regarding criminal history checks
Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, two important changes went into effect for criminal history background checks for prospective fire protection personnel. These changes affect WHEN and HOW criminal history checks are performed. For detailed information, please see:

Overview for fire departments appointing personnel to duties (PDF).
Overview for individuals applying for their first certification with the commission (PDF) (for personnel not currently employed by a fire protection entity).

Oct. 30, 2009
Former commissioners honored
At the Texas Commission on Fire Protection's October meeting, Amy Baillargeon of the Governor's Office and Presiding Officer Chris Connealy presented former Presiding Officer Kelley Stalder and former Assistant Presiding Officer Juan Adame with plaques and letters honoring their service to the State of Texas. Both commissioners began their service with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection in 1995.

"In the fire service, I'm always impressed by those individuals who go beyond expectations," said Presiding Officer Chris Connealy. "We're expected to go to our job, we're expected to put in a hard day's work, but we're not necessarily expected to get involved with other issues surrounding the profession. These two gentlemen...are heroes of mine; they epitomize service above self. They've given so much to the Texas fire service. I don't know that any of us truly know the level of service that they've provided to make our profession better, safer...when people of this caliber donate their time and sacrifice family, time and other pursuits to serve the needs of the greater good - being the Texas fire service - you've got to admire the heck out of them."

July 17, 2009
Commission approves fee increase
At its July 9, 2009 meeting, the Texas Commission on Fire Protection approved an increase for all certification and renewal fees. The new certifications fees (entry level and upper level), renewal fees for all certifications, and test application fees for FY10 will all be $35. This increase will take effect Sept. 1, 2009.

June 18, 2009
Please note: New forms TCFP-001 and TCFP-005 published
The commission has recently published updates to Forms TCFP-001, Appointment to Duty/Change of Duty (formerly called "Request for Appointment") and TCFP-005, Removal from Appointment (formerly called "Notice of Termination"). The overall purpose of the forms has not changed. The reason for the changes is to make the forms easier to understand and to revise the form's wording to be more in line with their intended purposes. (The online system has also been updated to the new language.)

For example, an individual's removal from appointment may not coincide with the individual's termination of employment. The form's purpose is strictly to notify the commission when a person will no longer be appointed to fire protection duties with an organization.

Old versions of TCFP-001 and TCFP-005 should no longer be used. For more information, please contact the agency's standards division.

June 8, 2009
Governor appoints four new commissioners, re-appoints two
Governor Rick Perry's office has announced the appointment of four new members of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection: John W. Green of San Leon, Carl Gene Giles of Carthage, Kimberly A. Shambley of Dallas, and Steven C. Tull of Valley Mills. The Governor also re-appointed Les Bunte Jr. of Bryan and Yusuf Farran of El Paso. Congratulations to the new and returning commissioners!

June 2, 2009
Commission sunset legislation passes
Senate Bill 1011, the Texas Commission on Fire Protection's sunset legislation, has passed, making several significant changes to the agency. The bill will now be sent to the Governor for his signature.

May 4, 2009
Commission proposes fee increase
At its Apr. 30, 2009 meeting, the Texas Commission on Fire Protection proposed a rule change which would allow the commission to increase its certification and renewal fees to the $35 maximum allowed by statute. The commission has not increased is fees in several years; the proposed increase has been necessitated by increasing demands on the agency both by the legislature and by the fire service itself. The increases will allow the commission to continue providing current levels of service. Although the proposed increase has not been finally adopted, the commission wants the fire service to be aware of the possibility of a near-term increase so that fire departments can prepare to make appropriate adjustments in future operating budget requests.

April 30, 2009
Commission awards $408,430 in emergency funds
Texas fire departments requested a total of $2,098,883 in emergency funds at the April 2009 funds allocation advisory committee meeting. At the April 30, 2009 commission meeting, the commission awarded $408,430 in emergency funds. For details, please see the April 2009 awards, grants and scholarships.

Jan. 29, 2009 (originally published July 16, 2008; re-published)
ISO seeks comments on FSRS
The Insurance Services Office (ISO) is embarking on a project to review the content of the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). For more information, please visit http://www.isomitigation.com/fsrs.

Jan. 20, 2009
Governor appoints new presiding officer
On Jan. 15, 2009, Governor Rick Perry designated Commissioner Christopher M. Connealy as Presiding Officer of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. Connealy is replacing Commissioner Kelley Stalder of Parker as presiding officer.

Oct. 20, 2008
Commission ends wallet cards
At the Oct. 16, 2008 commission meeting, the commission decided that the agency will no longer provide printed certification renewal cards (wallet cards) to departments or individual certificate holders. Certifications may be verified as needed on this website on the certification lookup page.

UPDATE: Individuals can now print their own certification cards. Click on the "Certification Cards" link on the left-side menu.

Oct. 17, 2008
Commission awards $439,491 in emergency funds at October 2008 meeting
Fire departments requested a total of $1,680,341 in emergency funds at the October 2008 funds allocation advisory committee meeting. At the Oct. 16, 2008 commission meeting, the commission awarded $439,491 in emergency funds. Please see the October 2008 loans, grants and scholarships page for details.

August 12, 2008
IAFF releases line-of-duty injury report
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has released the results of its Contributing Factors to Fire Fighter Line-of-Duty Injury Study (PDF) conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. The study compiled and analyzed two years of data from nine geographically diverse metropolitan fire departments to identify and quantify the major factors that contribute to fire fighter line-of-duty injuries.

May 1, 2008
Texas Forest Service launches fire department directory
Fire departments are the primary responders to emergencies and disasters; however, because there has been no central registry for fire departments within Texas, it can be difficult to assess the state's overall capacity to respond. In response to this the Texas legislature enacted HB1915 during its last session to "develop a complete list of fire departments and fire fighting resources within this state."

The listing, or Fire Department Directory (FDD), is a cooperative effort involving the Texas Forest Service, Firefighters' Pension Commission, Office of Rural Community Affairs, Texas Commission on Fire Protection, Texas Engineering Extension Service, Texas State Fire Marshal's Office of the Texas Department of Insurance, State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas, Texas Fire Chiefs Association, Texas Fire Marshals Association, Texas State Association of Fire and Emergency Districts and the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters.

The Texas Forest Service has published a handout (PDF) and presentation (PDF) about the new directory. The FDD is currently available as an online, web-based system to capture the essential information on fire departments across the state. The system is available to fire departments, agencies and associations. Fire departments are encouraged to participate directly and can request access online at http://tfsfrp.tamu.edu/fdd or by email at fdd@tfs.tamu.edu.

August 17, 2007
Commission files self-evaluation report
The Texas Commission on Fire Protection's Self-Evaluation Report (PDF) for the Sunset Commission is available online.

June 1, 2007
Meeting agendas and supporting information
The commission makes all its meeting agendas and supporting information, such as the text of proposed rule changes and other documents, available online approximately 10 days to two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.

Links to all the materials appear beneath the scheduled meeting on the commission's calendar page when the materials become availalble. After the meeting, the materials remain available, with links from the commission's calendar archives page. Materials from roughly the last six years are available through the archives.

The meeting notebook is prepared for the commissioners, but is also published on the website in the PDF format. Normally, the notebook is available both as a complete file as well as individual agenda items. This is because the commissioners' notebook contains cover pages for each agenda item, even if there is no additional material available for that item; for example, at every commission meeting there is an agenda item for commissioners to discuss future meeting dates. There's a matching cover sheet in the commissioners' notebooks for that item, but usually there is nothing behind the cover sheet for that item. To save some downloading time, visitors can pick and choose the agenda items that are important to them. Generally speaking, rule changes that impact fire department operations or procedures will be found under the agenda item for items referred to the commission by the fire fighter advisory committee.

The commission meets quarterly. The dates for future commission meetings are determined at each meeting, sometimes well in advance. To obtain meeting materials prior to the meetings, check the calendar page 10 days to two weeks before the scheduled meeting.