Firefighter I National Certification

Starting in October 2011 the Suffolk County Fire Academy in conjunction with the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control and the New York State Academy of Fire Science will be utilizing the Pro Board National Certification Exam for all Firefighter 1 students. The exam consists of two parts, six hands on skills and a 150 question written exam. Upon successful completion of the exam the student will receive a New York State Firefighter 1 Certificate and a Pro Board National Firefighter 1 Certificate which is listed in a National Registry. The exams will be offered once a month on Saturdays and will require the student to preregister (as they do for hands on classes) as it will be limited to 50 students. Registration will be available online and two new forms that are required will be available for download. The first form is the "Training Authorization Letter" which must be completed by the student and the Chief of the Fire Department and kept with the student's Personal Attendance Sheet. The second form required is the "National Certification Examination Application", this application must be completed by the student and a $50.00 fee must accompany the application (payment may be check, money order or signed District Voucher or Purchase Order). This application must be returned to the Fire Academy before student may take the exam. As in the past all Lecture, HazMat, CPR and Hands- On classes must be completed before student may take the exam.

To prepare students for the National Certification Exam, we have made some adjustments to our Firefighter 1 Program. At the end of each lecture class a short quiz will be given to test the student’s knowledge of the subject. The Hands-On classes will contain specific tasks that are typical to the skills required in the exam, and finally a Review Class has been added to help prepare the student for the Exam.

The Hands-On portion of the testing consists of six skill stations that cover PPE/SCBA, use of the DOT/ERG, ladders, hose handling/nozzle operation, hydrant operation and knots. The student is given two attempts at the hands-on skills. If they fail any part, they cannot take the written exam and may register for the next exam offering. Upon successful completion of the skills, they will take the written exam which consists of 150 multiple choice questions. A passing grade of 70% is required. If not successful the student may retake the written exam at the next offering. Verbal exams will be available for students with a documented learning disability.

If you have any questions please call the Academy at 631-924-6822.