Convergence of NFPA Documents and Disciplines

NFPA Professional Qualifications Standards were initially created with the fire service as the intended audience. Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, Fire Service Instructor Professional Qualifications are a few of the significant documents that fire service personnel have used to better the industry, serve the community, and to ensure safety of the fire fighter.

Over the course of the last thirty years the expansion of the Professional Qualifications (ProQual) Standards has been steady and consistent to meet the needs of the fire service and the public it serves. Presently, there are eighteen ProQual Standards. The Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications Technical Committee (TC) is directly responsible for the documents on professional competence required of fire fighters. The TC also oversees the documents for Driver/Operator, Airport Fire Fighter and Marine Fire Fighting for Land-Based Fire Fighters.

The remaining twelve TCs are responsible for separate and distinct ProQual documents for fire service and related emergency response personnel competencies. Overall, there is a Technical Correlating Committee (TCC) which manages all the ProQual Standards.

While many of the professional qualifications were designed for use in the fire service industry, some use a broader professional scheme. Some ProQual Standards including Public Fire and Life Safety Educator, Fire Inspector, Technical Rescuer, and Emergency Vehicle Technician were developed with non-related fire service personnel involvement, interest, or experience. This illustrates the continual metamorphosis of the industry and how the ProQual Standards offer a consistent, highly respected approach to professional qualifications for the fire fighters, emergency responders and the community they serve.

For several years there has been concern for professional qualifications related to hazardous materials and safety officer. The fire service and other emergency response personnel have a desire if not requirement to be recognized for knowledge and skill in these areas. To date there is no ProQual Standard for either. NFPA recently convened the ProQual Summit: Now and Beyond in Dallas, April 13 and 14.  Several notable organizations were represented to discuss this issue and others. One question raised as part of the discussion:

Should the focus of NFPA Professional Qualifications be exclusive to the single discipline of the fire service or should NFPA continue to include other closely related professions?

Tom McGowan

NFPA Staff Liaison

ProQual and HMWMD Standards

May 3, 2011

tmcgowan@nfpa.org   

Comments

[marsh carroll]

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