Firefighter 1001 Mississippi/Alabama

[KevinFFVFD]

hey everyone. i am a volunteer firefighter in mississippi and i will be going to the academy this year at the mississippi fire academy to get my 1001 Firefighter 1 and 2. now before anyone says anything, i have tried to contact many agencies and such to try and get an answer for this but i don't ever get a clear answer. will Firefighter 1 and 2 from mississippi transfer over to alabama? i may be moving to alabama in a few years and was wondering if it would transfer, or would i have to go through their academy. i may be applying to birmingham fire or hoover fire in about 3 or 4 years when my girlfriend graduates from UAB.
also just for kicks, are there any other states that would accept mississippi training? i have had people tell me it will transfer and others tell me i would have to go through training again.
thanks everyone. stay safe.

[SWLAFireDawg]

Okay, I tend to act like I know more than I do, but here is what I've gathered from reading similar posts:

1. The cetification may not carry over, but the knowledge and experience does. If it does not carry over, and the state requires you to be certified, you can challenge the FF test for the new state and will hopefully have no issues with passing it.

2. The new state may not mandate that you be FF1 or FF2 certified, in which case it won't matter if it carries over. Certifying in the new state will simply be a matter of choice and/or department policy.

I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong.

By the way, you might get more applicable responses if you post this in the "volunteer" forum.

[cozmosis]

Regardless of whether there is reciprocity between the Mississippi & Alabama fire training agencies, prepare yourself for the possibility of having to sit through the training again if you are hired by a career department.

Even departments as small as mine (1 station, 16 career FFs) send previously certified firefighters & EMTs through rookie school all over again -- especially when hired as part of a larger group of rookies. For us, this is done so that you build camaraderie with your fellow rookies. In larger departments with their own training academies, it's done so they can teach you "their way" of doing things.

[231Engine]

No, you will not be able to gain reciprocity from MS to AL. The MS school is too short, not enough hours to satisfy the AL requirement. Do not have any idea about other states.

Another helpful word of advice, if you plan to go to Hoover (or most anywhere else near the B'ham metro area) get you paramedic cert first.

www.alabamafirecollege.org

[EFD840]

Just to add a bit to 231's post, if you're looking to volunteer then the situation's a little different.

Alabama has no training requirement for volunteer firefighters. Volunteer training requirements are entirely up to the local jurisdiction. I guarantee that many or most would be happy to have someone with another state's training.

The state fire college has an optional 160-hour certified volunteer firefighter course (called '160'). It is Proboard FF1 but doesn't meet the state's career FF1 requirements. It is also a prerequsite for many advanced courses. I would contact the fire college to see if your Mississippi classes would be considered equivalent to the 160.

[KevinFFVFD]

well i am going to the academy and then i am going to get on a career deapartment. but in a few years when my girlfriend gets out of college in birmingham i may make up my mind to move somewhere aroun there.

[231Engine]

EFD's post brings up an interesting bit of info. The Standards Commission has approved the idea of, but not yet made available, a "bridge" program to go from 160 certified volunteer to career with a 4 week bridge academy. If you decide to come to Alabama you MIGHT be able to use your MS training to get your AL Vol FF, then you would only have to attend the 4 week academy versus the full academy. I do not know when this bridge program will be available.

Enjoy the MSFA. Practice your situps before you go.

[KevinFFVFD]

so besides the academy only lasting 6 weeks, why does that not count as far as states are concerned? is it just because its not as much hours or what? it seems to me that the course pretty much covers every aspect of firefighter basic training. here is a link to the section from the MSFA on their Firefighteer 1001 class:

http://www.doi.state.ms.us/fireacad/cpg12.jpg

i just hate the thought that all of my training and all of my experience means nothing to other states. if the class is sufficient for and meets the criteria of the NFPA 1001 requirment for basic firefighter training then why is that not good enough for other places? if the state of alabama acknowledges NFPA standards then why wont they accept the very NFPA standard that the mississippi fire academy built their training around?
i know i may be aggravating you guys with this, but it kind of is a big deal since i am going to pay for the class myself and go through all of this. i have come a long way over the years to prepare myself for this and i just seems kinda weird that just because i was trained in mississippi it does not count.

[Billmilligan]

Get used to it

All I can say is get used to it, unlike police departments the lack of any unified standard hurts firefighters who want to move. While some states do allow a challenge test many do not. In my own case when I was in the Air Force I was a firefighter my first four years and I was a certified FF I, II from CA. I retired in NC and rejoined a combination department as a volunteer. Our Chief asked all of us to become certified FF II. I took all of my training records and certificates down to our local coordinator and it got me zilch. I ended up redoing all the classroom material at the local community college computer lab and doing the practical exams and state tests on the weekend. Since then I understand the State will allow you to challenge if the state you are from follows the same training standard. Until one of our National Originations can establish a uniform training standard this will continue to be a problem.

[EFD840]

EFD's post brings up an interesting bit of info. The Standards Commission has approved the idea of, but not yet made available, a "bridge" program to go from 160 certified volunteer to career with a 4 week bridge academy. If you decide to come to Alabama you MIGHT be able to use your MS training to get your AL Vol FF, then you would only have to attend the 4 week academy versus the full academy. I do not know when this bridge program will be available.

And that's something that has been needed for a long, long time. I think it will accomplish two very positive things:

First, it will be a great recruiting tool for us volunteer departments. We can offer something to a recruit that can be used to get a career job.

Second, it will help busy volunteer departments transition to combo or career. These departments have lots of vollies with the Proboard certs and experience that would qualify them to teach an academy but right now they would have to attend a complete rookie school to be hired at a career department. A bridge course makes it easy for both the local jurisdiction and the firefighter to make the transition.

Now, if they would add some mandatory minimum training requirements for volunteers we would really be on the way to great things.

KevinFFVFD, there's one more thing you need to keep in mind. Many career departments, particularly large ones, don't care how much training you have or what the state requires. They're still going to make you attend their academy. Each department has its own way of operating, and learning those methods at the department's academy is as important as learning the basics of firefighting and meeting the state's minimum standards. If you do have to repeat a basic academy, then your previous training should make the classroom part easy and let you stand out as an exceptional student. Just don't make the mistake of telling them 'you already know that' when you're in class. .

[231Engine]

"so besides the academy only lasting 6 weeks, why does that not count as far as states are concerned? is it just because its not as much hours or what?"
Yes, that is exactly it. If Alabama has a standard that the fire portion of the recruit school is a designated amount of hours (360), then if the school you go to has less contat hours like MS has (240), then why should Alabama recognize it? You have not had the same number of training hours. Period.
What you will leave with from the MSFA is knowledge. You can take that and make what you want of it. If you do relocate, wherever that may be, the academy should be a breeze for you as long as you keep your mouth shut.


"MSFA on their Firefighteer 1001 class: http://www.doi.state.ms.us/fireacad/cpg12.jpg"
Thanks for the link, no need, worked there, taught that.


"i know i may be aggravating you guys with this,"
No, not aggravating, just giving you the straight no bs facts. I don't make the rules, though in this case I do agree with them.

Best of luck to you, if I can help you please do pm me.

[johnfd86]

Kevin,
exactly like EFD840 stated... the larger departments will put you through their academy...so it does not matter what certs you have....the smaller bedroom communities like hoover...pelham...mountain brook want to hire experienced and certified firefighter/paramedics. i do know that if you have your paramedic lic..you can challenge the registry.