The following words and terms, when used in the Standards Manual,
shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates
otherwise.
(1) Admission to employment--An entry level full-time
employee of a local government entity in one of the categories of
fire protection personnel.
(2) Appointment--The designation or assignment of a
person to a discipline regulated by the commission. The types of appointments
are:
(A) permanent appointment--the designation or assignment
of certified fire protection personnel or certified part time fire
protection employees to a particular discipline (See Texas Government
Code, Chapter 419, §419.032); and
(B) probationary or temporary appointment--the designation
or assignment of an individual to a particular discipline, except
for head of a fire department, for which the individual has passed
the commission's certification and has met the medical requirement
of §423.1(c) of this title (relating to Minimum Standards for
Structure Fire Protection Personnel), if applicable, but has not yet
been certified. (See Texas Government Code, Chapter, §419.032.)
(3) Approved training--Any training used for a higher
level of certification must be approved by the commission and assigned
to either the A-List or the B-List. The training submission must be
in a manner specified by the commission and contain all information
requested by the commission. The commission will not grant credit
twice for the same subject content or course. Inclusion on the A-List
or B-List does not preclude the course approval process as stated
elsewhere in the Standards Manual.
(4) Assigned/work--A fire protection personnel or a
part-time fire protection employee shall be considered "assigned/working"
in a position, any time the individual is receiving compensation and
performing the duties that are regulated by the commission and has
been permanently appointed, as defined in this section, to the particular
discipline.
(5) Assistant fire chief--The officer occupying the
first position subordinate to the head of a fire department.
(6) Auxiliary fire fighter--A volunteer fire fighter.
(7) Benefits--Benefits shall include, but are not limited
to, inclusion in group insurance plans (such as health, life, and
disability) or pension plans, stipends, free water usage, and reimbursed
travel expenses (such as meals, mileage, and lodging).
(8) Chief Training Officer--The individual, by whatever
title he or she may be called, who coordinates the activities of a
certified training facility.
(9) Class hour--Defined as not less than 50 minutes
of instruction, also defined as a contact hour; a standard for certification
of fire protection personnel.
(10) Code--The official legislation creating the commission.
(11) College credits--Credits earned for studies satisfactorily
completed at an institution of higher education accredited by an agency
recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and including National
Fire Academy (NFA) open learning program colleges, or courses recommended
for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE) or delivered
through the National Emergency Training Center (both EMI and NFA)
programs. A course of study satisfactorily completed and identified
on an official transcript from a college or in the ACE National Guide
that is primarily related to Fire Service, Emergency Medicine, Emergency
Management, or Public Administration is defined as applicable for
Fire Science college credit, and is acceptable for higher levels of
certification. A criminal justice course related to fire and or arson
investigation that is satisfactorily completed and identified on an
official transcript from a college or in the ACE National Guide may
be used to qualify for Master Arson Investigator certification.
(12) Commission--Texas Commission on Fire Protection.
(13) Commission-recognized training--A curriculum or
training program which carries written approval from the commission,
or credit hours that appear on an official transcript from an accredited
college or university, or any fire service training received from
a nationally recognized source, i.e., the National Fire Academy.
(14) Compensation--Compensation is to include wages,
salaries, and "per call" payments (for attending drills, meetings
or answering emergencies).
(15) Expired--Any certification that has not been renewed
on or before the end of the certification period.
(16) Federal fire fighter--A person as defined in Texas
Government Code, Chapter 419, §419.084(h).
(17) Fire chief--The head of a fire department.
(18) Fire department--A department of a local government
that is staffed by one or more fire protection personnel or part-time
fire protection employees.
(19) Fire protection personnel--Any person who is a
permanent full-time employee of a fire department or governmental
entity and who is appointed duties in one of the following categories/disciplines:
fire suppression, fire inspection, fire and arson investigation, marine
fire fighting, aircraft rescue fire fighting, fire training, fire
education, fire administration and others employed in related positions
necessarily or customarily appertaining thereto.
(20) Fire Code Inspection--Also called Fire Safety
Inspection as referenced in Texas Government Code, Chapter 419, §419.909.
An inspection performed for the purpose of determining and enforcing
compliance with an adopted fire code.
(21) Fire suppression duties--Engaging in the controlling
or extinguishment of a fire of any type or performing activities which
are required for and directly related to the control and extinguishment
of fires or standing by on the employer's premises or apparatus or
nearby in a state of readiness to perform these duties.
(22) Full-time--An officer or employee is considered
full-time if the employee works an average of 40 hours a week or averages
40 hours per week or more during a work cycle in a calendar year.
For the purposes of this definition paid leave will be considered
time worked.
(23) Government entity--The local authority having
jurisdiction as employer of full-time fire protection personnel in
a state agency, incorporated city, village, town or county, education
institution or political subdivision.
(24) High school--A school accredited as a high school
by the Texas Education Agency or equivalent accreditation agency from
another jurisdiction.
(25) Immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH)--An
atmosphere that poses an immediate threat to life, would cause irreversible
adverse health effects, or would impair an individual's ability to
escape from a dangerous atmosphere.
(26) Incipient stage fire--A fire which is in the initial
or beginning stage and which can be controlled or extinguished by
portable fire extinguishers, Class II standpipe or small hose systems
without the need for protective clothing or breathing apparatus.
(27) Instructor:
(A) Lead Instructor--Oversees the presentation of an
entire course and assures that course objectives are met in accordance
with the applicable curriculum or course material. The lead instructor
should have sufficient experience in presenting all units of the course
so as to be capable of last-minute substitution for other instructors.
(B) Instructor (also Unit Instructor for wildland courses)--Responsible
for the successful presentation of one or more areas of instruction
within a course, and should be experienced in the lesson content they
are presenting.
(C) Guest Instructor--An individual who may or may
not hold Instructor certification but whose special knowledge, skill,
and expertise in a particular subject area may enhance the effectiveness
of the training in a course. Guest instructors shall teach under the
endorsement of the lead instructor.
(28) Interior structural fire fighting--The physical
activity of fire suppression, rescue or both, inside of buildings
or enclosed structures which are involved in a fire situation beyond
the incipient stage. (See 29 CFR §1910.155.)
(29) Military active duty (or active duty)--Current
full-time military service in the armed forces of the United States,
or full-time military service as a member of the Texas military forces
or a similar service of another state.
(30) Military service member--A person who is on active
duty.
(31) Military spouse--A person who is married to a
military service member.
(32) Military veteran--A person who has served on active
duty and who was discharged or released from active duty.
(33) Municipality--Any incorporated city, village,
or town of this state and any county or political subdivision or district
in this state. Municipal pertains to a municipality as defined in
this section.
(34) National Fire Academy semester credit hours--The
number of hours credited for attendance of National Fire Academy courses
is determined as recommended in the most recent edition of the "National
Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs," American Council
on Education (ACE).
(35) National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)--An
organization established to provide and advocate consensus codes and
standards, research, training, and education for fire protection.
(36) National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG)--An
operational group designed to establish, implement, maintain, and
communicate policy, standards, guidelines, and qualifications for
wildland fire program management among participating agencies.
(37) Non-self-serving affidavit--A sworn document executed
by someone other than the individual seeking certification.
(38) Participating volunteer fire fighter--An individual
who voluntarily seeks certification and regulation by the commission
under the Texas Government Code, Chapter 419, Subchapter D.
(39) Participating volunteer fire service organization--A
fire department that voluntarily seeks regulation by the commission
under the Texas Government Code, Chapter 419, Subchapter D.
(40) Part-time fire protection employee--An individual
who is appointed as a part-time fire protection employee and who receives
compensation, including benefits and reimbursement for expenses. A
part-time fire protection employee is not full-time as defined in
this section.
(41) Personal alert safety system (PASS)--Devices that
are certified as being compliant with NFPA 1982 and that automatically
activates an alarm signal (which can also be manually activated) to
alert and assist others in locating a fire fighter or emergency services
person who is in danger.
(42) Political subdivision--A political subdivision
of the State of Texas that includes, but is not limited to the following:
(A) city;
(B) county;
(C) school district;
(D) junior college district;
(E) levee improvement district;
(F) drainage district;
(G) irrigation district;
(H) water improvement district;
(I) water control and improvement district;
(J) water control and preservation district;
(K) freshwater supply district;
(L) navigation district;
(M) conservation and reclamation district;
(N) soil conservation district;
(O) communication district;
(P) public health district;
(Q) river authority;
(R) municipal utility district;
(S) transit authority;
(T) hospital district;
(U) emergency services district;
(V) rural fire prevention district; and
(W) any other governmental entity that:
(i) embraces a geographical area with a defined boundary;
(ii) exists for the purpose of discharging functions
of the government; and
(iii) possesses authority for subordinate self-government
through officers selected by it.
(43) Pre-fire Planning--Also called a Pre-fire Survey.
A walk-through performed by fire fighters for the purpose of gaining
familiarity with a building, its contents, and its occupancy.
(44) Reciprocity for IFSAC seals and TEEX Pro Board
certificates--Valid documentation of accreditation from the International
Fire Service Accreditation Congress and the National Board on Fire
Service Professional Qualifications issued by the Texas A&M Engineering
Extension Service used for commission certification may only be used
for obtaining an initial certification.
(45) Recognition of training--A document issued by
the commission stating that an individual has completed the training
requirements of a specific phase level of the Basic Fire Suppression
Curriculum.
(46) School--Any school, college, university, academy,
or local training program which offers fire service training and included
within its meaning the combination of course curriculum, instructors,
and facilities.
Cont'd... |
