| Mission:
The purpose of the National Board on Fire Service Professional
Qualifications (Pro Board) is to establish an internationally recognized
means of acknowledging professional achievement in the fire service and
related fields. The accreditation of organizations that certify
uniform members of public fire departments, both career and volunteer, is
the primary goal. However, other organizations with fire protection
interests may also be considered for participation. Accreditation is
generally provided at the State or Provincial level to the empowered
certifying authority of that jurisdiction. [Top
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Accreditation:
The Pro Board accredits organizations that use the National Fire
Protection Association’s (NFPA's) professional qualification standards.
The accreditation process begins with the submission of an application,
including a detailed self study document, by the organization seeking
accreditation. The application package is then reviewed by the
members of the Committee on Accreditation for completeness and compliance
with the accreditation criteria of the Pro Board. The next step is a
site visit by a team of COA members, usually two, who perform an extensive
on-site review of the organization's testing and certification processes.
The site visit team prepares a report and presents it to the COA.
The COA decides if accreditation is granted. [Top
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Certification: An
entity that is accredited by the Pro Board makes national certification
available to its members. Members are then eligible to be placed on the
Pro Board's national register and receive a Certificate of National
Certification. In addition, the Pro Board encourages reciprocity
among certifying agencies. This helps assure that Pro Board certification
will be recognized by the department as the members seek advancement, and
by other departments should they seek to transfer within the fire service.
The cost of national registration including a Pro Board Certificate ranges
from $5.50 to $15.00 depending on the certificate distribution plan
selected by the accredited agency. [Top
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Benefits:
Professionalism has long been a goal sought by members of the fire
service. It has only been within the past 25 years that a system has
evolved to produce national professional qualifications standards that an
entity can use to establish performance measures for personnel. Entities
that achieve Pro Board accreditation are recognized as having met the
rigors of review by an independent organization. This independent review
is the best way to assure candidates and governance bodies that the
entity’s program meets the national standards.
Certification from a nationally
accredited entity is a statement of success, an indisputable mark of
performance belonging to individual fire service professionals. Each
successful candidate for certification from an accredited entity knows
that he or she has been measured against peers and meets rigorous national
standards. National certification affords the individual a uniformity and
portability of qualifications. In addition, the credibility of an
organization is enhanced by having members certified to national consensus
standards. A high percentage of certified members within a
department should certainly help managers in their pursuit of adequate
funding at budget time. [Top
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Organization: A
Board of Directors administers the system and currently consists of one
member from the International Association of Arson Investigators, Inc. (IAAI),
the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the National
Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM), the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA), the North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD),
one member At-Large and the Chair of the Pro Board Advisory Committee. The
Chair of the Committee on Accreditation serves as a non-voting,
ex-officio, member on the Board. The Board of Director’s primary
responsibility is to set policy for the system and ensure fiscal stability
for continued operation. The Committee on Accreditation is comprised of
representatives appointed by the Board of Directors and representatives
elected by the accredited entities. They are charged with the task
of accreditation through review of applications, site visits and
implementation of policy set by the Board of Directors. The Advisory
Committee is comprised of delegates from all of the accredited entities.
It serves as a conduit for policy questions and suggestions to be
addressed by the Board of Directors and/or the COA
. [Top
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Contact
information for the ProBoard:
If
you represent an accredited entity or an agency that is interested in
accreditation by the ProBoard please contact the Chairman of the Committee
on Accreditation:
Frederick Piechota
[email]
413-267-5140
If you are an individual
who is seeking information about certifications or certificates please
contact the Certification Coordinator.
Amy Sturtevant
[email]
617.984.7474
If you are seeking general information about the ProBoard system please
contact the Program Manager.
David Trebisacci
[email]
617.984.7420
For
more information about fire service professional qualifications,
certification and/or accreditation, please feel free to explore our
site, review our documents and ask us questions. Thank you for your
interest.
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