| Mission:
The purpose of the 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 (COA) 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 certification
available to its members. Members are then eligible to be entered into the
Pro Board's certification registry and receive a certificate from the
accredited entity, or apply for a certificate from the Pro Board, affirming
that they were certified by a Pro Board accredited entity and that they are
entered in the ProBoard's certification registry. In addition, the Pro Board encourages reciprocity
among certifying entities. 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 registration including a Pro Board Certificate ranges
from $5.50 to $15.00 for North American Accredited Entities, depending on the certificate distribution plan
selected by the accredited agency. The cost of registration and
certificates for non-North American Accredited Entities is available upon
request by contacting the Accreditation Manager at 413-267-5140 or at fpiechota@theproboard.org.[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 third party independent review
is the best way to assure candidates and governance bodies that the
entity’s program meets the national standards.
Pro Board recognized certification from an
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. 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: The
Pro Board was incorporated in 1990 as the “National Board on Fire
Service Professional Qualifications”, a non-profit corporation. The
organization is commonly known as The Pro Board.
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 (COA) 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 Pro Board:
If
you represent an accredited entity or an agency that is interested in
accreditation by the Pro Board 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]
[Click
here to send us encrypted confidential email]
617.984.7474
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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