1. (1) All persons who are hired as a firefighter by an eligible unit of government on or after January 1, 1986, or who volunteer with a fire department on or after July 1, 2021, shall:

   1. (a) Be at least eighteen (18) years of age;
   2. (b) Be a citizen of the United States;
   3. (c) Be a high school graduate or possess equivalency;
   4. (d) Not have been convicted of any felony charge, have not pled guilty to any felony charge, have not entered a plea of nolo contendere to any felony charge that directly relates to the profession of firefighting subject to the Fresh Start Act;
   5. (e) Not have been released or discharged for any other reason than honorable discharge from any of the armed forces of the United States;
   6. (f) Be in compliance with the fire department’s drug-free workplace program and policy;
   7. (g) Be proficient in the English language, both written and spoken, in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001, 1072 and 1582 and be proficient in identifying hazardous materials; and
   8. (h) Have a good moral character in accordance with the Code of Ethics adopted by the Commission on Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education; or
   9. (i) Have successfully appealed such cause of ineligibility to the appropriate local authority having jurisdiction.
2. (2) The local authority having jurisdiction may establish minimum standards for its department that are more stringent than these standards established by the Commission.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-24-107 and 4-24-202. Administrative History: Original rule filed August 27, 1979; effective October 10, 1979. Amendment filed November 8, 1990; effective December 23, 1990. Amendment filed April 25, 2005; effective July 9, 2005. Repeal and new rule filed October 27, 2014; effective January 25, 2015. Amendments filed July 27, 2018; effective October 25, 2018. Emergency rules filed September 2, 2021; effective through March 1, 2022. Emergency rules expired effective March 2, 2022, and the rules reverted to their previous statuses. Amendments filed August 29, 2022; effective November 27, 2022.