1. (a) An on-site training facility must be certified by the commission in each discipline with a commission approved curriculum for which the facility provides accredited training for fire protection personnel certification. An on-site training facility is where instructors and students are in immediate proximity and where content is instructed primarily in classrooms, at demonstration projects, in fire simulation structures, on fire apparatus, or at training sites in the field under direct supervision of the training facility instructors.
2. (b) A certified on-site training facility may be approved to instruct in any one or all of the fire protection personnel curricula. Minimum requirements for each curriculum must be met to receive certification.
3. (c) Minimum requirements for certification as a certified on-site training facility shall include facilities, apparatus, equipment, reference materials, standard operating procedures, qualified instructors, and records to support a quality education and training program. The resources must provide for classroom instruction, demonstrations, and practical exercises for the trainees to develop the knowledge and skills required for fire protection personnel certification.
4. (d) The on-site facilities and training shall be performance oriented, when required. Practical performance training with maximum participation by trainees shall be an integral part of the training program. The evaluation process for each phase of training will emphasize, as required, performance testing to determine if the trainee has acquired the knowledge and skills to achieve the required level of competency as required by the respective curriculum.
5. (e) It must be clearly understood that the minimum standard for training facilities is applicable only as the title implies and does not address the additional training facility resources which are required for the continuing in-service training essential to the development and maintenance of a well-coordinated and effective fire service organization.
6. (f) An organization, installation, or facility must submit a written application for certification as a certified on-site training facility to the commission. Such application will include descriptions and addresses of physical facilities together with inventory of apparatus, equipment, and reference material to be utilized in conducting the basic curriculum as specified by the commission. It is not required that the equipment be owned by, permanently assigned to, nor kept at a training facility, but must be readily available for instructional purposes. A training facility must submit a letter of commitment with the original training facility certification application authorizing the use of resources not controlled by the training facility from the provider of said resources. A copy of the letters of commitment must be maintained on-site and be available for review. Photographs of resources annotated to reflect their identity must be included with the application. When seeking training approvals, the facility shall certify that the resources are provided in accordance with this chapter.

7. (g) All training for certification must be submitted to the commission for approval at least 20 days prior to the proposed starting date of the training. Approved courses are subject to audit by commission staff any time during the approved schedule. Any deviation in the approved course schedule or content must be reported to the commission within 24 hours of the deviation. The academy coordinator will:

   1. (1) attest to the fact that the training meets the competencies in the applicable Commission Curriculum and/or NFPA Standards;
   2. (2) submit a testing schedule for all required academy skills; and
   3. (3) notify the Commission of any changes in instructor staff and/or field examiners.
8. (h) An on-site training provider certified for the first time by the commission will receive, at no charge, one Commission Certification Curriculum and Standards Manual on CD that is to be utilized by the certified on-site training provider's instructors. The on-site provider is responsible for ensuring that all subjects are taught as required by the respective curriculum. Additional CD copies may be purchased from the commission or downloaded from the agency web site. On-site training providers that renew their certification will receive appropriate updates at no charge.

Source Note:The provisions of this §427.1 adopted to be effective November 1, 1998, 23 TexReg 10895; amended to be effective January 1, 2000, 24 TexReg 6097; amended to be effective March 8, 2001, 26 TexReg 2044; amended to be effective January 27, 2002, 27 TexReg 481; amended to be effective May 26, 2005, 30 TexReg 3033.