Introduction to the Fire Chief’s Academy

Course Description

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Course Completion Requirements

Participants must provide information for all required fields, including their U.S. citizenship/permanent resident information, in addition to meeting all other attendance and course completion requirements. If this information is not provided, the participant will be considered incomplete and will not receive a certificate of completion.

In order to receive the TEEX Certificate of Completion, the participant must:

• attend 80 percent of the course
• meet all attendance requirements; and
• participate in the class discussions and practical application activities.

Participants may be required to
complete the end-of-course evaluation.

Attendance Requirements

Class attendance is an essential part of the education process and participants in TEEX courses are expected to attend all class sessions and field exercises. This course requires participants to attend a minimum of 80% of the class hours as a component of successful course completion. During the course, your instructor will review any additional attendance requirements, for example a field exercise that cannot be missed

Recommended

There are no participant-provided materials required for this course.

Participants are encouraged to bring copies of the following department documents for use in module activities:

• Articles of incorporation, ESD service contract, or other document establishing the department’s legal status
• Current insurance declarations pages, including liability, workers’ compensation, and management liability coverage
• Drill and attendance records for the past year
• Current standard operating procedures (SOPs) and standard operating guidelines (SOGs)

Upon successful completion, you will be able to:

• apply leadership, administrative, financial, and legal risk-management practices to lead a Texas fire department and reduce organizational risk.
• develop a recruitment and retention strategy for their department.
• explain the retirement and incentive benefits available to members through the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System (TESRS).
• explain how each type of fire department insurance responds to a loss.
• prepare a grant funding strategy for their department.
• develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and standard operating guidelines (SOGs) for their department.
• analyze the legal and regulatory exposures that lead to civil suits and criminal charges against fire departments and fire chiefs.
• develop a communication plan for building relationships with elected officials and community stakeholders.
• explain the role of SFFMA and the benefits membership provides to departments and members.
• apply current Texas certification, liability, industrial risk, and technology considerations to the leadership of a volunteer fire department.

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Suggested Audience

Current and aspiring fire chiefs and chief officers of Texas volunteer, combination, and emergency services district (ESD) fire departments, including newly appointed chiefs, assistant chiefs, and officers preparing for the head-of-department role.

Continuing Education And Professional Credits

• State Firefighters’ and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas (SFFMA)
• Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP)

Other Information

Registration Process

Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service in cooperation with the Texas A&M Forest Service, has aligned the payment process for annual schools with all other requests for tuition assistance under the House Bill 2604 program and TIFMAS training grants. A Texas A&M Forest Service voucher number or a request ID # is no longer a valid Purchase Order number. It will be denied if used as a form of payment.

The process will follow this pattern: Registration with payment – Apply for tuition assistance & obtain TAMFS approval – Attend training – Complete the reimbursement process.

Registration with payment

Complete online registration on the TEEX website. Secure your seat in the class with payment.

You may use a credit card or organization purchase order (PO). 

If you are using a purchase order, TEEX policy requires the PO to be submitted within 48 hours of registration, or the enrollment may be canceled. You may upload the PO through your student portal or email it as an attachment to [email protected]. 

Ensure your PO includes the following:

• Agency or company name
• Billing address
• Contact name and phone number
• Description of goods and/or services provided (for example, the course number and name)
• Amount of charges
• Authorized signature
• Taxpayer ID, EIN, or FEIN. The field should be in the following format: xx-xxxxxxx.

The PO contact email needs to be either yourself or a responsible person within your organization.

If your organization is not an established TEEX customer, or if you are not sure, please include a completed W-9 with the PO.

Apply for tuition assistance & obtain approval

At least one day before the first day of class, submit a request through TAMFS FireConnect.

Helpful videos about the FireConnect process can be found here. 

Attend training

Most courses have online registration notes and/or confirmation emails which will provide more details on when & where to report for class. Please pay special attention to the required PPE levels and prerequisites if applicable. Most TEEX courses require at least 80% attendance and participation, while others, such as ProBoard, require 100% attendance.

No-shows without prior written cancellation by the required date will be invoiced.

Upon successful completion of the class, you will be able to download your certificate from your TEEX Student Portal.

Complete the reimbursement process

Return to the FireConnect page and submit for reimbursement. You will be asked to upload documentation, including your certificate of completion. Once all documentation is accounted for, the request(s) will be marked as Approved for Payment, and reimbursement will be issued to your department.