Certification Testing

SFFMA is currently offering written testing for HazMat Awareness, HazMat Operations, Firefighter I and Firefighter II.

Candidate must hold an Endorsement of Eligibility letter from SFFMA for the given certification in order to challenge written or skill exam.

The SFFMA Certification Board requests that departments allow 30-60 days for processing of applications. Austin staff may make rare exceptions.

Upon issuance of the Endorsement of Eligibility, department Certification Coordinators may register their members for a test session by going to the Written Exam Calendar, or by emailing testing@sffma.org to inquire about testing opportunities and/or arrange a group test session.

1. Austin staff will add names to the Staff Approved registration list for the specific exam(s) and generate e-mailed confirmations to the students. Only those names appearing on the staff approved list will have exams available at the testing session.
2. Any requests based on special needs must be stated at the time of registration to allow time for arrangements to be made. The testing software used allows students to change font sizes and switch contrast of background/font colors.
3. On the day of the exam, be sure to bring a valid photo ID to the testing session.
4. Concerns about specific questions must be addressed to the exam proctor prior to leaving the testing session.

Firefighter I and II written exams  consist of 50 questions with a period of one hour per exam.

Effective 1/19/22, HazMat Awareness and Operations examinations are administered as two separate tests, consisting of 25 questions each, with a period of 30 minutes per exam.  Those retesting HazMat need only retest the area failed (awareness or operations) and receive a 25 question, 30 minute retest.

The department's Certification Coordinator must contact the Austin office at certification@sffma.org to set up a skill exam date at minimum three days in the future.

Individuals wishing to serve as a skill examiner must hold SFFMA certification at or above the level at wish they will serve as examiner, and either:

1. meet the SFFMA instructional standards for full department Certification Coordinator;
2. have completed a Board-approved skills proctor course; or
3. be a credentialed proctor of an approved emergency services certifying entity.

Austin staff will verify the eligibility of the Lead Evaluator and e-mail all of the necessary documentation (procedural documents, exam eligibility roster(s), and three random skills per level) to him/her two days ahead of the scheduled date. Austin staff will also notify the Zone Representative to verify the scheduling of the examination. Zone Representatives have the option, but not the requirement, to observe skill exams.

At the testing session, the exam coordinator provides exam documents to the Station Evaluator, who then proceeds to administer the individual skill exam.

• The exam for HazMat A/O consists of three skills randomly chosen from the possible skills.
• The exam for Firefighter I consists of three skills randomly chosen from the possible skills (one skill required from SCBA)
• The exam for Firefighter II consists of three skills randomly chosen from the possible skills.

When finished, the exam coordinator faxes or e-mails all of the documentation to the Austin office to record the grades. The Austin certification staff reports the exam results to the department, makes a notation of successful scores on the individual’s record, and retains a digital copy of exam session documentation.

To host a written exam session, locations must meet the following criteria:

• Must have a minimum of 10 qualified trainees.
• Must provide an enclosed, professional environment that is clean, comfortable and smoke-free and conducive to testing.
• Must provide sufficient lighting, ventilation, comfortable seating and comfortable work surfaces.
• Must provide a classroom style setup with all seating facing the same direction.
• Candidates must be separated within the testing room. There should be at least 2 feet of empty space on each side of the candidate.
• The testing room should be in a low-traffic area so that noises do not distract the candidates.

1. SFFMA provides accommodations for those candidates who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as disabled. Candidates seeking special accommodation requests must submit a request form with formal documentation (such as a letter from the doctor or a letter from his/her company’s Human Resource Department) to the Certification Office. The documentation submitted should not be older than 5 years. All accommodation requests must be submitted to the Austin office at the time of exam enrollment and approved by TEEX on or before the test date
2. If the request is approved, candidates will receive one of the following allowable accommodations:
   • A testing room to oneself so the candidate can read the questions out loud to him or herself.
   • The test questions may be printed in a larger font (up to 7% larger).
   • The test may be divided in two with up to an hour break in between. The candidate will not have access to the first half of the exam once it has been turned into the proctor.
   • The test may be copied on off-white paper (i.e., cream colored).
   • The candidate may use highlighters or a highlighter sheet.
3. Any requests for accommodations not listed above must be submitted to the Certification Board, via the Zone Coordinator, prior to the test date. The request will be reviewed by the certification board and the candidate will be notified of the decision of the committee. Anyone requesting accommodations must still meet the requirements of the standards based test. For example someone requesting accommodations for Firefighter I must meet the standard in the referenced NFPA 1001.
4. Contact the SFFMA Certification Office at (512) 454-3473 or (800) 580-7336 or Certification Administrator Kevin Creamer, kcreamer@sffma.org, for more information.
5. Comfort aids will be allowed in the written testing room upon visual inspection by the testing center staff before brought into the testing room. Visual inspection will be done by examining the item without directly touching it or the candidate and without asking the candidate to remove the item.

An examinee who fails to pass an examination shall be given additional opportunities to pass the examination.

1. Upon failure of each examination, the Certification Coordinator will be notified as to the applicant’s failure and the specific area(s) in which the applicant did not qualify.
2. After three (3) failures, the examinee will not be allowed to re-test for one (1) year after the date of the third test. It is highly recommended by the Board that additional training pertaining to the examination be completed before the examinee should attempt a re-test.

Although not official policy, the board does strongly suggest six (6) months of intensive study after a second unsuccessful attempt.