Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ed Mello on September 12, 2008 at 10:10pm

Hi Bill,

I was assigned as our department's SO based on my previous 38 years of experience as a firefighter and fire officer. I had no formal training.

I am currently studying the 2nd edition of "Fire Department Incident Safety Officer" by David W. Dodson. This is the required text book for those who wish to certify as an Incident Safety Office through the Fire Department Safety Officer's Association. I asked the FDSOA about certification and their reply was:

"Hopefully I can answer your questions in regards to FDSOA’s Incident Safety Officer. The test is referenced to two documents. The first is NFPA 1521, Standard for Fire Department Safety Officer 2008 edition. The second is a book entitled Fire Department Incident Safety Officer second edition by David W. Dodson, which can be purchased from FDSOA for about $54.00 or from Delmar Learning thepublisher of the book. However, you can go online and to www.amazon.com and click on the book tab and do a generic search. You will be able to find the book at various prices.

FDSOA’s certification exam was established in 1999 as an independent study or home study process. If you read NFPA 1521, 2008 edition the Dodson book Fire Department Incident Safety Officer, 2nd edition and take the learning objectives in each section and write them down in the form of a question and answer the question you should be successful in passing the exam. A passing score is 70% based on 100 multiple-choice questions.

The exam is administered using 4 different testing methodologies.

1. Individualized Testing: The exam is administered to you at your location. The certification candidate identifies a local Proctor that meets FDSOA criteria. A test date and time is established with the Proctor and FDSOA. The exam is sent to your proctor and you report to him/her for testing. The proctor will return your exam to FDSOA.

2. Departmental Testing: This method is for a department who wants to test two or more people. Once again a date, time and proctor are established and candidates report to the test site for testing.

3. Regional Test Sites: If a department wants to test some of its members and wants to invite neighboring departments a dates, time, location, and proctor are established. FDSOA handles all registration for the exam and provides the host department with a flier to promote the exam.

4. Conference Test Site: These are established by FDSOA at the beginning of a calendar year in conjunction with national fire service conferences such as FDIC, Firehouse Exp, Fire Rescue International and FDSOA’s Annual Safety Forum or Apparatus Symposium. Both Regional and Conference Test Site information is located on FDSOA’s Events Page.

You can also find out more about the FDSOA at their web site at
http://www.fdsoa.org/ or by e-mailing them at: programs@fdsoa.org

The IAFC also has a book out called "Exam Prep: Fire Department Safety Officer" which I have not seen myself, but may be of help to you.

I hope this helps.

Ed

Permalink Reply by Jenny Holderby on October 21, 2008 at 2:16am

There is an Incident Safety Officer class, A Fire fighter Health & Safety Officer course, both by the National Fire Academy & both are "handoff" courses so they could be available through your state training office. The NFA also offeres a very very good course called Advanced Safety Operations Management. Use this link to get to the NFA website - http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa/
I haven't looked lately to see if anything new is online.

NFPA 1500 & 1521 are the standards you will want to refer to. It helps to know about building construction and current standards on different equipment & PPE.

Here is another website on FFRehab you might find useful.

http://www.firerehab.com/news/275335/

Permalink Reply by Chris Miller on April 7, 2009 at 7:23pm

NFA Incident Safety Officer Course as well as various survival/rescue and other safety related training. Also took the ProBoard ISO test through FDSOA which test to the NFPA Standard for certification as an ISO. Also keep up on as much as possible, read a lot. Study and use the Crew Resource Management curriculum.