Chief Fire Officer

Chief Fire Officer utilizes NFPA 1021 Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications (2014) and NFPA 1051 Standard for Wildland Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications (2016) to provide the qualifications for State Fire Training’s Chief Fire Officer Certification. These qualifications are documented in the Chief Fire Officer Certification Training Standards (CTS). State Fire Training coordinated the development of the CTS guide, certification, and associated curriculum. The Statewide Training and Education Advisory Committee (STEAC) and the State Board of Fire Services (SBFS) recommended these standards and qualifications for adoption by the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM).

Certification Information

Chief Fire Officer is the second certification in the California Officer professional certification series. The requirements for this certification can be found in the SFT Procedures Manual. The Chief Fire Officer Implementation Plan (PDF) was developed to provide detailed information regarding how and when the transition to this new certification will go into effect. To apply for this certification, please review and complete the documentation below.

Task Book	Application

Chief Fire Officer Certification - Associate Degree Requirement

Published: December 2020

Effective January 1, 2021, State Fire Training is accepting applications for Chief Fire Officer Certification without an associate degree. This temporary exception allows applicants to submit the equivalency in a combination of both education and experience. Applicants are required to meet all certification requirements and apply on or before December 31, 2022. Interested persons should review the Chief Fire Officer Certification – Associate Degree Requirement Informational Bulletin (PDF) for further details.

Curriculum Information

Please see the Chief Fire Officer 3D: Command of Expanding All-Hazard Incidents (2019) Curriculum Implementation Plan for the transition to the new curriculum, and the retirement of Chief Fire Officer 3D: Emergency Service Delivery Responsibilities (2014) curriculum.