Florida Statutes 633.414 – Retention of firefighter and volunteer firefighter certifications
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(1) In order for a firefighter to retain her or his Firefighter Certificate of Compliance or Special Certificate of Compliance, every 4 years he or she must meet the requirements for renewal provided in this chapter and by rule, which must include at least one of the following:
(a) Be active as a firefighter. As used in this section, the term “active” means being employed as a firefighter or providing service as a volunteer firefighter as evidenced by the individual’s name appearing on a fire service provider‘s employment roster in the Florida State Fire College database or a letter by the fire service provider attesting to dates of employment.
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 633.414
- Department: means the Department of Financial Services. See Florida Statutes 633.102
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Division: means the Division of State Fire Marshal within the Department of Financial Services. See Florida Statutes 633.102
- Fire service provider: means a municipality or county, the state, the division, or any political subdivision of the state, including authorities and special districts, that employs firefighters or uses volunteer firefighters to provide fire extinguishment or fire prevention services for the protection of life and property. See Florida Statutes 633.102
- Firefighter: means an individual who holds a current and valid Firefighter Certificate of Compliance or Special Certificate of Compliance issued by the division under…. See Florida Statutes 633.102
- Minimum Standards Course: means training of at least 360 hours as prescribed by rule adopted by the division which is required to obtain a Firefighter Certificate of Compliance under…. See Florida Statutes 633.102
- veteran: means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released under honorable conditions only or who later received an upgraded discharge under honorable conditions, notwithstanding any action by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs on individuals discharged or released with other than honorable discharges. See Florida Statutes 1.01
- Volunteer firefighter: means an individual who holds a current and valid Volunteer Firefighter Certificate of Completion issued by the division under…. See Florida Statutes 633.102
(b) Maintain a current and valid fire service instructor certificate, instruct at least 40 hours during the 4-year period, and provide proof of such instruction to the division, which proof must be registered in an electronic database designated by the division.
(c) Before the expiration of the certificate, successfully complete a Firefighter Retention Refresher Course consisting of a minimum of 40 hours of training to be prescribed by rule.
(d) Before the expiration of the certificate, successfully retake and pass the Minimum Standards Course examination pursuant to s. 633.408.
(2) In order for a volunteer firefighter to retain her or his Volunteer Firefighter Certificate of Completion, every 4 years he or she must:
(a) Be active as a volunteer firefighter; or
(b) Successfully complete a refresher course consisting of a minimum of 40 hours of training to be prescribed by rule.
(3) Subsection (1) does not apply to state-certified firefighters who are certified and employed full-time, as determined by the fire service provider, as firesafety inspectors or fire investigators, regardless of their employment status as firefighters or volunteer firefighters.
(4) The 4-year period begins upon issuance of the certificate or separation from employment.
(5) A certificate for a firefighter or volunteer firefighter expires if he or she fails to meet the requirements of this section.
(6) The State Fire Marshal may deny, refuse to renew, suspend, or revoke the certificate of a firefighter or volunteer firefighter if the State Fire Marshal finds that any of the following grounds exists:
(a) Any cause for which issuance of a certificate could have been denied if it had then existed and had been known to the division.
(b) A violation of any provision of this chapter or any rule or order of the State Fire Marshal.
(c) Falsification of a record relating to any certificate issued by the division.
The 4-year period may, in the discretion of the department, be extended to 12 months after discharge from military service if the military service does not exceed 3 years, but in no event more than 6 years from the date of issue or renewal, if applicable, for an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Armed Forces or the spouse of such a veteran. A qualified individual must provide a copy of a military identification card, military dependent identification card, military service record, military personnel file, veteran record, discharge paper, or separation document that indicates such member is currently in good standing or such veteran is honorably discharged.