Section 141.115  Course Approval

 

Training facilities wishing to offer courses leading to certification for classroom or web-based delivery shall submit a completed Course Approval Application, utilizing the DPSE WebAccess Portal, specifying the courses for which the training facility seeks approval.

 

a)         A Course Approval will be granted to those facilities that possess the specific Training Facility approval as required in Section 141.100.

 

b)         Training facilities shall submit the Course Approval Application utilizing the DPSE WebAccess Portal. The appropriate course name shall be selected from the courses offered. The training facility shall have the option of including the State Practical Examinations as part of the course completion roster by checking the box on the application prior to submission. When a training facility opts to include the State Practical Examination as part of the Course Approval, the training facility must attest that everyone listed on the course completion roster utilizing the Course Approval has completed and passed the State Practical Examination. A qualified instructor shall be required for each specified course to obtain approval.

 

c)         Course Approvals will be granted on a calendar year basis. A Course Approval will be valid for up to 5 calendar years from the date of the initial approval in conjunction with Training Facility Approvals. A new Application for Course Approval shall be submitted utilizing the DPSE WebAccess Portal, prior to December 31 of the calendar year in which it expires. Prior to the expiration date of the Course Approval, the Division shall notify the training facility at one year prior and at 90 days prior of the upcoming expiration date.

 

d)         Training facilities may submit additional courses for course approval within the 5-year cycle.  The appropriate Training Facility Approval shall be required for the additional courses.  The expiration of the added courses shall remain in conjunction with the original expiration cycle. For example, a Course Approval granted between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 will be approved until December 31, 2026. If a Training Facility received additional course approvals within the 5-year cycle (for example. on March 1, 2024), the additional Course Approvals will also expire on December 31, 2026.

 

e)         For each approved course, training facilities shall be required to submit a schedule of all courses to be conducted utilizing that Course Approval.  The schedule shall be submitted using the DPSE WebAccess Portal Event Calendar no less than 2 weeks prior to the first day of the course.  The information required consists of the name of the training facility with course approval, title of the approved course, location of the course, dates of classroom instruction, contact name and contact information for the training facility, and if applicable, dates of examination. If the course schedule is not provided in accordance with the requirements of this paragraph, the course completion roster will be denied.

 

f)         For a training facility to receive Course Approval for the following courses, the training facility shall submit required course syllabi and content correlated to the respective Standard as specified in subsection 141.115(g) for review by the Division. The Division's syllabi and content review must be completed and approved before the Course Approval will be processed.

 

1)         Company Fire Officer;

 

2)         Advanced Fire Officer;

 

3)         Chief Fire Officer;

 

4)         Fire Service Executive Support;

 

5)         Fire Department Incident Safety Officer;

 

6)         Fire Department Health and Safety Officer;

 

7)         Fire Service Instructor I, II, or III;

 

8)         Training Program Manager;

 

9)         Fire Inspector I or II;

 

10)       Public Fire and Life Safety Educator I;

 

11)       Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention Specialist;

 

12)       Fire Investigator;

 

13)       Confined Space Operations or Technician; or

 

14)       Structural Collapse Operations or Technician.

 

g)         Required information to be submitted to the Division for review includes, but shall not be limited to:

 

1)         Title of Course;

 

2)         Prerequisites;

 

3)         Reference Material;

 

4)         Attendance Policy;

 

5)         Pre-Course Assignments;

 

6)         Course Content;

 

7)         Referenced NFPA Standard and JPRs;

 

8)         Course Hours;

 

9)         Daily Agenda; and

 

10)       Qualified Instructors.

 

h)         If the training facility revises a course curriculum or if the course curriculum is revised due to a change in the applicable standard or administrative rules before the Course Approval cycle has expired, the course syllabi and content correlated to the respective standard shall be resubmitted for approval.

 

i)          Instructor Requirements

 

1)         A certified Instructor I may teach the following courses in which the Instructor I possesses the specified certification:

 

A)        Basic Operations Firefighter

 

B)        Hazardous Materials Operations

 

C)        Fire Service Vehicle Operator

 

2)         A certified Instructor II may teach those courses referenced in Subpart D in which the Instructor II possesses the specified certification.

 

3)         State Practical Examination evolutions shall meet the requirement for student to instructor ratio where specified in Subpart D.

 

j)          Course completion rosters shall be submitted to the Division by the training facility, utilizing the DPSE WebAccess Portal, listing candidates who successfully completed courses. Candidates must complete 100% of the course requirements of the training facility to be eligible for inclusion on the course completion roster.

 

k)         The Division may monitor, evaluate and review all aspects of the delivery and record keeping of approved courses for conformance with the requirements of this Part.

 

l)          Training facilities shall:

 

1)         Provide records of student attendance (a minimum of 90% attendance is required for each student seeking certification), and student evaluations of the course;

 

2)         Retain training records in accordance with the applicable local government's records retention schedule but, in no case, less than 5 years for training record review purposes; and

 

3)         Retain complete training facility student records of course completion and test scores for at least 5 years for training record review purposes.

 

m)        Each training facility shall implement and follow an established system of records maintenance for classroom or web-based delivery that shall be retained and provided to the Division upon request for review.

 

1)         Training records shall include at minimum the following:

 

A)        Attendance or sign-in sheets;

 

B)        JPRs of subjects taught, referenced to the applicable standards;

 

C)        Dates and beginning and ending hours trained for each session;

 

D)        Total student contact hours;

 

E)        Names and signatures of students;

 

F)         Names and signatures of instructors;

 

G)        Description of how the training was conducted (classroom and practical); and

 

H)        Physical location of the training.

 

2)         State Practical Examination training records shall contain at minimum the following:

 

A)        JPRs of subjects taught, referenced to the applicable standards;

 

B)        Date of completion;

 

C)        Names and signatures of students; and

 

D)        Names and signatures of instructors.

 

3)         Computerized or web-based records of training shall include:

 

A)        Training records maintained utilizing a computerized or web-based records management system shall be acceptable if users have passwords and access rights.

 

B)        Users logging into their own account to track a training session, with their attendance at and completion of the training session validated by a Qualified Instructor or fire officer, shall have this entry counted as a digital signature.

 

C)        Users who have their training sessions logged for them by a Qualified Instructor or fire officer shall be required to review their training records on a scheduled basis via their own account, thereby validating their attendance at and completion of those training sessions.

 

n)         A training facility must have a system for evaluating the effectiveness of a course taught at that facility.

 

o)         The Division may revoke Course Approvals if a training facility violates any requirement of Subpart B or Subpart C.  In determining whether to revoke, the Division shall consider the seriousness and frequency of the offenses.

 

(Source:  Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 10877, effective July 11, 2024)