How to Become a Firefighter in Kentucky

Who can apply

• Volunteer firefighters must be at least 18 years old, with proof of age submitted to the Kentucky Fire Commission (739 KAR 2:100).
• Volunteers must be able to read, write and understand English; have no felony conviction; and have no DUI or public intoxication violation in the last five years.
• Volunteers must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or otherwise lawfully present, shown by documents submitted to the Commission.

Step by step

1. Join a Kentucky fire department as a paid or volunteer firefighter.
2. Take firefighter training from instructors certified by the Kentucky Fire Commission.
3. Complete at least 115 training hours for Basic I certification.
4. Continue to at least 300 training hours for Basic II certification.
5. Keep up annual in-service training: 20 hours a year for certified volunteers, or 100 hours a year for certified professional firefighters.

Training and exam

Training: Since December 9, 2025, 739 KAR 2:015 requires at least 115 hours of training for Basic I certification and at least 300 hours for Basic II, all from Commission-certified instructors. This rule uses the Commission's statutory power to reduce the 400 basic hours for paid firefighters and 150 hours for volunteers that KRS 95A.230 and 95A.262 tie to Firefighters Foundation Program Fund payments. The older 739 KAR 2:110 still describes a 400-hour basic course for professional firefighters, to be documented within one year of employment.

Exam: The Kentucky regulations for Basic I and Basic II set training hours, not a state written exam. Separately, the Commission's Accredited Certification Office offers optional IFSAC Firefighter I and II certification: written exams are scheduled through the State Fire Rescue Training district office serving your department, and skills testing is a random sample of skills, done in NFPA 1971 PPE and SCBA with live-fire scenarios (you must be clean-shaven for the facepiece seal). The IFSAC written exam costs $50 per attempt for Kentucky firefighters and $100 for non-Kentucky firefighters (effective July 1, 2026).

What it costs in Kentucky

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

Keeping your certification

Renewal: Certified volunteer firefighters need at least 20 hours of certified training every year. Certified professional firefighters need at least 100 hours of in-service training each calendar year, appropriate to rank, unless on active military duty.

Good to know in Kentucky

Out-of-state firefighters: The Commission accepts an out-of-state certification accredited by IFSAC or Pro Board as meeting the basic training requirement and certifies it by reciprocity. Your hiring department completes the Out-of-State Training Hour Transfer forms the Commission sends.

Military firefighters: Training and service as a firefighter in the U.S. Armed Forces can be counted toward Kentucky certification; submit documentation to the Commission's division director, directly or through your hiring department.

Who counts as a volunteer: A volunteer firefighter is paid nothing or less than $8,000 a year by a volunteer fire department.

National (IFSAC) Firefighter I & II certification: Separately from the Basic I/II training hours, the Kentucky Fire Commission offers IFSAC-accredited Firefighter I and II certification. Written tests are scheduled through your department's State Fire Rescue Training district office and cost $50 per attempt for Kentucky firefighters ($100 for non-Kentucky firefighters). Skills testing is a random sample of skills, done in NFPA 1971 gear and SCBA with live-fire scenarios, and you must be clean-shaven where the facepiece seals.

Fire Academy of Kentucky: The Commission's Fire Academy of Kentucky in Greenville is an 11-week recruit program for initial Basic 2 certification, which the Commission says is required for full-time career firefighters and optional for volunteers. It accepts fire department-sponsored career and volunteer firefighters free of charge.

Sources

• 739 KAR 2:015 - Required training hours for Basic I and Basic II (eff. 12-9-2025)
• 739 KAR 2:100 - Volunteer firefighter requirements
• 739 KAR 2:110 - Acceptance of out-of-state and military training and service
• 739 KAR 2:050 - Volunteer fire department aid
• Kentucky Fire Commission
• Kentucky Fire Commission - IFSAC Accredited Certification Testing Fee Structure (effective July 1, 2026); Fire Academy of Kentucky
• Kentucky Fire Commission - Accredited Certification; IFSAC fee structure (effective July 1, 2026)
• Kentucky Fire Commission - Fire Academy of Kentucky