How to Become a Firefighter in New Mexico

Who can apply

• Fire departments set their own hiring rules. To enroll in academy courses you should be associated with a fire department (paid or volunteer) and must be at least 18; New Mexico fire departments get selection priority and unaffiliated individuals come last.
• To enroll in the academy's Firefighter I course you must first complete Basic Firefighter Emergency Medical Care and IFSAC Hazardous Materials: Awareness and Operations.
• HAZWOPER training is not accepted as the hazardous materials prerequisite for any academy course.
• You must wear NFPA-compliant protective clothing that passes inspection by academy staff.

Step by step

1. Join or get hired by a New Mexico fire department. Departments run their own hiring process.
2. Complete the prerequisites: Basic Firefighter Emergency Medical Care and IFSAC Hazardous Materials: Awareness and Operations (a 40-hour academy course).
3. Register for Firefighter I (80 hours) or the Firefighter I/II Combo (120 hours, hybrid) through the academy's online registration system.
4. Pass the written and skills certification tests to earn IFSAC and Pro Board Firefighter I certification.
5. Take Firefighter II (80 hours) to earn Firefighter II certification. Its prerequisite is IFSAC Firefighter.
6. If you fail a test, the academy holds Open Test Days for retesting.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Academy certification is not mandatory under the State Fire Marshal's rule. Instead, local government must make sure its fire department members have the knowledge and skills for their assigned positions, and departments must train members for their duties before letting them take part in emergency operations. Members should be evaluated with position task books, and a trainee should be found competent within two years of entering trainee status (10.25.10.14 NMAC). A department's operational status requires at least four responders competent at the Firefighter I level set by the academy. The academy's Firefighter I course is 80 hours and trains to Level 1 of NFPA 1001; Firefighter II is another 80 hours. A 120-hour Firefighter I/II Combo puts the book portion online, followed by two weeks of hands-on training at the academy in Socorro. Classes are also held around the state.

Exam: Required for academy (NMFTA) certification, which state rule does not make mandatory. Academy certification courses end with written and skills exams. The Firefighter I and II courses include both IFSAC and Pro Board certification. Retests are given on Open Test Days, held on or off site; check the academy calendar or call 1-800-734-6553.

What it costs in New Mexico

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

Good to know in New Mexico

Accreditation: The academy's certification programs are accredited by IFSAC (International Fire Service Accreditation Congress). Firefighter I and II also carry Pro Board certification.

Transferring from another state (reciprocity): The academy may issue New Mexico certification without testing if you hold an IFSAC certification from another accredited entity. You must be a New Mexico resident and/or a member in good standing of a New Mexico fire department. You must also send a copy of the certificate with a readable IFSAC seal and number and proof of the academy's prerequisites, and the level must also be IFSAC-accredited in New Mexico.

Reciprocity limits: Reciprocity is only granted for the NFPA edition of your original certificate and only for the last two revision cycles. If you have already failed a New Mexico written or skills exam at that level, you cannot use reciprocity for it.

Non-IFSAC training (equivalency): Training or certificates from a non-IFSAC entity may be recognized as equivalent for course prerequisites or exam eligibility. The training must meet NFPA requirements for the level, and the Authority Having Jurisdiction decides.

Where training happens: The academy campus is in Socorro, and classes are also held around the state. The academy trains about 4,000 first responders a year.

State certification is optional: Under 10.25.10.14 NMAC, certification by the Fire Training Academy is not mandatory. Local governments must make sure their firefighters are competent, using state position task books, and trainees should be found competent within two years of starting a task book. A task book alone is not state certification and does not meet academy course prerequisites.

Sources

• NM DHSEM - Fire Training Academy
• NMFTA - Course Descriptions (Dec 2025)
• NMFTA - Certification Reciprocity and Equivalency Policy and Application
• NM Firefighters Training Academy: About the Academy (registration and selection policy)
• 10.25.10 NMAC Fire Protection Fund (10.25.10.7, 10.25.10.14)
• 10.25.10 NMAC - Fire Protection Fund (Responsibilities, 10.25.10.14)