How to Become a Firefighter in Rhode Island

Who can apply

• You must be 18 to apply for Rhode Island Fire Academy courses.
• Firefighter I prerequisites: be a Rhode Island fire service member, hold a high school diploma or GED, have your fire chief sign the application, complete NIMS 100, 200 and 700, and complete R.I. Energy gas and electrical emergency training online.
• For National Fire Academy or Emergency Management Institute training, you need a FEMA Student Identification (SID) number.
• Fire departments set their own hiring rules and tests.

Step by step

1. Join or get hired by a Rhode Island fire department. You must be a fire service member (paid or volunteer) to enroll in Firefighter I.
2. Complete NIMS 100, 200 and 700 and R.I. Energy Gas and Electrical Emergency training before class starts.
3. Send the Fire Academy registration form and waiver (signed by you and your fire chief), the medical release form, your NIMS and gas/electrical certificates, and either a department purchase order or chief's letter (if the department pays) or the course payment.
4. Take NFPA 1001 Firefighter 1 (121 hours plus 24 hours of hazmat operations), or the 12-week, 472-hour Municipal Academy, which covers Firefighter 1 and 2, hazmat operations and driver/operator.
5. Attend at least 90% of classes, pass all practical skills, and finish with a 70% average and at least 70% on the final exam to be eligible for Pro Board certification.
6. Take Firefighter 2 (40 hours) after Firefighter I.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: The academy's NFPA 1001 Firefighter 1 course is 121 hours plus 24 hours of hazmat operations. Firefighter 2 is 40 hours. The 12-week Municipal Academy is 472 hours and covers Firefighter 1 and 2, hazmat operations and NFPA 1002 driver/operator. Some training uses the academy's live burn building. The academy serves Rhode Island's roughly 6,000 firefighters.

Exam: Tests are given at the start of each new subject, and the final exam (2 hours) is on the last day of class. Unit tests count for 60% of your grade and the final for 40%, and you need a 70% average to complete the course. If you score under 70% on the final, you are not eligible for Pro Board certification. You get one chance to retake it, arranged through the academy within six months.

What it costs in Rhode Island

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

How long it takes

The Municipal Academy runs 12 weeks (472 hours).

Good to know in Rhode Island

Accreditation: The Rhode Island State Fire Academy is Pro Board accredited by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications. Firefighter I and II are among its nationally accredited (Pro Board) courses.

Attendance rule: You must attend 90% of classroom sessions and sign the attendance sheet each day. If you do not initial it, you are counted absent for that whole class.

Appeals: After going through your instructor, coordinator and director, you can appeal to the Fire Education and Training Coordinating Board. A three-member panel decides, and its decision is binding and issued within 10 days of the hearing.

Physical Performance Assessment: The academy notes that the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs sponsors a Physical Performance Assessment test, offered each April and October.

Contact: RI Office of the State Fire Marshal, 560 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick; 401-889-5555.

Sources

• RI Office of the State Fire Marshal - Fire Academy
• RI Fire Academy - Academy Information & Course Offerings
• RI Fire Academy - Program Fees (November 2024)
• RI Fire Academy - General Information for Students
• Rhode Island Fire Academy: NFPA 1001 Firefighter I open-enrollment flyer (Class #320)
• RI Fire Academy - Firefighter Level I course flyer