Our mission is to establish credibility in providing quality education, training, certification, and professional consultation to Iowa’s fire service and other emergency responders in a manner that reflects commitment, integrity, and contributes to the reduction of morbidity, mortality, and property loss from fire and other hazards.
The Fire Service Training Bureau is designated by statute to be the State Fire Academy. We have been training Iowa’s firefighters and other emergency service responders since 1923. We are home to the second-longest continually running annual state fire school in the nation.
The Bureau coordinates and instructs many basic and advanced level courses at our facility and also locally across the state in the subject matter areas of firefighting, hazardous materials, vehicle extrication, technical rescue, instructor development, officer development, fire prevention, traffic incident management (TIMS), and fire investigation. We also offer multiple National Fire Academy direct-delivery courses annually.
We are accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) and the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (ProBoard®) and are authorized to issue the following certifications following completion of the respective training class and both written and practical skills examinations: Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness, Hazardous Materials Operations, Driver/Operator Pumper, Driver/Operator Aerial, Fire and Emergency Services Instructor I, Fire and Emergency Services Instructor II, Fire Officer I, Fire Officer II, Fire Inspector I, and Fire Investigator.
In addition to our facility having on-site training grounds to conduct live-fire training evolutions, we have multiple mobile training props that can be requested to be delivered for local community-based training.
| Certification level | Book/Edition | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Fighter I and II | Essentials of Fire Fighting, 7th Edition | IFSTA |
| Hazmat Awareness/Operations | Hazardous Materials: Awareness and Operations 4th Edition | Jones & Bartlett |
| Driver Operator Pumper and Aerial | Pumping and Aerial Apparatus Driver/Operator Handbook, 3rd Edition | IFSTA |
| Fire Officer I & II | Fire Officer: Principles and Practice 4th Edition | Jones & Bartlett |
| Instructor I & II | Fire and Emergency Services Instructor: Principles and Practice 3rd Edition | Jones & Bartlett |
| Inspector I | Fire Inspection and Code Enforcement, 8th Edition | IFSTA |
| www.jblearning.com | ||
| www.ifsta.org |
The Accreditation/Certification Program is responsible for maintaining the Bureau’s accreditation status with the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) and the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (ProBoard®) accreditation requirements. This program schedules both written and practical examinations across the state and issues multiple nationally accredited fire service certifications that assist in demonstrating a candidate’s minimum level of competency in a particular area of training and confirming their training conforms to recognized national standards.
*Exam registrations will be closed approximately two weeks prior to the exam date or sooner if the location receives 24 registrations.
Specific details on each certification level's requirements can be found in the below links to the Procedures Guides.
These guides also include the Local Documentation Forms which are required to complete the following levels:
HazMat Awareness & Operations | Fire Fighter I & II | Driver/Operator Pumper & Aerial
The Field Programs Unit of the Fire Service Training Bureau delivers hundreds of courses to Iowa Fire Departments each year. Participants choose course topics ranging from basic fire fighting skills to advanced fire strategies and tactics. Only qualified instructors teach these programs to assure the fire service receives the best instruction available.
The majority of courses can be delivered directly to the requesting fire departments and regional fire schools through Mobile Training Units.
The FSTB also offers a Mobile Training Tower, Confined Space Trailer, Rapid Intervention Team Trailer, and a Mobile Roof/Vertical Ventilation Simulator.
The Fire Service Training Bureau offers several advanced-level courses per year depending on requests by fire departments to host them. In the past, the Instructor, Fire Officer, and Inspector courses were funded through an NFA Grant, which allowed us to offer them free of charge. That grant is no longer available as a resource, so to offset the costs of these programs, we are asking that each participant be responsible for the cost of the manual.
*Access the links below to complete registration forms.
None scheduled at this time.
The FSTB is proud to sponsor Traffic Incident Management (TIM) training to bring fire, law enforcement, public works, and other roadway response partners together to understand each other’s role in a roadway emergency and to help keep said responders safe while performing their duties.
Traffic crashes happen every day on Iowa roadways. The men and women who respond to these crashes put their lives on the line every time that call comes in.
Whether you're a law enforcement officer, emergency medical technician, firefighter, tow truck operator, transportation worker, or any number of others who respond to crashes, making the crash scene safer and clearing the roadway as soon as possible is a priority to increase safety for all of us.
Traffic Incident Management is a four-hour training program developed to coordinate better the efforts of multi-discipline responders to work traffic incidents cooperatively, efficiently, and safely, thereby improving safety for all responders and everyone else on the road.
The Iowa Traffic Incident Management program is presented with multiple instructors from different disciplines and is intended for anyone who responds to an incident scene. The clear message for the program is that we're all in this together. All disciplines are there for the same reason, and each has different priorities and objectives. When all disciplines have an understanding of each other's goals and priorities, it's easier for everyone to be more efficient in their roles. That translates into less time on the road in a dangerous environment.
National Fire Academy two-day Direct Delivery courses and six-day Regional Delivery courses are also coordinated and provided through the Fire Service Training Bureau. The Fire Service Training Bureau schedules and facilitates these courses for the Iowa Fire Service. A portion of the course is usually held at the Annual State Fire School. Some are hosted as weekend activities at the Training Bureau, and some are offered to our Community College partners to be held in conjunction with their Regional Fire Schools, or as stand-alone activities.
The State Fire Service and Emergency Response Council recognizes the need to establish a minimum training standard that will provide a means to prevent occupational accidents, injuries, illnesses, and deaths. The intent of this Minimum Training Standard is not to restrict any fire department from exceeding this standard. The Minimum Training Standard, as adopted in the Iowa Administrative Code Section 661, Chapter 251.
The purpose of the Council is to advise and confer with the State Fire Marshal and Fire Service Training Bureau Chief on matters relating to fire protection services and training.
The Iowa Fire Service & Emergency Response Council serves to advise the State Fire Marshal and Fire Service Training Bureau Chief on issues concerning policies, fee schedules, minimum training standards, special grant applications, applications for the Fire Fighting Equipment Revolving Loan Fund, and hear testimony from the labor commissioner on inspections and investigations involving occupational safety and health standards for firefighters.
Each of the eleven members of this Council is appointed by the Iowa Governor, serve a four-year term, have gender, political, and geographic balance, and must represent the following organizations: Iowa Firefighters Association, Iowa Fire Chiefs Association, Iowa Association of Professional Firefighters, Iowa Association of Professional Fire Chiefs, Iowa Emergency Medical Services Association, and the general public.
In 1923, a group of firefighters came to what was formerly known as Iowa State College and asked for educational assistance to improve their fire fighting and fire prevention skills.
In 1925, the college’s response was the “First Annual Iowa State Fire School.” That event marked the beginning of state-level fire service education and training in the United States.
This first state fire school, titled “First Short Course for Firemen” (1925) provided four days of training. Topics included fire prevention, fire fighting, and first aid. The program was developed by the fire service, under the supervision of the Engineering Extension Department of Iowa State College.
Over the years, the Fire Service Extension changed names to become the Fire Service Institute, a component of Iowa State University-Extension. The annual fire schools continued to grow, and the Institute began offering many basic and advanced fire service training programs. In 1966, a legislative appropriation of approximately $100,000 was made to build a facility called the Iowa Firemanship Building on the Iowa State University campus to help centralize and conduct the business of providing firefighter training and research along with training grounds to host said training.
In 2000, at the request of several state fire service fraternal organizations, legislation was drafted to remove the Fire Service Institute from Iowa State University and relocate it within the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of State Fire Marshal. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack signed House File 2492, and the transfer of the Institute’s responsibilities occurred on July 1, 2000. The “Institute” was dissolved, and the Fire Service Training Bureau was created within the Division of State Fire Marshal.
While the overall responsibility and budget were transferred immediately to the Division of State Fire Marshal in Des Moines, Iowa, the physical location of the Bureau continued in the Firemanship Building on the Iowa State University campus in Ames, Iowa. The Bureau’s accounting and procurement practices and employment of part-time field staff instructors were also still coordinated through Iowa State University.
Proponents of the legislation believed transferring the responsibility of statewide fire service training to the Division of State Fire Marshal would give the new Bureau a higher priority for increased funding needed to ensure quality training and education. Iowa State University Extension also supported the move, stating “they wanted what was best for the fire service and the citizens of Iowa".
In November of 2018, field staff instructors of the Bureau were transferred from being employed by Iowa State University to being employees of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of State Fire Marshal. The titles of these positions changed from “FSTB Field Staff” to “ FSTB Training Specialist 1s.”
In March of 2019, the Bureau’s accounting and procurement processes were also transferred from Iowa State University to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, thereby completing a 100% transfer of the Bureau’s operations into the Department of Public Safety. This completed transition made the Bureau a true “third party partner” with Iowa State University.
The Fire Service Training Bureau continues to advance in its practices. In June of 2019, the first successful computer-based certification testing opportunity occurred in Missouri Valley, Iowa. This type of testing is increasing in frequency as the Bureau’s IT capacity increases.
The Bureau searched for more current and updated facilities and more extensive training grounds to accommodate the growing training needs of Iowa’s fire and other emergency services. Since 1966, fire service training has significantly expanded well beyond just learning to fight fires. Training must now incorporate responding to a vehicle, hazardous materials, technical rescue, EMS, agricultural, industrial, and many other incidents. The Bureau strives to be current and comprehensive in its training and to help support and be a primary resource to Iowa’s fire service.
On the afternoon of May 5, 2020, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed and fully executed by the Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Iowa National Guard to relocate the Fire Service Training Bureau to Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa, beginning July 1, 2020. This move to Camp Dodge reflects a growing partnership between DPS and the Iowa National Guard. In addition to occupying newer facilities, FSTB will also will have larger training grounds with the ability to expand upon our current fire and rescue training offerings.
The facilities within which we will occupy is the current fire station, Building 59 – a 9, 239 square-foot facility that previously served as the Iowa National Guard’s fire station. The space, design, and layout of this facility is ideal for the Bureau’s current and future training needs. In addition to having access to many classrooms, the Iowa National Guard has also provided dedicated training grounds just west of the firing ranges suitable for live-fire training, storage of mobile training props, and additional space to expand.
Today, the Fire Service Training Bureau’s core functions include promoting safety in all aspects of fire and emergency service training and response, and to coordinate training ranging from basic skills to more advanced specialized topics. The Bureau is also responsible for hosting and coordinating the Annual State Fire School, which trains approximately 700 firefighters, annually. On average, the Fire Service Training Bureau educates and trains approximately 12,000 students annually and supports local training efforts with deployment of various training props/adjuncts.
The Bureau offers professional certification through a program accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress and the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (ProBoard) to provide national certification in various firefighting specialties. It also acts as a statewide point of contact and coordination for federal fire programs.
