The Texas Commission on Fire Protection has adopted a new statewide continuing education standard requiring regulated fire protection personnel to complete the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s Courage to Be Safe^® program every five years.

The standard, adopted May 14, is believed to be the first in the nation to codify such a recurring requirement for the NFFF’s flagship firefighter survivability program. All regulated entities in Texas will have three years from the adoption of the standard to comply, making the compliance deadline May 14, 2029.

Approximately 40,000 regulated firefighters — also known as career firefighters — in Texas will regularly complete the training as part of their continuing education requirements. While not mandated for the approximately 75,000 volunteer firefighters in the state, the measure is expected to influence training practices across the broader Texas fire service.

“Texas has long been a national leader in firefighter education and safety, and this action sets a new standard for how states can reinforce the decisions, behaviors and culture that help firefighters go home safely,” said Victor Stagnaro, CEO of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). “Courage to Be Safe was created to challenge the fire service to look directly at preventable line-of-duty deaths and injuries and commit to meaningful change. By making this training recurring, Texas is helping ensure those lessons are not treated as a one-time requirement, but as an ongoing responsibility.”

Courage to Be Safe^® is one of the NFFF’s flagship fire service programs and is built around the newly updated Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives. The program focuses on reducing preventable line-of-duty deaths and injuries by encouraging firefighters, officers and departments to examine the culture, attitudes and behaviors that shape safety on and off the fireground.

A number of states already require Courage to Be Safe^® as part of firefighter training or certification. Texas now goes a step further by requiring regulated fire protection personnel to complete the program at least every five years.

“The Texas Commission on Fire Protection is committed to ensuring firefighters across our state have access to training that is relevant, practical and grounded in the realities of the job,” said Mike Wisko, Agency Chief with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. “By requiring firefighters to review Courage to Be Safe every five years, Texas is reinforcing the importance of firefighter safety throughout a firefighter’s career and helping departments keep these principles at the center of their culture.”

Under the adopted standard, fire protection personnel who complete Courage to Be Safe^® will receive 4.0 hours of continuing education credit.

The program is available at no charge to fire departments. While in-person delivery is preferred, an online version is also available. In Texas, NFFF state advocates, as well as faculty at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), are equipped to teach the course in person.

“For more than a decade, we have advocated for Texas to take this step because Courage to Be Safe is not simply a class to complete once and move past,” said Daniel T. Kistner, Director of Fire Service Programs for the NFFF. “As a 40-year Texas fire service veteran, I know how seriously this state takes firefighter training and professional development. This requirement helps ensure the principles of firefighter survivability remain present throughout a firefighter’s career.”

The recurring requirement reflects the intent of the NFFF’s broader mission to honor fallen firefighters not only through remembrance, but through actions that help prevent future tragedies.

“Every firefighter deserves to work in a culture where safety is reinforced, revisited and carried into every call,” Kistner said. “That is the spirit of Courage to Be Safe, and Texas is helping lead the way for other states to follow suit.”

For more information about Courage to Be Safe^® and other programs connected to Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives, visit the NFFF’s website.