Head of Department

If you have ever tested with the commission or held certification, please do not create a new FIDO account. If you are unable to log in contact the commission at 512-936-3838 for assistance.

The Head of Department Certification is specifically for individuals who have been hired by a regulated entity to be appointed as the Fire Chief (Head of Department Suppression) or a Fire Marshal (Head of Department Prevention).

This certification cannot be:

• obtained prior to being employed as the head of the department and
• it cannot be held as an individual certificate holder (not employed in our system)

If you do not hold an active TCFP certification and are a first-time HOD appointee, you must schedule to be fingerprinted at an IdentoGo office. This must be done for TCFP, even if you have already completed this for another agency.

Complete the fingerprint-based background check by following the instructions found on FAST-Pass (PDF).

Appointments to HOD cannot be completed via a department FIDO account.

Please contact your Regional Compliance Officer for any new appointments or changes in your agency’s Head of Department (HOD) status. Your compliance officer will assist you through the certification process, starting with the required paperwork that must be completed and submitted to them for verification. If you do not know who your regional compliance officer is please email: compliance@tcfp.texas.gov or visit the regional map on https://www.tcfp.texas.gov/services/compliance and click on the county that your department is located in.

Head of Department Suppression:

Based on RULE §449.1, to be appointed as head of department suppression individuals must:

• have five (5) years’ experience appointed in a fire suppression position in Texas while holding active TCFP certification as a fire fighter or
• meet the equivalent out of state requirements or
• have 10 years of experience as an active volunteer fire fighter. To be considered an "active" volunteer, you must have attended at least 40 percent of the drills and responded to at least 25 percent of the VFD's emergencies each year; additionally, the VFD must have had 10 or more active members and conducted a minimum of 48 hours of drills in a calendar year or
• have the combined total years of experience found in §449.1

If you have questions about qualifying for appointment to HOD Suppression Duty, please contact us at 512-936-3820.

Head of Department Prevention:

HOD Prevention is required only if the entity is a separate division from the fire department and the head of department prevention (usually the fire marshal) does NOT report to the fire chief.

If the entity has only one employee and there is no supervision of any regulated certified fire prevention personnel, the head of department Prevention appointment to duty is NOT required. Employment can be processed and appointment to fire prevention duties completed in FIDO.

Based on Rule §449.203, to be appointed as head of department prevention individuals must:

• have five (5) years’ experience appointed to a fire prevention discipline in Texas while holding active TCFP certification as a fire inspector, fire investigator, or arson investigator or
• meet the equivalent out of state requirements or
• have 10 years of experience an active volunteer fire inspector, fire investigator, or arson investigator or
• have the combined total years of service found in §449.203.

The following must be completed within one year from the date of appointment to be eligible for certification:

• Complete the Standards Review Assignment for Head of a Fire Department identified in Chapter 12 (PDF) of the Curriculum Manual
• Meet with your regional TCFP Compliance Officer for review and approval of the Standards Review Assignment
• Attend at least one Texas Commission on Fire Protection regularly scheduled commission meeting or one regularly scheduled fire fighter advisory committee meeting in the first year of appointment
• Document completion of the National Incident Management System courses 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, and 800 in FIDO by uploading to the Submissions page, Professional Development button

Step 1: Log into FIDO.

Step 2: Click on the Applications on the left menu.

Step 3: Click on the green Apply button (if it is not green, you are not eligible).

Step 3: Follow the instructions to create an invoice.

Step 4: Click on Invoices on the left menu

Step 5: Click the green Pay link on the far right of the screen.

Step 6: Follow the instructions on Texas.gov to enter credit card information for payment to have certificate issued immediately.

Step 1: Log into FIDO

Step 2: Click Records on the left menu

Step 3: Click Certifications within the green bar

Step 4: Click Print next to the name of the certificate. This will open a PDF that can be downloaded and saved or printed. The commission does not mail hard copies of certificates.