69A-37.064. Florida State Fire College

(1) Purpose. The Florida State Fire College, hereinafter referred to as the “College,” shall offer basic, intermediate, and advanced training and educational courses, develop educational curricula to be used by other fire-rescue training agencies, and conduct research into new methods and technologies related to fire-rescue activities.

(2) Categories of Programs. The College offers courses that fall into five general categories: academic, certification, certificate of competency, vocational, and non-credit.

(a) Academic program courses are defined as those courses at the college level, either lower division (freshman or sophomore) or upper division (junior or senior). The College offers these programs through approved articulation agreements with accredited colleges and universities.

(b) Certification program courses are defined as those courses whose completion is required prior to testing for State Certification in a program area.

(c) Certificate of competency program courses are defined as those courses whose completion is required prior to a state examination for competency in a program area.

(d) Vocational courses are defined as courses at the post-secondary level that provide skill development and professional development training.

(e) Non-credit programs are defined as continuing education short courses, specialty programs, seminars, symposia, and conferences designed to enhance or refresh previous training or to introduce new topics.

(3) Organization and Documentation of Programs.

(a) Programs are defined as a series of two or more courses leading to a point of completion.

(b) Courses are defined as a series of class meetings on a defined topic leading to a point of completion.

(c) The College issues certificates for individual courses and for successful completion of defined programs.

(d) The College, upon request, issues student transcripts that provide a complete history of all work attempted or successfully completed at the College.

(4) College Registration and Fees.

(a) All prospective students shall meet the admission requirements set forth in subsection 69A-37.064(7), F.A.C.

(b) The College sets minimum and maximum class sizes for all courses.

1. Any course that does not have the minimum number of students enrolled by an established cutoff date shall be canceled.

2. Students shall be denied entry into a course that has already reached its maximum number of enrolled students.

(c) If a course is canceled, each student enrolled in the canceled course shall receive a refund.

(d) If a student fails to appear for a course at its first meeting, all prepayment for that course shall be forfeited. If the student provides advance written notice of nonattendance, the student shall receive a refund.

(e) The College shall withhold certificates, transcripts, and any other official documents for students who are in arrears for any tuition, books, fees, or ancillary services until such arrearages are paid in full.

(f) The College sets its tuition, fees, and prices at such a level as to recover reasonable costs and operate with fiscal responsibility.

(5) College Faculty.

(a) Each full-time and part-time instructor, either teaching at the College or teaching on behalf of the College at a remote location, shall possess appropriate teaching credentials for the course being delivered.

(b) The College maintains credential records on all full-time and part-time instructors. These credential records include copies of degrees, college transcripts, instructor certificates, and other documentation required to show subject matter expertise.

(6) Programs of Study.

(a) The College shall establish and revise programs of study leading to various levels of certification.

(b) The college shall also develop and revise individual courses to meet the needs of the state’s fire and emergency service providers.

(c) Such programs of study and individual courses shall be in compliance with the rules of the State Fire Marshal.

(7) Admission Requirements to the Florida State Fire College. All trainees attending the Florida State Fire College shall:

(a) Possess a student identification number issued by the Division’s electronic information database system, which can be obtained at www.floridastatefirecollege.org,

(b) Apply for the course at www.floridastatefirecollege.org,

(c) Submit the required tuition payment to the Division,

(d) Obtain a student identification card upon arrival at the Florida State Fire College, and,

(e) Complete Form DFS-K4-1038, “Release And Waiver Of Liability,” which is incorporated by reference in subsection 69A-37.039(2), F.A.C., and can be obtained where indicated in subsection 69A-37.039(1), F.A.C.

Rulemaking Authority 633.128(1)(d),(h),(k),(l), (2)(a) FS. Law Implemented 633.128(1)(d), (h), (k), (l), 633.428 FS. History–New 12-10-01, Formerly 4A-37.064, Amended 2-15-15.