GTX - Company Officer I - 2026

IFSTA Fire Officer I – Course Summary

Overview

Fire Officer I is the entry-level supervisory course designed to prepare firefighters to step into the role of company officer. The course focuses on leadership, crew management, administrative responsibilities, and the foundational skills needed to supervise emergency and non‑emergency operations.

 

1. Role of the Company Officer

  • Transitioning from firefighter to supervisor

  • Ethical decision-making and professional conduct

  • Understanding authority, responsibility, and delegation

  • Representing the department to the public and within the chain of command

 

2. Leadership & Supervision

  • Leadership styles and when to use them

  • Motivating personnel and building team cohesion

  • Managing conflict within the crew

  • Conducting coaching, counseling, and performance evaluations

  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the fire service

 

3. Communication Skills

  • Effective verbal and written communication

  • Conducting briefings and delivering orders

  • Report writing and documentation

  • Interpersonal communication with crew, command staff, and the public

 

4. Health, Safety & Risk Management

  • Promoting a safety culture

  • Understanding NFPA 1500 principles

  • Accident, injury, and near‑miss reporting

  • Scene safety and risk‑benefit analysis

  • Behavioral health awareness for firefighters

 

5. Emergency Operations

  • Initial incident size‑up

  • Implementing the Incident Command System (ICS) at the company level

  • Developing and communicating an incident action plan (IAP)

  • Crew accountability and resource management

  • Coordinating tactical operations (fire attack, ventilation, search, etc.)

  • Post‑incident analysis and critique

 

6. Administrative Responsibilities

  • Scheduling, staffing, and daily station management

  • Policy enforcement and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

  • Budget basics and resource requests

  • Records management and documentation requirements

 

7. Training & Professional Development

  • Conducting company‑level training

  • Evaluating skills and identifying training needs

  • Understanding adult learning principles

  • Maintaining certifications and promoting continuous improvement

 

8. Community & Fire Prevention Responsibilities

  • Public education and community risk reduction

  • Conducting basic fire inspections

  • Identifying common hazards and code violations

  • Pre‑incident planning and building familiarization

 

9. Ethics & Legal Responsibilities

  • Legal considerations for company officers

  • Liability, negligence, and due diligence

  • Ethical decision-making models

  • Ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, and departmental policies

 

10. Emergency Scene Leadership

  • Managing stress and maintaining situational awareness

  • Making decisions under pressure

  • Coordinating with other agencies

  • Ensuring firefighter safety during operations

 

Fire Officer I Course Syllabus

 

Instructor Information

Name:            Greg Green 979-979-6215

                       Jeff Jamison 903-366-6383

Jordan Stogsdill 972-965-0277

                       

Email:             ggreen@ci.greenville.tx.us

                       jjamison@ci.greenville.tx.us

                       jstogsdill@ci.greenville.tx.us

 

 

Expected response: Instructors will respond to student emails within 2 business days.

 

The best method to reach your instructor is by email.  The goal of the instructor is to help you be successful during the course. You should immediately contact the instructor if you have any questions about the course or course work.

 

Communication Procedures

Email will be the primary way students can contact their instructor. As such, it is important to following these guidelines:

•              Be respectful of one another’s time. Students can expect Instructors to respond to communication within 2 business days.

 

Course Overview

This is a hybrid course including both online and face-to-face components. Online module will run from March 1st to May 15th, 2026 for 10 weeks. Skills will be during the last 2 weeks of the course. Final skills test will be done on May 15th. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions throughout the course. The skills portion and final exam will be done at our on-site facility.

 

This is a 10 week course: 60 hours of instruction will be delivered through 10 weeks of online instruction including online activities, quizzes, tests and discussion and skills. This is followed by 1 day of face-to-face skills final. 8 hours of certification evaluation will be performed through face-to-face sessions scheduled for a 1 day period at the end of the course. The course prepares the student for the Fire Officer I certification process. 

 

Course Prerequisites

Basic Firefighter

Fire Instructor 1

 

Course Goals and Objectives:

After completing the course, the student will have met the Job Performance Requirements (JPRs) required for Fire Officer I in the NFPA® 1021, 2020 edition, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, and chapter 8 of the TCFP curriculum manual. Students who successfully complete the certification process will be certified as a Fire Officer I.

 

Learning objectives are identified on a chapter-by-chapter basis and can be found in detail in the text required for the course.

 

Text

REQUIRED

The required text for the course is IFSTA’s Fire and Emergency Services Company Officer, 6th edition.

Every student must have a copy of the text available in order to prepare for class, study for the certification process, and complete the assignments and learning activities.

Students will also be provided with online access through ResourceOne to daily activities to be completed as assigned.

Course Modules

This course is organized into 11 modules. Each module follows a similar format that includes: a weekly introduction, readings, activities, quizzes, assignments, and discussion. Modules are completed in preparation for face-to-face meetings held at the end of the online training. The online class is self-paced to be done within the 6 week period.

 

Homework Assignments

Homework assignments will be the skills portion of the class at the end of the online course.

 

 
 

COMPLETING THIS COURSE DOES NOT GRANT CERTIFICATION;

 IT PREPARES THE STUDENT FOR CERTIFICATION TESTI
 

 

 

 

 

Technical Support

Please contact your instructor in the case of questions regarding assignments.

 

In the case of technological issues (information will not load, quizzes not working correctly, dropbox malfunction, etc) please contact:

IFSTA Resource One Tech Support

(405) 744-5048

support@osufpp.org