Professional Qualifications Certification

The Baltimore County Fire-Rescue Academy is an Accredited Training Review Agency (ATRA) and is able to process applications for Professional Qualification Certifications.  Any career or volunteer member may submit a completed application to the FRA.  It is important to understand that successful completion of a class is not considered certification.  Certification indicates that your training meets the Job-Performance Requirements (JPRs) as specified by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

How to Apply for Professional Qualification Certification
Submit all applications for Professional Qualifications (Pro-Qual) using the Maryland Fire Service Personnel Qualifications Board (MFSPQB) Application Form appropriate for your level of certification.  All areas noted on the MFSPQB application that require a prerequisite must have a copy of the appropriate supporting documentation attached (please note the difference between a MFRI class or IFSAC/MFSPQB/DoD certification on the form).  Failure to do so will make the application incomplete.  It will be returned to the applicant for compliance.

The original application shall be directed to the FRA either in person or via mail, marked "Attention Pro Qual."  The FRA will review the application for completeness and ensure that all required documentation is provided.  The FRA cannot guarantee certification based on submitted applications alone.

For information about the ProQual process, please contact the Fire Rescue Academy.

Obtaining Copies of Training Completion Verification
National certifications have been issued with each Baltimore County certification since 2003.  An individual may obtain a copy of their current National Professional Qualifications by visiting the ProBoard Registry.  Members who have obtained certification through the United States Department of Defense may also obtain a transcript from the DoD/IFSAC Registry.  These transcripts may be printed and attached to an application to validate any prerequisite certifications.

Course completion verification can be obtained by completing the online MFRI Unofficial Transcript Request Form.  Any FRA program that is in the MFRI curriculum, and issued a MFRI course number, should appear on the transcript.

Other Ways to Become Certified
In some circumstances, it is possible to certify to a specific Professional Qualification based upon correlation with the NFPA's Job-Performance Standards.  Independent training conducted by outside agencies, college-level courses, and significant experience may qualify for certification through a Portfolio Review process (commonly known as the Option 2).

Individuals who wish to certify to a standard utilizing a Portfolio Review should contact the Fire-Rescue Academy to see if their training will qualify.