Fire Service Training Bureau

Fire Service Training Bureau's 101st Fire School Call for Presentations

Fire Service Training Bureau's 101st Fire School Call for Presentations

MISSION

Our mission is to establish credibility in providing quality education, training, certification, and professional consultation to Iowa’s fire service and other emergency responders in a manner that reflects commitment, integrity, and contributes to the reduction of morbidity, mortality, and property loss from fire and other hazards.

General Bureau Information

The Fire Service Training Bureau is designated by statute to be the State Fire Academy. We have been training Iowa’s firefighters and other emergency service responders since 1923. We are home to the second-longest continually running annual state fire school in the nation. 

The Bureau coordinates and instructs many basic and advanced level courses at our facility and also locally across the state in the subject matter areas of firefighting, hazardous materials, vehicle extrication, technical rescue, instructor development, officer development, fire prevention, traffic incident management (TIMS), and fire investigation. We also offer multiple National Fire Academy direct-delivery courses annually. 

We are accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) and the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (ProBoard®) and are authorized to issue the following certifications following completion of the respective training class and both written and practical skills examinations: Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness, Hazardous Materials Operations, Driver/Operator Pumper, Driver/Operator Aerial, Fire and Emergency Services Instructor I, Fire and Emergency Services Instructor II, Fire Officer I, Fire Officer II, Fire Inspector I, and Fire Investigator.   

In addition to our facility having on-site training grounds to conduct live-fire training evolutions, we have multiple mobile training props that can be requested to be delivered for local community-based training. 

FSTB Location

Fire Service Training Bureau

FSTB Bookstore

Current List of Books & Editions Used for Certification & Testing

Testing and Certification

CERTIFICATION EXAMS

The Accreditation/Certification Program is responsible for maintaining the Bureau’s accreditation status with the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) and the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (ProBoard®) accreditation requirements. This program schedules both written and practical examinations across the state and issues multiple nationally accredited fire service certifications that assist in demonstrating a candidate’s minimum level of competency in a particular area of training and confirming their training conforms to recognized national standards.

*Exam registrations will be closed approximately two weeks prior to the exam date or sooner if the location receives 24 registrations.

Written & Practical Skills Exams 

Written & Practical Skills Exams Schedule / Registration Form

NEW CERTIFICATION POLICY & PROCEDURES MANUAL

Specific details on each certification level's requirements can be found in the below links to the Procedures Guides.

These guides also include the Local Documentation Forms which are required to complete the following levels:

HazMat Awareness & Operations | Fire Fighter I & II | Driver/Operator Pumper & Aerial

Certification Examination Transition

CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION TRANSISTION ANNOUNCEMENT

Fire Fighter I & II

(May 2, 2025) Iowa Fire Chiefs, Training Officers, Fire Associations, and Community College Partners:

Yesterday, the Bureau announced that effective July 1, 2025, we are transitioning the Fire Fighter I & II curriculum to the Jones & Bartlett Fundamentals of Firefighter Skills and Hazardous Materials Response, 5th edition.

Regarding certification examinations for these 2 levels, July 1, 2025, will start a 1-year transition period where a candidate can select either an IFSTA or Jones & Bartlett option for the specific examination they will be taking.

Simply stated, if a student started a Fire Fighter I or II course before July 1, 2025, they will take an IFSTA Essentials 7th edition examination. If a student starts a Fire Fighter I or II course on or after July 1, 2025, they will take a Jones & Bartlett Fundamentals 5th edition examination.

On July 1, 2025, there will be a dropdown box added to the Certification Exam Registration form for candidates to select either the IFSTA Essentials of Firefighting, 7th edition or the Jones & Bartlett Fundamentals of Firefighter Skills and Hazardous Materials Response, 5th edition.

Effective July 1, 2026, this option will no longer be available and all certification examinations for the Fire Fighter I & II levels will be based the Jones & Bartlett Fundamentals of Firefighter Skills and Hazardous Materials Response, 5th edition.

Questions may be directed to:

Gary Howard - Accreditation / Certification Manager

515-608-2270

or

Jess Dunn - Bureau Chief

515-727-3428

Reciprocity Form

Reciprocity Request Form

Field Programs

The Field Programs Unit of the Fire Service Training Bureau delivers hundreds of courses to Iowa Fire Departments each year. Participants choose course topics ranging from basic fire fighting skills to advanced fire strategies and tactics. Only qualified instructors teach these programs to assure the fire service receives the best instruction available.

TS 1 Payroll Form 

TS 1 Application Form

Course Delivery

The majority of courses can be delivered directly to the requesting fire departments and regional fire schools through Mobile Training Units.

FSTB Scheduling Form

Course Evaluation Form 

Interior Fire Attack Simulator 

Mobile Breathing Apparatus Trailer 

Handling Liquified Propane Emergencies

Forcible Entry Trailer 

Car Fire Simulator 

Vehicle Extrication Trailer 

Other Trailers and Simulators

The FSTB also offers a Mobile Training Tower, Confined Space Trailer, Rapid Intervention Team Trailer, and a Mobile Roof/Vertical Ventilation Simulator.  

Advanced Level Courses

Instructor, Fire Officer, and Inspector

The Fire Service Training Bureau offers several advanced-level courses per year depending on requests by fire departments to host them. In the past, the Instructor, Fire Officer, and Inspector courses were funded through an NFA Grant, which allowed us to offer them free of charge. That grant is no longer available as a resource, so to offset the costs of these programs, we are asking that each participant be responsible for the cost of the manual.

For any questions about the courses, please contact Don Minks at minks@dps.state.ia.us or call 515.727.3424

Special Programs Request Form    

Special Programs Policies and Procedures

Fire Instructor I July 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, &27, 2025, Robins, IA

Fire Officer II, August 7, 8, 9, & 10, 2025, Robins, IA

Lithium-Ion Batteries: Overview of Safety, Firefighter Response Guidelines, and NFPA 800 Standards July 19, 2025

Fire Officer I December 6, 7, 13, & 14, 2025 Lewis Twp. FD

Traffic Incident Management (TIM)

PHONE: 515-727-3426

The FSTB is proud to sponsor Traffic Incident Management (TIM) training to bring fire, law enforcement, public works, and other roadway response partners together to understand each other’s role in a roadway emergency and to help keep said responders safe while performing their duties.

Traffic crashes happen every day on Iowa roadways. The men and women who respond to these crashes put their lives on the line every time that call comes in.

Whether you're a law enforcement officer, emergency medical technician, firefighter, tow truck operator, transportation worker, or any number of others who respond to crashes, making the crash scene safer and clearing the roadway as soon as possible is a priority to increase safety for all of us.

Traffic Incident Management is a four-hour training program developed to coordinate better the efforts of multi-discipline responders to work traffic incidents cooperatively, efficiently, and safely, thereby improving safety for all responders and everyone else on the road.

The Iowa Traffic Incident Management program is presented with multiple instructors from different disciplines and is intended for anyone who responds to an incident scene. The clear message for the program is that we're all in this together. All disciplines are there for the same reason, and each has different priorities and objectives. When all disciplines have an understanding of each other's goals and priorities, it's easier for everyone to be more efficient in their roles. That translates into less time on the road in a dangerous environment.

National Fire Academy Courses

National Fire Academy two-day Direct Delivery courses and six-day Regional Delivery courses are also coordinated and provided through the Fire Service Training Bureau. The Fire Service Training Bureau schedules and facilitates these courses for the Iowa Fire Service. A portion of the course is usually held at the Annual State Fire School. Some are hosted as weekend activities at the Training Bureau, and some are offered to our Community College partners to be held in conjunction with their Regional Fire Schools, or as stand-alone activities.

• NFA Class Request Form
• General Admissions Application
• Instructions for obtaining a FEMA Student Identification (SID) Number
• (The SID Number is required to register for all NFA Courses.)
• NFA (F0729) Incident Safety Officer, Oct 13 – 14, 2025, Indianola FD
• NFA (F0457) – Decision Making for Initial Company Operations, Orange City Oct 24 – 25, 2025
• NFA (F0729) Incident Safety Officer, Oct. 28 – 29, 2025, Sioux City Fire Dept.
• NFA (F0376) Incident Command System & Resource Management, Mason City Sept. 16 & 17, 2025
• NFA (F0762) New Fire Chief: Contemporary Issues, November, Altoona 12, & 13, 2025

Firefighting Equipment Revolving Loan Fund

Firefighting Equipment Revolving Loan Fund Rules and Application 
 

Minimum Training Standard 

The State Fire Service and Emergency Response Council recognizes the need to establish a minimum training standard that will provide a means to prevent occupational accidents, injuries, illnesses, and deaths. The intent of this Minimum Training Standard is not to restrict any fire department from exceeding this standard. The Minimum Training Standard, as adopted in the Iowa Administrative Code Section 661, Chapter 251.

Iowa Fire Service and Emergency Response Council (IFSERC)

The Iowa Fire Service and Emergency Response Council (IFSERC) was created in 2000 via Iowa Code 100B.1.

The purpose of the Council is to advise and confer with the State Fire Marshal and Fire Service Training Bureau Chief on matters relating to fire protection services and training.

The Iowa Fire Service & Emergency Response Council serves to advise the State Fire Marshal and Fire Service Training Bureau Chief on issues concerning policies, fee schedules, minimum training standards, special grant applications, applications for the Fire Fighting Equipment Revolving Loan Fund, and hear testimony from the labor commissioner on inspections and investigations involving occupational safety and health standards for firefighters.

Each of the eleven members of this Council is appointed by the Iowa Governor, serve a four-year term, have gender, political, and geographic balance, and must represent the following organizations: Iowa Firefighters Association, Iowa Fire Chiefs Association, Iowa Association of Professional Firefighters, Iowa Association of Professional Fire Chiefs, Iowa Emergency Medical Services Association, and the general public.

IFSERC Meeting Minutes 3-14-2024

IFSERC Meeting Minutes 9-17-2024

IFSERC Meeting Minutes 12-17-2024

Iowa Fire and EMS Organizations

Fire Service Training Bureau History