Municipal Training Officer (MTO)

Municipal Training Program Information

Municipal Training Program Information

Municipal Training Program

Pursuant to 19 NYCRR Part 438 New York State Fire Training Program - Minimum Standards, the Municipal Training Program is reserved for fire departments employing six or more permanent firefighters appointed from an open competitive list. This program consists of two main components:

  • It establishes requirements for basic and annual in-service fire training programs of permanent firefighters.
  • It provides for instructor certification and authorization to deliver New York State fire training programs at the local level as a mechanism to meet those basic and in-service training program requirements.

In addition to Part 438 as cited above, the requirements for basic and in-service fire training programs and additional administrative procedures for the Municipal Training Program are found in 19 NYCRR Part 426 Minimum Standards for Firefighting Personnel in the State of New York and 19 NYCRR Part 427 Minimum Standards for Firefighting Personnel, Administrative Procedures. Reference versions of these regulations are available at the section of this page titled Forms and Standards.

Municipal Training Program Update (5/11)

Pursuant to 19 NYCRR Part 438New York State Fire Training Program - Minimum Standards, municipal fire departments may conduct NYS fire training courses for other agencies which do not participate in the Municipal Training Program with a written agreement between those agencies and the County Fire Coordinator.

Basic Fire Training Program Information

Prior to receiving a provisional or permanent appointment as a Firefighter from an open competitive list individuals are required to complete a basic fire training program certified by the State Fire Administrator as meeting the requirements of Part 426 and Part 427 pursuant to section 209-w of the General Municipal Law and section 58-a of the Civil Service Law. This requirement does not apply to any county, city, town, village or fire district which employs five or fewer firefighters although voluntary compliance with this basic training requirement is encouraged.

A certified basic training program must consist of a minimum of 229 training hours and meet or exceed the time and training content requirements listed below:

  1. Local Rules and Regulations
  2. Firefighting Skills: 75 hours
  3. Fire Prevention: 24 hours
  4. Ladder Operations: 18 hours
  5. Pump Operations: 18 hours
  6. Basic Wildland Fire Suppression: 9 hours
  7. Rescue Operations: 21 hours
  8. Hazardous Materials Operations Level: 16 hours
  9. Auto Accident Victim Extrication: 16 hours
  10. First Aid and CPR: 17 hours
  11. Incident Command System: 12 hours
  12. Candidate Physical Ability Test
  13. Health and Wellness: 1 hour. See "Health and Wellness Training Information" below.

The specific knowledge and skill requirements of each of these sections are contained within section 426.6.

A proposed basic fire training program must be submitted to the State Fire Administrator for certification. Once a program has been determined to meet the requirements of Parts 426 and Part 427 and has been certified, any amendment to that program must also be submitted to the State Fire Administrator for review and certification.

Basic Fire Training Program Health and Wellness Training Requirements

Certified basic fire training programs must include a minimum of 1 hour of Health and Wellness Training addressing topic areas including proper nutrition; physical fitness; the importance of proper PPE use in protecting health and wellness; the common causes, indications, risk factors, and impact of job related stress; and the nature, availability, and common benefits of peer counseling programs. This training must include materials approved by the State Fire Administrator for this purpose.

Training materials currently approved by the State Fire Administrator to meet this requirement include the Turnout For Life program available from the National Fallen Firefighter's Foundation on their website.

In-Service Fire Training Program

Section 426.7 requires that permanently appointed firefighters and fire officers normally assigned to command company operations at emergencies shall annually receive a minimum of 100 contact hours of in-service training which meets or exceeds the time completion and training content requirements of that section.

Section 427.2 requires that in-service fire training programs be certified by the State Fire Administrator as meeting the requirements of Part 426 and Part 427 and that these programs be submitted annually to the State Fire Administration for review.

Company officers who conduct this training for the firefighters assigned to them are deemed to have met the requirements for those sections they have provided training for.

Forms for use to apply for certification of an in-service fire training program and to report completions of a certified annual in-service fire training program are available on the section of this page titled Forms and Standards.

In-Service Fire Training Program Health and Wellness Training Requirements

Certified in-service fire training programs must include a minimum of 1 hour of Health and Wellness Training addressing topic areas including proper nutrition; physical fitness; the importance of proper PPE use in protecting health and wellness; the common causes, indications, risk factors, and impact of job related stress; and the nature, availability, and common benefits of peer counseling programs.

Municipal Training Officer (MTO) Course Delivery Request

MTO-FBTO Course Delivery Request Form - The form may be filled out electronically or by hand, then faxed or mailed. The OFPC fax number is 518-474-3240. If you have the full version of Adobe, you may complete your form digitally and save to your computer, and email as an attachment to [email protected]. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

In-Service Training Program

Standards