Ohio Division of EMS Instructor Certification Title Changes

On or about July 1, 2024, the Ohio Division of EMS will initiate a change to EMS and Fire instructor certification titles modeled after NFPA 1041, Standard for Fire and Emergency Services Instructor Professional Qualifications, 2019 Edition.

The titles of EMS Instructor, Fire Instructor, and Fire Safety Inspector Instructor will all change to one title: Fire and Emergency Services Instructor (FESI). On the effective date all current and valid EMS Instructor, Fire Instructor, and Fire Safety Inspector Instructor certifications will be transitioned (grandfathered) to Fire and Emergency Services Instructor-Level II. No additional action will be required on your part as these certifications meet all requirements for Fire and Emergency Services Instructor-Level II.

Individuals who hold a current and valid EMS Assistant Instructor and/or Assistant Fire Instructor may keep their certification(s) as long as they continue to meet the renewal requirements. As a reminder, these certifications are not eligible for reinstatement upon expiration in accordance with Ohio House Bill 52 effective April 6, 2023.

To be eligible to teach in EMS provider, Firefighter, or Fire Safety Inspector certification courses and/or continuing education courses, an individual must have held current and valid EMS provider, Firefighter, and/or Fire Safety Inspector certification(s) for at least 5 of the last 7 years and may only teach in the respective discipline(s) in which a current provider credential is held. Program Directors of Accredited EMS and Chartered Fire training programs will determine what topic area(s) Fire and Emergency Services Instructors are authorized to teach based on the provider certification(s) held, knowledge of the topics, experience, and any other program-specific requirements. Fire Chiefs may also approve firefighter continuing education courses taught by Fire and Emergency Services Instructors who hold firefighter certification. As is currently the case, instructors may only teach up to their level of provider certification(s).

These are newly-issued certifications and the continuing education requirements are prorated based on your current expiration date. Please see the table below for continuing education requirements based on your certification cycle:

EXAMPLE: An individual currently holds Firefighter II, Paramedic, EMS Instructor, and Fire Instructor certifications that expire on June 20, 2025. On or about July 1, 2024, a single Fire and Emergency Services Instructor II certification will be issued with an expiration date of June 20, 2025. At renewal on June 20, 2025, no CE hours will be required to renew the Fire and Emergency Services Instructor II certification. However, all renewal requirements for Firefighter II and Paramedic certifications must be met by June 20, 2025 in order to renew each of these certifications. All Fire and Emergency Services Instructor II renewal requirements would need to be met by the end of the next renewal cycle on June 20, 2028, as well as Firefighter II and Paramedic renewal requirements, thus synchronizing all certifications to continue expiring on the individual's previously established three-year certification cycle.

An individual who holds a current and valid Fire and Emergency Services Instructor certification on or after July 1, 2024, also has the option to voluntarily surrender or allow their provider certification(s) to expire and still keep their Fire and Emergency Services Instructor certification. However, these individuals would only be authorized to teach in Fire and Emergency Services Instructor certification courses as approved by the Program Director of an Accredited EMS Program or the Chartered Fire Training Program Director.

Additional information will be provided in the very near future concerning the new Fire and Emergency Services Instructor (FESI) I and II course requirements to be eligible for certification as a FESI I or FESI II. Please contact the Division of EMS at 1-800-233-0785, [email protected], or [email protected] with any questions.