Company Officer Foundations
Standards and course references
Company Officer Foundations draws on fire-service standards, National Fire Academy guidance, incident research, and department procedures.
Course development
How the references support the course
NFPA standards, National Fire Academy courses, FEMA incident-command guidance, and fire research inform the lessons and exercises. Participants apply the material through assignments, scenarios, and practical evaluations.
Sources and editions
The reference register identifies the publication or edition used in course development. Technical review checks how the material applies to fire-service practice.
Original CTS instruction
Lessons, scripts, examples, job aids, quizzes, assignments, and scenarios are independently authored for the CTS program.
Department procedures
Apply your department’s procedures for tactics, radio communication, accountability, safety, reporting, and records.
Professional references
Course reference register
The register covers company officer qualifications, incident safety, training, supervision, incident command, and community risk reduction. It also identifies employment and records guidance relevant to company officers. Department policy and the applicable jurisdiction determine how those requirements apply locally.
View all sources, editions, and course topics
| Source | Edition | Related course topics |
|---|---|---|
| NFPA 1020, Standard for Fire and Emergency Services Instructor, Fire Officer, and Emergency Medical Services Officer Professional QualificationsNational Fire Protection Association · consensus standard | 2025 | Professional-qualification framework for company-officer leadership, communication, incident management, training, evaluation, and documentation. |
| NFPA 1550, Standard for Emergency Responder Health and SafetyNational Fire Protection Association · consensus standard | 2024 | Risk management, incident management, communications, accountability, crew resource management, and responder-safety controls. |
| NFPA 1400, Standard on Fire Service TrainingNational Fire Protection Association · consensus standard | 2026 | Training-program planning, instructor and safety responsibilities, participant readiness, risk controls, evaluation, records, and continuous improvement. |
| NFPA 1401, Recommended Practice for Fire Service Training Reports and RecordsNational Fire Protection Association · consensus standard | 2026 | Systematic fire-service practice for training reports, records, record quality, and administration of the training function. |
| NFPA 1700, Guide for Structural Fire FightingNational Fire Protection Association · professional practice | 2021 | Condition-based structural-fire decision making informed by building, occupancy, fire dynamics, tactical effectiveness, and changing risk. |
| NFPA 1580, Standard for Emergency Responder Occupational Health and WellnessNational Fire Protection Association · consensus standard | 2025 | Occupational medical, fitness, rehabilitation, infection-control, behavioral-health, and wellness program framework for emergency responders. |
| NFPA 1585, Standard for Exposure and Contamination ControlNational Fire Protection Association · consensus standard | 2025 | Exposure-reduction and contamination-control program framework for emergency-services organizations, facilities, apparatus, equipment, and protective ensembles. |
| National Incident Management SystemFederal Emergency Management Agency · national doctrine | Third Edition, 2017 | Common terminology, command and coordination, management by objectives, modular organization, accountability, incident communications, and transfer of command. |
| IS-200.c: Basic Incident Command System for Initial ResponseFederal Emergency Management Agency · federal training | Current course | Initial-response supervision, command, delegation of authority, incident objectives, briefings, organizational flexibility, and transfer. |
| Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation ProgramFederal Emergency Management Agency · national doctrine | January 2020 | Objective-driven exercise design, evaluation planning, trained evaluators, fact-based observation, after-action reporting, and corrective-action improvement planning. |
| Safe Exercise Best PracticesFederal Emergency Management Agency · professional practice | May 2021 | Exercise safety planning, designated safety roles, site and hazard review, accountability, real-emergency signals, and pause or cancellation procedures. |
| National Fire Academy Course Catalog — company-officer professional developmentU.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Academy · federal training | Current course catalog | Catalog reference for current company-officer leadership and initial-operations offerings; each curriculum use requires confirmation against the specific active course. |
| National Fire Academy R0389 — Training and Professional Development Challenges for Fire and Emergency Services LeadersU.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Academy · federal training | 3rd edition, 5th printing, May 2024 | Performance analysis, training objectives, instructional design, implementation, evaluation, and improvement connected to organizational outcomes. |
| National Fire Academy W0290 — Training Operations in Small DepartmentsU.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Academy · federal training | 2nd edition, 11th printing, July 2018 | Training-function administration, documentation planning, safety, needs assessment, scheduling, program evaluation, and student evaluation. |
| National Fire Academy Leadership in SupervisionU.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Academy · federal training | Current course catalog | Supervisor transition, ethics, authority, power, decision-making, communication, multiple perspectives, professionalism, resilience, coaching, and development planning. |
| National Fire Academy Executive Skills Series: Exercising Leadership EthicallyU.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Academy · federal training | Current course catalog | Recognition of ethical dilemmas, structured ethical decision-making, organizational responsibility, and defensible leadership action. |
| OverviewU.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · government guidance | Current official overview reviewed September 1, 2026 | Federal protected-basis and employment-practice triggers requiring designated employer processes; state and local law may provide additional protections. |
| Promising Practices for Preventing HarassmentU.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · government guidance | November 21, 2017; current official page reviewed September 1, 2026 | Nonbinding practices for multiple reporting avenues, privacy-limit explanations, supervisor reporting, retaliation prevention, and trained neutral investigation. Department policy establishes the company officer’s actual reporting duty. The rescinded 2024 harassment guidance is not used. |
| Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation and Related IssuesU.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · government guidance | August 25, 2016; active guidance reviewed September 1, 2026 | Federal equal-employment-opportunity protected-activity and retaliation boundaries. This source does not establish protection for every complaint or for public-sector union activity. |
| Enforcement Guidance on Disability-Related Inquiries and Medical Examinations of Employees under the ADAU.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · government guidance | July 26, 2000; active official guidance reviewed September 1, 2026 | Job-related inquiry boundaries, confidential medical records, separate handling, and limited authorized disclosure for covered employers. |
| Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs — Worker ParticipationOccupational Safety and Health Administration · government guidance | Current guidance | Safety-reporting access, worker participation, nonretaliatory program practice, and management response. Public-sector enforceability depends on the controlling jurisdiction and State Plan. |
| Employee RightsNational Labor Relations Board · government guidance | Current official page reviewed September 1, 2026 | Boundary source establishing that the NLRA excludes federal, state, and local government employees and generally excludes supervisors. It is not a positive source of municipal firefighter representation rights. |
| Fact Sheet #8: Law Enforcement and Fire Protection Employees Under the FLSAU.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division · government guidance | Current official fact sheet reviewed September 1, 2026 | Federal wage-and-hour trigger for state and local fire-protection personnel; not a local schedule-approval or payroll interpretation rule. |
| Fact Sheet #28: The Family and Medical Leave ActU.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division · government guidance | Current official fact sheet reviewed September 1, 2026 | Public-agency coverage, eligibility, protected-leave, notice, and anti-interference triggers requiring the authorized human-resources process. |
| Applicable employment, labor, civil-service, complaint, privacy, records, and due-process controlsApplicable jurisdiction, employer, and bargaining parties · local control | Current locally approved edition | Controls actual authority, interviews and representation, complaints, discipline, pay and scheduling, privacy, retention, disclosure, preservation, appeal, and authorized human-resources, labor-relations, records, privacy, or legal review. |
| National Fire Academy Administration of Safety and Health ProgramsU.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Academy · federal training | Current course catalog | Risk-management strategies, first-line safety responsibility, health-and-safety program administration, and organizational corrective action. |
| Health, Safety and WellnessU.S. Fire Administration · professional practice | Current federal resource collection | Fire-service health, safety, rehabilitation, occupational exposure, cancer-risk reduction, and wellness resource framework. |
| Behavioral Health Issues in the Fire ServiceU.S. Fire Administration · professional practice | Current federal resource | Fire-service behavioral-health awareness, support pathways, stigma reduction, and organizational responsibility. |
| Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs — Hazard Identification and AssessmentOccupational Safety and Health Administration · professional practice | Current guidance | Systematic hazard identification, incident and near-miss review, control selection, and worker input. |
| Incident InvestigationOccupational Safety and Health Administration · professional practice | Current guidance | Fact-based review of incidents and near misses with attention to underlying program, equipment, training, and management-system contributors. |
| Heat — PreventionOccupational Safety and Health Administration · professional practice | Current guidance | Heat-hazard planning, acclimatization, work-rest, hydration, monitoring, and emergency response concepts. |
| OSHA State PlansOccupational Safety and Health Administration · professional practice | Current jurisdiction listing | Jurisdiction check for public-sector occupational-safety coverage; federal OSHA generally does not cover state and local public employees, while approved State Plans may. |
| Fatigue and WorkNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · professional practice | Current guidance | Work schedules, sleep disruption, fatigue risk, observable effects, and organizational countermeasures. |
| Cold and Work: Types, Causes, PreparationNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · professional practice | July 2026 | Cold-stress risk factors, monitoring, work-rest, warming, protective clothing, and emergency recognition. |
| Protecting Firefighters from Contaminated GearNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · professional practice | March 16, 2026 science bulletin | Evidence-informed handling of contaminated firefighter protective ensembles and reduction of secondary exposure. |
| Traumatic Incident StressNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · professional practice | Current guidance | Recognition of stress reactions, immediate support, organizational response, and referral without supervisor diagnosis. |
| 988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration · professional practice | Current federal service guidance | Crisis-support access and the boundary between 988 support and 911 response for imminent physical danger or medical emergency. |
| National Fire Academy Management Strategies for SuccessU.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Academy · federal training | Current course catalog | First-line management, organizational responsibility, communication, administrative judgment, and professional decision-making. |
| National Fire Academy community risk reduction coursesU.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Academy · federal training | Current course catalog | Company-level risk identification, partner engagement, prevention strategy, implementation, measurement, and community communication. |
| National Fire Academy Fire Investigation: First RespondersU.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Academy · federal training | Current course catalog | First-responder observations, scene protection, suppression and overhaul effects, evidence integrity, notification, and investigative handoff. |
| National Fire Academy command and control of incident operations coursesU.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Academy · federal training | Current course catalog | Command organization, strategic and tactical decision-making, resources, accountability, incident safety, critical events, and transfer. |
| UL Fire Safety Research Institute research-based tactical considerationsUL Research Institutes, Fire Safety Research Institute · professional practice | Current research and training catalog | Fire-dynamics, building, search, suppression, ventilation, situational-awareness, and tactical-effectiveness evidence used to inform original CTS decision practice. |
| Authority-having-jurisdiction policies, procedures, and operational directivesLearner or sponsoring department · local control | Current locally approved edition | Controls actual authority, communications, accountability, tactical procedures, training limits, emergency actions, reporting, and records at the learner's organization. |
Course review and completion
A qualified fire-service review and final release approval are required before course release. A reference listing does not establish approval or endorsement by the named organizations.
A CTS certificate identifies the unit or sequence completed and the program edition. Any formally approved outside recognition is identified separately.
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