(a) General requirements. This course is recommended for students in Grades 10-12. Recommended prerequisite: Principles of Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security. Students shall be awarded two credits for successful completion of this course.
(b) Introduction.
  (1) Career and technical education instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills for students to further their education and succeed in current or emerging professions.
  (2) The Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security Career Cluster focuses on planning, managing, and providing legal services, public safety, protective services, and homeland security, including professional and technical support services.
  (3) Firefighter I introduces students to firefighter safety and development. Students will analyze Texas Commission on Fire Protection rules and regulations, proper incident reporting and records, proper use of personal protective equipment, and the principles of fire safety.
  (4) Students are encouraged to participate in extended learning experiences such as career and technical student organizations and other leadership or extracurricular organizations.
  (5) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
  (1) The student demonstrates professional standards/employability skills as required by business and industry. The student is expected to achieve business and industry employability skills standards such as attendance, on-time arrival, meeting deadlines, working toward personal/team goals every day, and ethical use of technology.
  (2) The student uses communication skills as related to fire management. The student is expected to:
    (A) demonstrate the use of speech and written communication platforms common to fire management services;
    (B) practice steps involved in using radio communication for fire management;
    (C) apply the Incident Command System to manage emergencies; and
    (D) apply protocols in emergency management response when working at an accident scene.
  (3) The student executes safety procedures and protocols associated with fire management services. The student is expected to:
    (A) apply local, state, and federal regulations pertaining to safety issues;
    (B) apply protocols for handling hazardous materials at the awareness level; and
    (C) practice personal safety procedures.
  (4) The student comprehends the steps to develop an institutional professional growth plan to develop team building and leadership skills common for fire management systems. The student is expected to:
    (A) recognize techniques for functioning within a group environment; and
    (B) demonstrate model leadership within fire management.
  (5) The student applies laws, ordinances, regulations, and rules as defined by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection Certification Curriculum Manual to perform duties within a set of rules or protocols. The student is expected to:
    (A) identify the correct laws and rules applicable to basic firefighter certification by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
    (B) review the Texas Commission on Fire Protection requirements for certification as a basic firefighter as stated in the Standards Manual for Fire Protection Personnel;
    (C) identify the various levels of firefighter certifications by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as stated in the Standards Manual for Fire Protection Personnel;
    (D) identify the levels of instructor certification by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as stated in the Standards Manual for Fire Protection Personnel; and
    (E) describe responsibilities of a firefighter as required by the National Fire Protection Association 1500: Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program.
  (6) The student describes the stages of a fire, the process of combustion, and the appropriate action to be taken for extinguishment. The student is expected to:
    (A) describe the four products of combustion commonly found in structural fires that create a life hazard;
    (B) define terms such as fire, flash point, ignition temperature, fire point, flammable (explosive) range, boiling point, oxidation, pyrolysis, reducing agent, vaporization, combustion, vapor density, and specific gravity;
    (C) describe the process of thermal layering that occurs in structural fires and how to avoid disturbing the normal layering of heat;
    (D) define fire triangle and fire tetrahedron;
    (E) describe heat energy sources such as chemical, electrical, mechanical, and nuclear;
    (F) identify the stages of fire development;
    (G) explain the special conditions that occur during a fire's growth such as flameover, rollover, flashover, thermal layering, and backdraft; and
    (H) identify the units of heat measurement and how to convert units.
  (7) The student describes the methods of heat transfer. The student is expected to:
    (A) describe methods of heat transfer such as conduction, convection, and radiation; and
    (B) describe examples of heat transfer in fire emergencies such as conduction, convection, and radiation.
  (8) The student analyzes the physical states of matter in which fuels are commonly found. The student is expected to:
    (A) describe the physical states of matter in which fuels are commonly found such as solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels;
    (B) explain terms related to the combustion process such as specific gravity, vapor density, and the theory of surface-to-mass ratio; and
    (C) identify narcotic asphyxiant gases and irritants common in smoke.
  (9) The student comprehends the fire extinguishment theory. The student is expected to:
    (A) describe the fire extinguishment theory; and
    (B) analyze methods of extinguishment such as temperature reduction, fuel removal, oxygen exclusion, and inhibiting chemical reaction.
  (10) The student describes the characteristics of water as it relates to fire extinguishing potential. The student is expected to:
    (A) explain the law of thermodynamics as it relates to specific heat, latent heat, and heat flow; and
    (B) compare the advantages and disadvantages of water as an extinguishing agent.
  (11) The student analyzes the internal systems that sustain life in the human body and identifies the physical requirements of a self-contained breathing apparatus wearer. The student is expected to:
    (A) describe the internal systems that sustain life in the human body such as the respiratory and cardiovascular systems;
    (B) describe the National Fire Protection Association standards applicable to the self-contained breathing apparatus;
    (C) identify the firefighter's physical requirements for wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus;
    (D) identify respiratory hazards during firefighting that require the use of respiratory protection;
    (E) identify the different types of self-contained breathing apparatus; and
    (F) describe the safety features and function of the open circuit self-contained breathing apparatus.
  (12) The student demonstrates confidence in performing firefighting skills while wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus. The student is expected to:
    (A) identify the safety requirements when using the self-contained breathing apparatus;
    (B) describe how to calculate the air supply duration in the cylinder;
    (C) describe the safety rules when wearing the self-contained breathing apparatus;
    (D) describe the uses and limitations of the self-contained breathing apparatus;
    (E) demonstrate the various methods of donning and doffing the self-contained breathing apparatus while wearing protective clothing;
    (F) demonstrate the replacement of an expended cylinder on a self-contained breathing apparatus assembly with a full cylinder;
    (G) demonstrate rescue procedures without compromising the rescuer's respiratory protection such as rescuing a firefighter with functioning respiratory protection, a firefighter without functioning respiratory protection, or a civilian without respiratory protection;
    (H) perform firefighting skills while wearing the self-contained breathing apparatus with a fully charged cylinder;
Cont'd...