The following words and terms, when used in the Standards Manual, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
  (1) Admission to employment--An entry level full-time employee of a local government entity in one of the categories of fire protection personnel.
  (2) Appointment--The designation or assignment of a person to a discipline regulated by the commission. The types of appointments are:
    (A) permanent appointment--the designation or assignment of certified fire protection personnel or certified part time fire protection employees to a particular discipline (See Texas Government Code, Chapter 419, §419.032); and
    (B) probationary or temporary appointment--the designation or assignment of an individual to a particular discipline, except for head of a fire department, for which the individual has passed the commission's certification and has met the medical requirement of §423.1(c) of this title (relating to Minimum Standards for Structure Fire Protection Personnel), if applicable, but has not yet been certified. (See Texas Government Code, Chapter, §419.032.)
  (3) Approved training--Any training used for a higher level of certification must be approved by the commission and assigned to either the A-List or the B-List. The training submission must be in a manner specified by the commission and contain all information requested by the commission. The commission will not grant credit twice for the same subject content or course. Inclusion on the A-List or B-List does not preclude the course approval process as stated elsewhere in the Standards Manual.
  (4) Assigned/work--A fire protection personnel or a part-time fire protection employee shall be considered "assigned/working" in a position, any time the individual is receiving compensation and performing the duties that are regulated by the commission and has been permanently appointed, as defined in this section, to the particular discipline.
  (5) Assistant fire chief--The officer occupying the first position subordinate to the head of a fire department.
  (6) Auxiliary fire fighter--A volunteer fire fighter.
  (7) Benefits--Benefits shall include, but are not limited to, inclusion in group insurance plans (such as health, life, and disability) or pension plans, stipends, free water usage, and reimbursed travel expenses (such as meals, mileage, and lodging).
  (8) Chief Training Officer--The individual, by whatever title he or she may be called, who coordinates the activities of a certified training facility.
  (9) Class hour--Defined as not less than 50 minutes of instruction, also defined as a contact hour; a standard for certification of fire protection personnel.
  (10) Code--The official legislation creating the commission.
  (11) College credits--Credits earned for studies satisfactorily completed at an institution of higher education accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and including National Fire Academy (NFA) open learning program colleges, or courses recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE) or delivered through the National Emergency Training Center (both EMI and NFA) programs. A course of study satisfactorily completed and identified on an official transcript from a college or in the ACE National Guide that is primarily related to Fire Service, Emergency Medicine, Emergency Management, or Public Administration is defined as applicable for Fire Science college credit, and is acceptable for higher levels of certification. A criminal justice course related to fire and or arson investigation that is satisfactorily completed and identified on an official transcript from a college or in the ACE National Guide may be used to qualify for Master Arson Investigator certification.
  (12) Commission--Texas Commission on Fire Protection.
  (13) Commission-recognized training--A curriculum or training program which carries written approval from the commission, or credit hours that appear on an official transcript from an accredited college or university, or any fire service training received from a nationally recognized source, i.e., the National Fire Academy.
  (14) Compensation--Compensation is to include wages, salaries, and "per call" payments (for attending drills, meetings or answering emergencies).
  (15) Expired--Any certification that has not been renewed on or before the end of the certification period.
  (16) Federal fire fighter--A person as defined in Texas Government Code, Chapter 419, §419.084(h).
  (17) Fire chief--The head of a fire department.
  (18) Fire department--A department of a local government that is staffed by one or more fire protection personnel or part-time fire protection employees.
  (19) Fire protection personnel--Any person who is a permanent full-time employee of a fire department or governmental entity and who is appointed duties in one of the following categories/disciplines: fire suppression, fire inspection, fire and arson investigation, marine fire fighting, aircraft rescue fire fighting, fire training, fire education, fire administration and others employed in related positions necessarily or customarily appertaining thereto.
  (20) Fire Code Inspection--Also called Fire Safety Inspection as referenced in Texas Government Code, Chapter 419, §419.909. An inspection performed for the purpose of determining and enforcing compliance with an adopted fire code.
  (21) Fire suppression duties--Engaging in the controlling or extinguishment of a fire of any type or performing activities which are required for and directly related to the control and extinguishment of fires or standing by on the employer's premises or apparatus or nearby in a state of readiness to perform these duties.
  (22) Full-time--An officer or employee is considered full-time if the employee works an average of 40 hours a week or averages 40 hours per week or more during a work cycle in a calendar year. For the purposes of this definition paid leave will be considered time worked.
  (23) Government entity--The local authority having jurisdiction as employer of full-time fire protection personnel in a state agency, incorporated city, village, town or county, education institution or political subdivision.
  (24) High school--A school accredited as a high school by the Texas Education Agency or equivalent accreditation agency from another jurisdiction.
  (25) Immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH)--An atmosphere that poses an immediate threat to life, would cause irreversible adverse health effects, or would impair an individual's ability to escape from a dangerous atmosphere.
  (26) Incipient stage fire--A fire which is in the initial or beginning stage and which can be controlled or extinguished by portable fire extinguishers, Class II standpipe or small hose systems without the need for protective clothing or breathing apparatus.
  (27) Instructor:
    (A) Lead Instructor--Oversees the presentation of an entire course and assures that course objectives are met in accordance with the applicable curriculum or course material. The lead instructor should have sufficient experience in presenting all units of the course so as to be capable of last-minute substitution for other instructors.
    (B) Instructor (also Unit Instructor for wildland courses)--Responsible for the successful presentation of one or more areas of instruction within a course, and should be experienced in the lesson content they are presenting.
    (C) Guest Instructor--An individual who may or may not hold Instructor certification but whose special knowledge, skill, and expertise in a particular subject area may enhance the effectiveness of the training in a course. Guest instructors shall teach under the endorsement of the lead instructor.
  (28) Interior structural fire fighting--The physical activity of fire suppression, rescue or both, inside of buildings or enclosed structures which are involved in a fire situation beyond the incipient stage. (See 29 CFR §1910.155.)
  (29) Military active duty (or active duty)--Current full-time military service in the armed forces of the United States, or full-time military service as a member of the Texas military forces or a similar service of another state.
  (30) Military service member--A person who is on active duty.
  (31) Military spouse--A person who is married to a military service member.
  (32) Military veteran--A person who has served on active duty and who was discharged or released from active duty.
  (33) Municipality--Any incorporated city, village, or town of this state and any county or political subdivision or district in this state. Municipal pertains to a municipality as defined in this section.
Cont'd...