(a) In order to be certified as a Fire Officer I an individual must:      
        (1) hold certification as Structural Fire Protection Personnel, Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Personnel, or Marine Fire Protection Personnel; and       
        (2) hold Fire Service Instructor I certification through the commission; and                  (A) possess valid documentation as a Fire Fighter II and Fire Officer I from either:                      (i) the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress; or                       (ii) the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications issued by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service using the 2009 or later edition of the NFPA standard applicable to this discipline and meeting the requirements as specified in §439.1(a)(2) of this title (relating to Requirements--General); or                     (B) complete a commission approved Fire Officer I program and successfully pass the commission examination as specified in Chapter 439 of this title (relating to Examinations for Certification). An approved Fire Officer I program must consist of one of the following:                      (i) completion of a commission approved Fire Officer I Curriculum as specified in Chapter 9 of the commission's Certification Curriculum Manual;                       (ii) completion of an out-of-state and/or military training program that has been submitted to the commission for evaluation and found to be equivalent to or exceed the commission approved Fire Officer I Curriculum; or                       (iii) successful completion of 12 college semester hours consisting of the following courses or their equivalent:                          (I) Fire Prevention Codes and Inspections, 3 semester hours;                           (II) Fire and Arson Investigation I or II, 3 semester hours;                           (III) Fire Administration I, 3 semester hours; and                           (IV) Firefighting Strategies and Tactics I or II, 3 semester hours.             
      (b) Out-of-state or military training programs which are submitted to the commission for the purpose of determining equivalency will be considered equivalent if all competencies set forth in Chapter 9 (pertaining to Fire Officer I) of the commission's Certification Curriculum Manual are met.     
      (c) College courses will be considered equivalent if the course description is substantially similar to the course description contained in the Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM) from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §451.3 adopted to be effective February 1, 2001, 25 TexReg 10750; amended to be effective July 29, 2002, 27 TexReg 6727; amended to be effective September 2, 2003, 28 TexReg 7403; amended to be effective March 27, 2006, 31 TexReg 2701; amended to be effective December 3, 2006, 31 TexReg 9620; amended to be effective November 28, 2007, 32 TexReg 8532; amended to be effective February 21, 2012, 37 TexReg 912; amended to be effective March 2, 2014, 39 TexReg 1171