CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal
Information Bulletin 18-012
Issued: December 20, 2018
New Licensing Examination Process
In a move to make the licensing examination process more convenient, CAL FIRE - Office of the State Fire Marshal will begin conducting licensing examinations at authorized Pearson VUE Testing Centers in 2019. License applicants can now schedule an examination appointment online and take the examination, around their schedule, at more than 100 locations throughout California. As part of this new convenience, there is a $53 fee paid to Pearson VUE.
Examinations for all programs will be available at authorized Pearson VUE Testing Centers including:
- Portable Fire Extinguishers
- Flame Retardant Applicator
- Automatic Fire Extinguishing Systems (AES)
- AES - Sprinkler Fitter
- Fireworks and Pyrotechnics
- Special Effects
An applicant will still apply for their license through GovMotus and once they are approved by the Office, they will receive directions from Pearson VUE on how to schedule their examination.
The new testing center homepage is https://home.pearsonvue.com/ca/fire. Complete instructions and details are on that page, including a new Candidate Handbook.
Information regarding all CAL FIRE-Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Engineering and Investigations Division licensing and programs can be found at http://osfm.fire.ca.gov/strucfireengineer/strucfireengineer.
Please direct any questions to CalFireSFMfeexams@fire.ca.gov.
NFPA 25, 2011 Edition Tentative Interim Amendments, TIA 11-5 for the 2013 California Edition
CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal
Information Bulletin 18-011
Issued: December 20, 2018
The purpose of this Information Bulletin is to eliminate the need to open energized electric fire pump controller panels. The problem is the probability of an arc flashes occurring during the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Electric Fire Pumps. Labels warning of the hazard of arc flashes have been found to be virtually nonexistent for current fire pump installations and the conventional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) issued to inspectors is not adequate to protect against the hazards posed by arc flashes. Arc flashes can produce temperatures as high as 35,000 Degrees Fahrenheit and blast pressures exceeding 2,000 lb/ft2.
OSFM CofR Testing
CALSAFE was informed by the OSFM, that the testing for the Certificate of Registration in the Fire Extinguisher Program was to be temporarily suspended as of October 1st…until after the start of 2019.
Thanks to the letters, provided by our membership and CALSAFE Board, that described the challenges that this suspension would cause, the Office of the State Fire Marshal has changed their process and testing will continue thru mid-November 2018.
Those that pass the requirements and testing, will be issued a ‘Temporary Certificate of Registration’, valid thru January 2019.
The new C of R will be issued in 2019 with no additional fees.
Please understand that this creates a REAL CHALLENGE for the OSFM, as they have renewals for most of their programs that fall during that period of time. We need to acknowledge them for this extra effort on our behalf. This should to be the last year of the ‘Old Process’, as it is expected that the ‘Contract Testing’ will have a start date early in 2019. I think we are all looking forward to that.
Please take a moment to thank the OSFM for their consideration on our behalf. Thanks!
CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal Information Bulletin 18-005
Issued: March 23, 2018
AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS FIRE SPRINKLER FITTER CERTIFICATION IMPLEMENTATION
As the Office completes its review of applications submitted under the “Implementation Period”, those approved applicants will soon receive their Certification Cards with a July 2018-June 2019 validation sticker. The fee paid during the implementation period covered the processing of the application and the first-year certification.
These individuals will be required to renew their certifications by May 1, 2019 and yearly after that as stated in Title 19, California Code if Regulations, Section 944(a), “The notice of renewal for a Trainee Registration, Apprentice Registration, or Fitter Certification shall be returned on or before May 1st of the year in which the current certification or registration expires. If the notice of renewal is not received by May 1st, a late fee shall be charged as prescribed in Section 925.1. Renewals shall be made in writing on the notice provided by the Office of the State Fire Marshal and shall be signed and accompanied by the fees prescribed in Section 925.1.”
Notice of Renewal will be sent by CAL FIRE - Office of the State Fire Marshal annually on or around March 1st every year.
Please contact the Fire Engineering & Investigations division if you have any further questions at AES@fire.ca.gov.
For more information please visit our website http://osfm.fire.ca.gov
Automatic Fire Extinguishing Systems Laws and Regulations
Laws and Regulations for Automatic Extinguishing Systems (updated 05/01/2017)
Fire Extinguisher Requirements
Do you know the fire extinguisher requirement for an Asphalt Kettle? If you were at the CALSAFE Annual Meeting you would have leaned the answer to this and many more extinguisher requirements that are not in Title 19 but in the California Fire Code. Read more about the requirements from the Fire Code you may not be aware of.”
Interested in Advertising with CALSAFE
The California Association of Life Safety and Fire Equipment (CALSAFE) is pleased to announce our new advertising program for 2017. Your organization will be able to efficiently maximize your marketing dollars through CALSAFE’s uniquely targeted advertising program that offers exposure through our quarterly newsletters, our website and at our Annual Meeting.