N.J. Admin. Code § 17:4-2.4

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 17, September 3, 2024

Section 17:4-2.4 - Training requirements

(a) As required under 43:16A-1(2)(a)(iii), permanent, full-time police officers are required to successfully complete the training requirement prescribed under 52:17B-66 et seq., (Police Training Commission (PTC)) or proof of comparable training requirements as determined by the Board of Trustees.

1. For positions under the statutory authority of the PTC, all police applicants must receive certification of successful completion of the basic training course for municipal police officers, which includes the physical conditioning program and the medical certification for participation in the training approved by the PTC pursuant to 52:17B-66 et seq.

2. For positions that are not under the statutory authority of the PTC, all police applicants are required to complete comparable training to that prescribed by the PTC for municipal police officers, which includes the physical conditioning program and the medical certification for participation in the training. The employer must certify to the Division of the completion of the aforementioned training.

3. An applicant may be exempt from some parts of the basic training course if the applicant has successfully completed police training conducted by a Federal, State or county agency if the requirements are substantially equivalent to the requirements of a municipal police officer and approved by the PTC.

i. For those positions under the statutory authority of the PTC, the applicant must receive certification from the PTC regarding such exemption and successfully complete the remaining course work at an approved PTC school in New Jersey.

ii. For those positions not under the statutory authority of the PTC, in order for the Division to consider whether the applicant qualifies under the comparable police training rule, the applicant must submit the following documents to the Division for review of the authorized training credit:

(1) A letter of waiver request;

(2) A transcript of the training courses from the prior Federal, State or county agency, including the dates of completion for each course; and

(3) The course description of each and every police training course that the police applicant wishes to use for an exemption.

4. Comparable training for out-of-State police training courses cannot be more than three years from the date the police applicant graduated from the police academy.

5. Comparable training for in-State police training courses cannot be more than three years from the date the police applicant separated service with the former New Jersey employer to the date of the employment with the current New Jersey employer.

6. The applicant must successfully complete the remaining course work at either an approved PTC school in New Jersey or a school that offers comparable training to that prescribed by the PTC as set forth in (a)2 above. The employer must certify to the Division that such basic training course was satisfactorily completed.

(b) As required under N.J.S.A. 43:16A-1(2)(b), permanent, full-time firefighters are subject to the training and physical and mental fitness requirements applicable to the position of municipal firefighter established by the agency authorized to establish these requirements on a Statewide basis, or comparable training and physical and mental fitness requirements, as determined by the Board, before PFRS enrollment may occur. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the only agency authorized to establish the training requirements and qualifications for State Forest Fire Service firefighters in the DEP's Division of Parks and Forestry, while the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is the only agency authorized to establish the municipal firefighter training and certification standards cited in N.J.S.A. 43:16A-1(2)(b).

1. Permanent, full-time firefighters whose training and certification standards are established by the Division of Fire Safety's Office of Training and Certification in the DCA, are required to successfully complete the Firefighter 1 certification prescribed under N.J.A.C. 5:73-4.2, 4.3, and 4.4, as a condition of enrollment in the PFRS. Comparable fire service training will be evaluated on the basis of the guidelines established by the Division of Fire Safety's Office of Training and Certification in the DCA.

2. State Forest Fire Service firefighters (also referred to as wildland and forestland firefighters at N.J.A.C. 5:73-1.3(a)1) , whose titles and training fall under the authority of the DEP in the Division of Parks and Forestry's State Forest Fire Service, are required to complete mandatory training for fire service in accordance with N.J.S.A. 13:9-7.1.

i. Job descriptions, duties, and training standards for wildland and forestland firefighters are determined, regulated, and implemented by the DEP's State Forest Fire Service in accordance with standards of the United States Forest Service and of nationally recognized forest fire service associations or organizations.

ii. Forest Fire Service firefighters will be enrolled in the PFRS based on the DEP's confirmation that the applicant has completed the established fire service training standards, which include the training standards and qualifications of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and the National Interagency Incident Management System.

N.J. Admin. Code § 17:4-2.4

Amended by 49 N.J.R. 775(a), effective 4/17/2017