Continuing Education & Renewal

Once certified, you must earn continuing education credit hours to maintain your certification. Training hours required per three-year cycle (C.G.S. § 29-298(b)):

*FSCI and HMI are legacy credentials, grandfathered effective October 1, 2014. They are no longer issued as new certifications, but existing holders must still complete the listed hours to maintain status.

We offer a variety of Career Development continuing education programs to help certified fire officials retain their certification. Many third-party offerings are also recognized and approved for OEDM credit.

Your three-year training cycle and CEU progress are visible on your dashboard in the OEDM LMS/SIS at oedmlearn.ct.gov.

Credits are handled in three ways:

• OEDM programs are credited directly to your record automatically
• Pre-approved partner organizations report completion and credit hours directly to OEDM — no extra action needed on your part
• Other organizations or programs not on the pre-approved list are evaluated case by case. OEDM reserves the right to award pro-rated partial credit where only some portion of a program's material is relevant to the duties of your credentialed position under C.G.S. Chapter 541

Your three-year certification cycle is automatically renewed if you complete your continuing education credits by the end of your cycle.

The onus of responsibility for earning and reporting required credits is on the individual, not the State.

If You're At Risk of Falling Behind

OEDM sends notices in advance of your cycle deadline warning that your certification will be revoked if requirements are not met. If you're at risk of not meeting your hours in time:

• You may request an extension directly through OEDM. This is an informal process — explain why you need more time and your plan for completing your remaining hours, and OEDM will decide on any extension.
• If an informal request is unsuccessful, you may request a formal hearing. This must be requested before your revocation date. Under C.G.S. § 29-298(a), the State Fire Marshal may revoke a certificate only after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, with the participation of one or more members of the Fire Marshal Training Council.

OEDM will do everything possible to work with certified officials to ensure compliance before resorting to revocation.

If you wish to retire your certification rather than maintain it, you may apply to the State Fire Marshal and the Codes and Standards Committee to have your certificate retired and be issued a Certificate of Emeritus (C.G.S. § 29-298(a)). Once issued a Certificate of Emeritus, you may no longer hold yourself out as a certified local fire official.