Fire Apparatus Operator Series Instructor Update via Zoom:
Two sessions available: 📅 June 9 @ 6pm or 📅 June 10 @ 10:30am.
Password: Driver
Effective June 1, 2026, new Fire Apparatus Operator (FAO) courses will no longer require Emergency Vehicle Driver (EVD) as a prerequisite. All driving job performance requirements (JPRs) will be completed during FAO: Pumper, FAO: Aerial, and FAO: Mobile Water Supply (MWS).
If students from outside your department will not be allowed to drive your department’s apparatus, the class will need to be set up as a “closed” class and marked as such on the course application.
Class size limitations
- Due to the increase in apparatus driving time in class, class size will be limited to the number of available training apparatus in class:
- FAO: Pumper: 8 students per apparatus
- FAO: Aerial: 12 students per apparatus
- FAO: MWS: 12 students per apparatus
Instructor requirements
- One lead instructor for the week and first apparatus
- One additional assistant instructor per apparatus past the first one on outdoor training days
Fire Apparatus DRIVER
- Fire Apparatus Driver (Emergency Vehicle Driver) (the replacement information/course) will be incorporated into each level, and will be pre-course work the student will complete independently before class.
- Fire Apparatus Driver will also be available as a standalone non-certification course for departments who wish to use it as driver training for insurance companies (similar to EVD).
- For fire department employees who hold EMS licensure but have not completed driver certification to drive an ambulance, the Alabama Department of Public Health accepts Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC) or the Alabama Fire College’s Fire Apparatus Operator (FAO) or Emergency Vehicle Driver (EVD) courses.
- To minimize confusion regarding course titling related to the NFPA 1002 standard change, the new emergency vehicle driver course will be entitled Fire Apparatus Driver/Emergency Vehicle Driver (FAD/EVD). Many of the FAD/EVD offerings will occur within the delivery of pumper, aerial, and mobile water supply. The standalone course will still be considered 16 hours. The FAD designation serves as an internal indicator to AFC staff that the governing standard has been updated. Because certain jurisdictions and entities, such as the ADPH, have codified the EVD title within their administrative rules, it is important that the two designations not be treated as separate or distinct. Presenting them together as FAD/EVD avoids ambiguity and ensures consistency across administrative and regulatory references.
Driver continuing education:
FAO: Pumper, FAO: Aerial, and FAO: Mobile Water Supply will all be available in AFC Online as a refresher course for departments that would like to utilize our curriculum for driver continuing education.