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NFPA 1020 Instructor Level II — lesson plan development, test item construction, supervisory/administrative duties, training evolution supervision, instructor & course evaluations, and curriculum & training program administration (9 chapters, FESI Ch. 10–18)
| Chapter / Topic | Approx. Weight | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Ch. 10 — Records, Reports & Scheduling | ~5% | NFPA 1401, records vs. reports, contact vs. instructional hours |
| Ch. 11 — Lesson Plan Development | ~18% | Mager/ABCD objectives, Bloom's six levels, literature tiers, ancillary materials |
| Ch. 12 — Training Evolution Supervision | ~8% | IMS on the training ground, hazard vs. risk, CRM, prop suitability |
| Ch. 13 — Test Item Construction | ~14% | Objective vs. subjective items, oral/performance tests, criterion-referenced design |
| Ch. 14 — Supervisory & Administrative Duties | ~14% | Empowerment, 8-step scheduling, Priority 1/2/3, budgets & FOIA |
| Ch. 15 — Instructor & Class Evaluations | ~5% | Formal evaluation guidelines, course-evaluation ethics |
| Ch. 16 — Course & Curriculum Development | ~14% | 4-step model, needs/gap analysis, benefit-cost analysis (Level III duties) |
| Ch. 17 — Evaluating Courses, Programs & Instructors | ~8% | Goals/process/outcomes-based evaluation, 360° feedback, CAR/CSR (Level III duties) |
| Ch. 18 — Training Program Administration | ~14% | Policy/procedure/guideline, FERPA, RFP/bid process, hiring (Level III duties) |
| Training Records | Training Reports | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Permanent account/data of an event or action | Narrative/summary of training activity |
| Contents | Hours, attendees, objectives achieved, resources used | What occurred, who participated, issues/concerns |
| Purpose | Legal document; archive of training practices | Informs administrators; supports planning decisions |
NFPA 1401 governs all training schedules, records, reports, and state certification records.
| Level | Typical Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Level I | Injury reports, training activity reports, lesson outcome (grade) reports |
| Level II | Budget requests, budget administration, purchase requests |
| Level III | Division annual budget, accident investigation |
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Test scores go directly to the student, in writing — access limited to instructor + student only. Incident/injury records may be released publicly only with proper authorization or cause — not automatic release, not automatic sealing.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Record retention SCHEDULES live in Chapter 14, not Chapter 10 — Ch. 10 only says records must be secure and may still be subpoenaed.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: "Understand, know, comprehend, learn" do NOT indicate a measurable result. Use an action verb (explain, demonstrate, identify). Every objective needs 5 qualities: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-focused (easy to forget the fifth).
| Level | Signature Verbs |
|---|---|
| Remember | Describe, define, label, list, match |
| Understand | Explain, summarize, compare/contrast, predict |
| Apply | Demonstrate, compute, solve, operate |
| Analyze | Divide into parts, relate to the whole |
| Evaluate | Judge, justify, discriminate, conclude — uses ALL levels below |
| Create | Design, organize, integrate, revise — highest/most complex |
| Tier | Reliability |
|---|---|
| Primary | Direct knowledge of the event — most credible |
| Secondary | Based on primary, compiled by someone without direct knowledge — acceptable if primary was accurate |
| Tertiary | Twice removed from the original — a starting point only, NOT definitive |
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Never trust an aggregator/relinked site at face value — the copy may be altered, quoted inaccurately, or stripped of context. Always follow the link back to the original.
| Material | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Handouts | Cover gaps the textbook doesn't; can distract if overused |
| Worksheets | Apply/analyze/evaluate; affective ones may support >1 objective |
| Skill sheets | Operational steps + critical criteria; critical-criteria failure fails the entire skill |
An experienced instructor should teach a brand-new lesson plan first — new plans may look great on paper but fall short in practice. Evaluate/revise in order: Review Scores → Review Evaluations → Review Objectives.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Case studies teach or reaffirm positive behavior only — never assign blame to a person or department. Treat the incident as a finished, unchangeable moment.
The instructor in charge staffs the needed IC positions: Safety Officer, Logistics, Staging, Division/Group Supervisor, Communications, PIO, Water Supply Officer, and the training-specific Ignition Officer (a real listed position — just training-only).
| Finding | Correct Response |
|---|---|
| Students didn't learn the objectives | Restage the evolution |
| The evolution itself was flawed | Redesign the evolution |
| Safety problem discovered | Fix it before the evolution is reused |
| Instructor gave inadequate supervision | Additional professional development |
Normalization of deviance = SOPs routinely ignored until disregard becomes normal. Countered by Crew Resource Management (CRM): situational awareness, leadership/assertiveness/communication, flexibility, event/mission analysis.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: CRM is explicitly NOT strict seniority-based decision-making.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: NFPA 1400 safety enforcement is shared — instructor-in-charge + safety officer + organization's administration, all three together. Accident investigation is fact-finding, not fault-finding.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: A prop used beyond manufacturer spec doesn't get used "carefully" — it goes unused and a replacement is located, no exceptions.
| Objective | Subjective | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | One correct answer; evaluator judgment has no effect | No single correct answer; evaluator judgment may affect scoring |
| Types | Multiple-choice, true/false, matching | Short-answer, essay, interpretive exercise |
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Don't assume objective items only test basic recall — properly constructed, they reach evaluation/creation-level thinking too.
Closed oral questions test knowledge; open oral questions test response-under-pressure. Despite subjective scoring, oral is the most valid/reliable way to test verbal communication and judgment. Performance tests: same equipment/sequence/basis for every student; certification testing needs more than one evaluator.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Some skill sheets (e.g., vehicle extrication) require 100% completion to pass — don't assume partial credit exists on hazardous psychomotor evaluations.
| Criterion-Referenced | Norm-Referenced | |
|---|---|---|
| Compared against | A fixed standard | Other students |
| Item difficulty | Matches the objective's level (prepared students pass) | Deliberately spreads out scores |
| Dominant use | Most fire/EMS certification tests | Ranking/promotional exams |
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Pass criteria (e.g., 76% written vs. 100% performance) must be stated in BOTH the test instructions and the scoring sheet — in advance.
Sharing authority/leadership with supervised instructors — requires the supervisor to relinquish some control. Celebrate achievements publicly and ASAP; resolve conflict by focusing on results, not personalities.
| Priority | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mandated by federal/state/provincial law | Cert/recert, hazmat, respiratory protection |
| 2 | Required to meet an org/jurisdiction goal | Certify all responders to Ops-level collapse |
| 3 | Neither mandated nor required, but beneficial | Certify everyone to Tech-level "when resources allow" |
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Priority 1 ALWAYS wins over Priority 2/3, regardless of what was already scheduled.
| Source | Character |
|---|---|
| Grant | Gov't funding for a specific project; no repayment, but accountable |
| Block grant | Consolidated, few restrictions, bolsters community involvement directly |
| Charitable donation | From service clubs/civic organizations; targeted or general |
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: A lease/lease-purchase is a METHOD of acquiring capital items — NOT itself a funding source. Money budgeted for one line item (e.g., manuals) stays there — never diverted, even to equipment.
FOIA presumes records OPEN — the burden of proving an exemption falls on the jurisdiction, not the requester. Exposure-report records must be retained as long as, or longer than, other records following an employee's retirement/termination.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Formal evaluations are ALWAYS held privately — but a signed copy still reaches the instructor within 5 business days and is filed in the personnel record.
If a documented deficiency isn't fixed after the first evaluation, hold formal meetings to determine whether supplementary training or mentoring would help — don't just re-flag it at the next annual review.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: NEVER edit, alter, or delete a course evaluation — it's unethical and may be a violation of the law. Turn in ALL evaluations exactly as received.
A 1–5 numeric scale allows statistical averaging across classes. Response rates run lower with no completion requirement — some programs withhold the completion certificate until the evaluation is submitted.
⚠️ SOURCE NOTE: This chapter's own material explicitly attributes these duties to the "Level III instructor," not Level II — even though it's numbered within the FI2 chapter range (10–18). Carried forward here exactly as the source guide frames it: forward-looking, program-level content that previews Instructor III / Training Program Manager.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: This is NOT the same as FI1's Four-Step Method of Instruction (Preparation/Presentation/Application/Evaluation) — different model, different scale (whole courses, not one lesson).
| Tool | Question It Answers |
|---|---|
| Needs analysis | What training is needed at all? (reviews standards, injury data, records) |
| Gap analysis | Where does actual performance fall short of the standard/best practice? |
| Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) | Is it cheaper to buy/contract (e.g., an IFSTA curriculum) than build from scratch? |
Validity = matches the learning objectives. Reliability = consistent results classifying mastery/nonmastery. Longer tests are more reliable, NOT necessarily more valid, and can eventually lose reliability too.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: A distractor no one ever picks needs revision — it isn't separating students who know the material from those who don't.
⚠️ SOURCE NOTE: Like Ch. 16 above, the source text frames this chapter's duties as "Level III instructor" work — carried forward exactly as written, not smoothed over.
| Method | Focuses On | Assessment Type |
|---|---|---|
| Goals-based | Meeting goals/objectives, fit with mission | Summative |
| Process-based | How it works in practice; strengths/weaknesses | Formative |
| Outcomes-based | Measurable benefit (e.g., -20% workplace injuries) | Results-focused |
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Outcomes-based is SUMMATIVE (final benefit); process-based is FORMATIVE (ongoing function) — don't assume "outcomes" sounds forward-looking so it must be formative.
Compared to an IC's size-up — situation reports from all sides (supervisors, peers, students) reveal what one vantage point misses. Annual evaluations quantify cognitive and psychomotor performance; responses stay confidential. Statistically synthesized scores = Customer Approval Rating (CAR), a.k.a. Customer Satisfaction Rating (CSR).
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: Don't over-prescribe remediation — sometimes the fix for a struggling instructor on a brand-new course is simple orientation, not full professional development.
⚠️ SOURCE NOTE: Same caveat as Ch. 16–17 — this is "Level III instructor" territory in the source text, included here as the capstone/forward-looking material for the FI2 exam.
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Policy | States the organization's position/intent |
| Procedure | Identifies the steps needed to fulfill a policy's intent |
| Guideline | Aids a judgment call (e.g., cancel training for weather?) |
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: FERPA only applies to organizations receiving U.S. Department of Education funding — technically OPTIONAL for most local fire departments, though recommended as best practice (no more posting scores on a bulletin board).
Capital purchases → RFP → bid process. A restrictive (sole-sourced) bid (specs only one manufacturer can meet) needs a documented variance/exemption. Bid evaluation matrix: requirements down the side, bidders across the top, scored values in the boxes.
⚠️ EXAM TRAP: A late budget request (after the initial submission) can take upward of 18 months before funding is available.
Instructors must meet AHJ-mandated qualifications (e.g., NFPA 1020 Level I instructor requirements) — topic expertise only counts if the instructor can actually transmit it to students.
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