Professional Development
SFFMA offers two leadership development courses. Learn more about each below.
SFFMA Fire Chief Development Program
The SFFMA Fire Chief Development Program is intended to provide current and aspiring fire chiefs or assistant/deputy chiefs with the information they need to meet the changing demands of managing, improving, and directing volunteer and combination departments of all sizes, with a concentration on communities of 2,500 or less, all the way up to 200,000 or more.
This course will consist of a 64‐hour program of leadership topics taught by SFFMA leaders over a period of four weekends at the SFFMA office in Austin, Texas. Participants are also expected to complete a series of out‐of‐class assignments designed to enhance and validate the training received.
The SFFMA Fire Chief Development Program is approved for HB 2604 reimbursement. For those departments that qualify for HB 2604 funding, the only out‐of‐pocket costs to participants will be their time, fuel costs, and incidentals. The cost of lodging, and select meals, will be provided, as well as beverages and snacks during class.
The cost of each phase/weekend is $280. Registration is limited so apply early!
Class participants must attend all four weekends to graduate. Next year’s program dates are as follows:
Weekend 1: February 21 thru 23, 2025
Weekend 2: May 16 thru 18, 2025
Weekend 3: August 8 thru 10, 2025
Weekend 4: October 3 thru 5, 2025
Held at the SFFMA Headquarters - 707 W FM 1626, Austin, TX 78748
Email us with questions!
Registration for the 2025 Fire Chief Development and the Managing Officer Programs are currently open. They may fill up quickly, If that happens, please contact Teresa for more information on wait list options.
Interested in sponsoring one of our professional development programs? Email our marketing director at khilsenbeck@sffma.org.
Managing Officer Program - Training Officer
This course is designed to provide effective leadership and management skills for the development of current and future personnel who aspire to be or who are currently serving as department training officers. It’s a comprehensive program presenting the leadership roles, responsibilities, and requirements of an effective training officer at the Division or Program level. This is not an Instructor I or II course. It will cover objectives in NFPA 1021 – Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, and NFPA 1041 – Standard for Fire and Emergency Services Instructor Professional Qualifications in order enhance the focus and intent of this program.
It is broken into multiple phases and offers 64 hours of classroom instruction to include online training sessions, face-to-face classes, independent study, and submission/final presentation of a capstone project at the end of the program. The initial weekend, as well as final weekend, will be held at the SFFMA office in Manchaca, Texas. The remaining 9 webinar classes will be held via Zoom. The Managing Officer Program has been approved for both HB 2604 and TIFMAS reimbursement. For those departments that qualify for HB 2604 funding, the only out‐of‐pocket costs to participants will be their time, fuel costs, and incidentals. Hotel lodging, select meals, as well as beverages and snacks will be provided on site during class. The cost of each phase/weekend is $280.
Both weekends and all webinars must be attended in order to graduate.
Weekend 1 at SFFMA HQ
Friday - January 10, 2025 from 1800 hours to 2200 hours (4 hours)
Saturday - January 11, 2025 from 0800 to 1800 hours (10 hours)
Sunday - January 12, 2025 from 0800 to 1200 hours (4 hours)
Ten webinar classes on Tuesday evenings via Zoom between the two weekends.
Weekend 2 at SFFMA HQ - Graduation Weekend
Friday - November 7, 2025 from 1800 hours to 2200 hours (4 hours)
Saturday - November 8, 2025 from 0800 to 1800 hours (10 hours)
Sunday - November 9, 2025 from 0800 to 1200 hours (4 hours)
SFFMA Headquarters - 707 W FM 1626, Austin, TX 78748