- Take the 2 required training courses from a certified school and pass your graduation exams to qualify to take the 2 written exams.
- Use the FLSD curriculum you were given during the training course to study for the written test. Try practice tests to evaluate your knowledge.
- Study your building's fire safety plans to prepare for the on-site testing with an FDNY Inspector. Make sure you know the building's layout well.
FLSD Training Courses
Enroll in the required training courses. The 2 required training courses consist of a total of 31 hours of training in fire and non-fire emergencies, including active shooter training. Check the FDNY's list of certified schools to find the closest location near you to take these courses. As a new applicant, you can take these courses separately, provided you take the second within 3 months of completing the first. Make sure the classes will fit into your schedule! You have to attend all classes to sit for the graduation exam. You can access some classes online through Zoom, but they're still live classes. Expect to pay around $250 total for all 31 hours of training.
Provide two forms of personal identification. Each form of identification must clearly show your name and date of birth. At least one form of identification must be a government-issued photo identification, such as a driver's license, a state ID, or a passport. Depending on the provider of your training courses, you might not need to provide ID to sign up for training. But you will have to provide it when you register for the computer-based exam, so make sure everything's in order.
Demonstrate English language proficiency. All of the training courses and exams to become an FLSD are in English. If you're not fluent in English, you'll likely have a difficult time passing these exams. The FDNY doesn't require any proof of English proficiency, even if English is not your native language. You just have to be able to perform well on the tests.
Present references or other evidence of your character. Your applications require you to provide information about your personal and criminal background. Depending on the information you provide, you might be asked to submit reference letters or other documentation attesting to your character.
Show proof of experience in fire prevention or a similar field. The FDNY requires candidates to have at least 3 years of full-time work experience in fire prevention or similar fields. You can also qualify with 18 months' experience, provided that 18 months includes at least 6 months of continuous employment in the same location. The types of proof required depend on where you worked and are listed on the application. You qualify if you've done work: Firefighting or public safety emergency response Related to fire safety, such as code enforcement, fire safety inspection, fire prevention, or emergency preparedness Designing, installing, operating, or maintaining fire protection systems in buildings As building maintenance personnel or in property management As a construction site fire safety manager or site safety manager
Pass the final exam for each training course. Each final exam is based solely on the information you learned in that course, all of which is also contained in the FLSD curriculum, the textbook for these training courses. Use the course materials you have to study for each of these exams. Pass with a grade of 70% or higher. You have 2 chances to pass the final exams. If you fail on your second attempt, you'll have to take the associated training course again. When you pass each graduation exam, you'll get a diploma that you'll need to provide when you apply for the FSD written exams. Your diplomas are valid for 9 months after the last one is issued. At some point during that time, apply to take the FLSD computer exam.
FLSD Computer Exam
Complete a Certificate of Fitness (COF) online application. Go to the FDNY Business page and register for a free account. Then, click on "Begin Application/Request" and choose "Certificate of Fitness Application" under "Certificate of Fitness" on the drop-down menu. That will take you to the full online application. From there, just follow the prompts to fill out and submit your application. The system will prompt you to upload the required documents listed in the Notice of Exam. The fee for each exam is $25. Pay your fee online when you complete and submit your application. Your application won't be processed until your fee is received.
Schedule an appointment to take the first part of the exam. You'll get an email confirmation when your application and fee are received. Use the application number in the subject line of that email to schedule an appointment for your exam on the FDNY's COF online appointment scheduler. As of 2023, you can only schedule an appointment to take the exam using the online scheduler. Without showing an online application ID, you won't be able to take the exam.
Use the FLSD curriculum to study for the exam. All of the material on the exam is taken directly from the FLSD curriculum, so focus primarily on that. If you've recently taken the training courses, this information should all be relatively fresh in your mind. If it's been a few months, it's not a big deal—just make sure you take some time to review. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice also has study materials available for download, as well as PDF copies of all the study materials provided by the FDNY.
Take the exam during your appointment time. On the date of your appointment, go to FDNY Headquarters at 9 MetroTech Center in Brooklyn, NY. Enter through the Flatbush Avenue entrance, between Myrtle Avenue and Tech Place. Bring 2 forms of ID with you, as well as your COF application ID number. These will be used to verify your identity and connect you with your online COF account. You'll also need your graduation diploma from the first training course. The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions that you have 500 minutes (8 hours, 20 minutes) to complete. This averages out to about 5 minutes per question—make every minute count! Try to answer every question on the exam, even if you're not confident about your answer. You'll be penalized more if you don't answer at all.
Repeat the same process for the second part of the exam. You'll get a passing letter if you passed the first part of the exam. This passing letter is your ticket to take the second part of the exam. Follow the same process you did before to schedule an appointment to take the second part of the exam. The second part of the exam is also given at FDNY Headquarters at 9 MetroTech Center. If you did not pass the first part of the exam, you can't take the second part of the exam until you do. You have two opportunities to pass the first part of the exam without taking the training course over again.
Hold onto your passing letters to apply for on-site testing. Provided you pass the first and second parts of the computer-based written exams, you still have one more hurdle before you can become an FLSD—the on-site testing. Your passing letters for both parts of the exam render you eligible to complete on-site testing. Along with these passing letters, you'll get a Certificate of Completion verifying that you've successfully completed the first parts of the training process to become an FLSD. You'll need the Certificate of Completion to get registered for on-site testing as well.
On-Site Testing
Talk to your employer about scheduling on-site testing. Only authorized personnel (someone designated by the owner of the building) can schedule on-site testing. This means you can't schedule it on your own. Your employer will know who's responsible for scheduling the on-site testing. The fee for on-site testing is $750, as of 2023. Make sure your on-site testing is scheduled within 6 months of the date you received your Certificate of Completion. Remember that Certificates of Completion aren't renewable—if your on-site testing isn't completed in time, you'll have to go through the whole process again.
Study your building plans to prepare for on-site testing. Get really familiar with the plans of the building where you'll be working, as well as your building's most recent Building Information Card (BIC) and the Comprehensive Fire Safety and Emergency Action Plan or Fire Safety and Evacuation Plan. These are the primary documents you'll need to know for this testing. Also look over the FDNY's Onsite Study Guide. It will help prepare you for the on-site exam procedure and training requirements that you'll be tested on.
Complete on-site testing with an FDNY Inspector. This oral and practical test takes 4 to 5 hours, on average, to complete. An FDNY Inspector will ask you questions based on information in the Building Information Card, Comprehensive Fire Safety and Emergency Action Plan, or Fire Safety and Evacuation Plan. Generally, the test covers the following areas: response to a fire emergency response to a building impairment building knowledge practical demonstration of the fire command center practical demonstration of phase 1 and phase 2 elevator operation candidate training knowledge fire scenario building scenario
Check your email for your result letter. The grading process for on-site testing can take as long as 8 weeks. When it's complete, the FDNY will send the result letter to your email and the email provided by your employer. If you passed the on-site exam, you have 30 days to pay the $25 fee for your FLSD Certificate of Fitness (COF) card. Follow the instructions in the email to apply for your card. If you failed any portion of the on-site testing (defined as a total score of less than 70, fails 2 or more important questions, or fails at least 1 mandatory question), you have the option of retaking only the portion you failed or retaking the entire exam. Fees to retake the exam are based on which portions you retake. You don't have to pay the full fee unless you're retaking the entire exam. As with the other exams, you have 2 opportunities to pass on-site testing without having to start over.
Apply for your Certificate of Fitness (COF) card. Login to your FDNY Business account to submit your documentation and application for your COF card. Check for additional instructions for this on the email that included your result letter for your on-site testing. Most COFs are valid for 3 years. However, some are only valid for 1 year. Pay attention to the expiration date on your COF and make sure you renew it before that date. The most efficient way to renew your COF is online through your FDNY Business account. But as long as your COF isn't fee-exempt and you're not making any changes, you can use the simplified renewal procedure that doesn't even require you to log in to your account.
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