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HOME NFPA CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED FIRE PROTECTION SPECIALIST (CFPS)

CERTIFIED FIRE PROTECTION SPECIALIST (CFPS)

Learning Path CFPS Exam Who It's For How to Retest and Recertify Reference Materials Apply Now

Enhance Your Credibility. Advance Your

Career. NFPA Certi cation for Validating
Your Expertise as a Fire Protection
Specialist.
It’s vital experienced personnel who play a role in the application of re
protection and prevention demonstrate quali cations to employers,
peers, and the public by earning industry certi cations. Increase your
professional standing and promote the discipline of re protection and
prevention with Certi ed Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS®)
certi cation.

The CFPS credential helps individuals dedicated to reducing re loss

prove their education and experience by passing a rigorous
certi cation exam. Recognized as the gold standard globally for re
protection certi cation, the CFPS is based on best practices developed
by recognized industry experts. The program uses the Fire Protection
Handbook®, 20th edition, as the reference for the examination.

About CFPS
Regularly cited by employers as a requirement or preferred
quali cation
Effectively leveraged by certi cation holders for job promotions
and pay increases
Endorsed by numerous trade associations within the re
protection industry
Can be maintained over time to prove your continued
knowledge and skills in the industry
Certi cation and recerti cation criteria as related to re
protection specialists maintained by NFPA

Download the candidate handbook (PDF), and apply to take the

Certi ed Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS) exam today!

Discover Your Path to Certi cation

Prepare to take the exam on your terms with CFPS Learning Paths.
Now you can customize your journey by choosing individual training
courses or a full Learning Path designed to offer everything you need
to help get ready for the CFPS exam.

CFPS Exam Proctoring—Available

Worldwide
The CFPS exam is a 3-hour maximum, open-book exam, with 100
multiple-choice questions. The exam is available worldwide at
Prometric’s in-person computer-based testing facilities or via online
remote proctoring from any location on your personal or work
computer.

CFPS Certi cation helps re safety, protection, prevention,

and suppression technology, and other professionals grow
their careers, including:
Fire o cers,
Designers and
Code enforcers marshals, and
engineers
inspectors

Fire protection Loss control Risk, safety, and

consultants specialists facility managers

Announcement: NFPA is currently transitioning to a new Certi cation Management System to offer you an improved user experience and even greater control over your personal certi cation
journey. Currently, only new applications and retest applications are being processed on this system. We have a separate interim process for recerti cations. We apologize for any
inconvenience. Updates will be posted here, so check back frequently. Thank you for your patience during this change.

How to Apply
1. Download the candidate handbook (PDF) and familiarize yourself with all aspects of the program.
2. Review the eligibility criteria in the candidate handbook to determine if you are eligible for the program.
3. Ensure you are signed in to your NFPA.org pro le. If you are not, you will not be able to access the application portal.
4. Enter the application portal.
5. Once in the application portal, follow the prompts to complete the application, upload any required documentation, and pay.
. Upon completion of your application and processing of your payment, you will receive an email with your eligibility number and instructions on
how to schedule your exam.

Program Fee - Application/exam - $399

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to take the CFPS examination, candidates must demonstrate on the CFPS examination application that they meet one of the following
criteria.

1. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a Fire Protection-related discipline* from an accredited college or university, including degrees in engineering
elds that are applied to the practice of re protection; plus TWO years of veri able work experience dedicated to curtailing re loss, both
physical and nancial.
2. Associate’s degree in a Fire Protection-related discipline* from an accredited college or university, or a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in any
unrelated eld; plus FOUR years of veri able work experience dedicated to curtailing re loss, both physical and nancial.
3. High school diploma or equivalent, plus SIX years of veri able work experience dedicated to curtailing re loss, both physical and nancial.

*Examples include degrees in Fire Protection Engineering, Fire Science, Fire Protection Technology, and Fire Service Administration. Examples of
engineering elds that are frequently applied to the practice of re protection include, but are not limited to, Mechanical, Civil, Chemical, and Electrical
engineering.

Question: What is work experience dedicated to curtailing re loss, both physical and nancial?

Answer: This covers a wide variety of jobs, roles, and industries. If your primary job role involves reducing the risk of re occurring (design
engineering, inspections and code enforcement, etc.), or reducing physical damage, loss of life, or nancial loss in the event of a re ( re service, risk
engineering, re protection system design/installation, etc.), your work experience will apply.

Public Statement of Impartiality

The NFPA Certi cation Department is committed to upholding the highest standards of fairness and impartiality in the administration of its
certi cation processes and exams, and throughout the execution of all aspects of the CFPS certi cation program. CFPS organizational structure,
policies, and procedures are all developed to maximize objectivity and manage con icts of interest. The NFPA Certi cation Department works in
concert with an external team of CFPS volunteers (acting as a Certi cation Advisory Group, or “CAG”) to ensure that all aspects of the CFPS program
are administered in an impartial and fair manner. Furthermore, all CFPS candidates are evaluated without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, national origin, ancestry, age or disability (the CFPS program provides special accommodations in accordance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1991 - ADA).

How to Retest and Recertify

How to retest
Sign in to your nfpa.org pro le, and complete the retest application in the new certi cation management system.

How to renew annually

To pay the annual renewal fee, download the annual renewal form (PDF), and follow the instructions on that form.

How to recertify
To recertify, download the 3-year recerti cation form (PDF), and follow the instructions on that form.

Program fees:

Retest - $199
Renewal - $145
Recerti cation - $0

Reference Materials
CFPS materials

Current CFPS exam blueprint (Candidate handbook, pages 12-15) (PDF)

This summer, an updated CFPS exam will launch, incorporating the latest content from the 21st edition of the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook.

Download the upcoming CFPS exam blueprint that correlates with the upcoming new exam:

CFPS exam blueprint (English)

CFPS exam blueprint (Spanish)

CFPS practice exam available for purchase

This 100-question practice exam mirrors the actual CFPS exam in question type, content, weighting, and di culty, and was written to the same
speci cations as the actual CFPS exam. The practice exam uses retired CFPS exam questions, or new practice questions written by the exam
committee. Learn more.

Fire Protection Handbook – 20th edition

It is the candidate’s responsibility to obtain the reference source for study purposes and to have present during the examination. The Fire Protection
Handbook is the only reference source allowed in the examination room.

Important information regarding tabbing the Fire Protection Handbook

The Fire Protection Handbook may be tabbed before the exam with commercial permanent adhesive type tabs similar to those provided with the Fire
Protection Handbook. However, sticky notes and ags or other type of easily moveable tabs or physical markers (including paper clips)
are NOT permitted at any time. For more information, download the candidate handbook.

Contact the Certi cation Team

E-mail us with any questons.

Why Choose NFPA Certi cation?

"My NFPA certi cation allowed me to advance within my organization to the level of supervisor
of other life safety consultants, and then into my current role of senior consultant. The Certi ed
Fire Protection Specialist's (CFPS) reputation has provided me the credential necessary to
perform assessments in health care buildings, provide trusted feedback to our health care
clients, and present the latest interpretations in health care compliance in seminars and web-
trainings with the NFPA certi cations in our corner.”
—Colin M., CFPS, CFI-1, Senior Consultant

Apply Now

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