Section 141.200 State Examinations

a) State Written Examinations shall be developed and provided by the Division and administered by approved testing facilities. The battery of State Written Examinations to be given shall be determined by the Division.

1) The Office may approve vendors to proctor State Written Examinations following established State procurement rules.

2) When challenging a State Written Examination, candidates shall follow established rules and guidelines set forth by the vendor proctoring the State Written Examinations.

A) The Office shall pay, one time only, for a candidate to challenge a State Written Examination of a specific level.

B) If a candidate fails the State Written Examination or fails to appear for their scheduled examination, it shall be the responsibility of the candidate or fire department to pay for additional opportunities to challenge the State Written Examination of the specific level.

3) Fire service-related State Written Examinations require a 70% overall passing rate. In the case of State Written Modular Examinations, a 70% overall passing rate for each module is required.

4) State Written Examination results shall be posted to the candidate's records and made available by accessing the DPSE WebAccess Portal. The Division shall maintain these scores and may use them internally for statistical and/or employment purposes.

5) Procedure to Request State Written Examination

A) The training facility or fire department shall submit the completed Request for Examination utilizing the DPSE WebAccess Portal.

B) The Request for Examination attests that each candidate has a documented learning experience in each of the subject areas of the State Written Examination requested. It shall be the responsibility of the candidate's employing fire chief, or their designee, to verify completion of all prerequisites for Requests for Examination submitted to the Division.

C) A Request for Examination includes:

i) Name of training facility submitting Request for Examination;

ii) Name of State Written Examination;

iii) Training facility with proper Course Approval;

iv) Fire Chief or Director’s name;

v) Name of Qualified Instructor;

vi) Names of candidates; and

vii) Test start date.

D) The candidate must be registered on the DPSE WebAccess Portal with a valid e-mail address as required in Section 141.65.

E) When a Request for Examination is approved, a confirmation e-mail will be sent to the candidate's registered e-mail from the vendor with instructions and examination requirements. The candidate has 45 days from the test start date to schedule their examination date. The test start date shall be submitted as part of the Request for Examination.

F) Candidates challenging the State Written Examinations shall meet one of the following employment requirements and be at least 18 years of age:

i) Engaged in firefighting in an organized Illinois fire department in accordance with the Act and attested by the candidate’s employing fire chief;

ii) Employed by a local governmental agency;

iii) Employed by an Illinois fire brigade;

iv) Employee of the Office; or

v) Individuals who have retired from active fire service duties and are officially affiliated with fire service training, mutual aid, incident command, fire ground operations or staff support for fire associations.

G) Candidates who have not met minimum requirements for a State Written Examination shall not be examined.

H) Reasonable modifications to the practices or procedures for proctoring State Written Examinations, in accordance with the federal regulations implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (28 CFR 35), shall be permitted upon the Office’s receipt, review and approval of a written request from the candidate requesting the specific accommodations. Formal documentation supporting the modification or accommodation sought shall accompany the written request. The vendor shall be notified by the Division of the approval, including the name of the candidate, the accommodations approved and the specific OSFM identification number for the candidate.

6) The Office and IFSI, pursuant to the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act [5 ILCS 22/1] and in accordance with the Civil Administrative Code [20 ILCS 5/5-655], entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement, in furtherance of the certification program, which allows IFSI end of course examinations that pertain to certifications to be reviewed and approved as equivalent to the State Written Examinations. Candidates who complete the approved equivalent IFSI examinations and requirements are not required to challenge and pass the State Written Examinations. The Intergovernmental Agreement will be reviewed and revised as necessary.

7) Re-examination of State Written Examinations

A) No candidate shall be re-examined without further documented learning experiences in each of the failed subject areas.

B) There shall be no limits set by the Division for the number of times a candidate may take the State Written Examination, except when the State Written Examinations are allowed under Section 141.120.

b) State Practical Examinations shall be developed and provided by the Division.

1) The test site shall have toilet facilities in proximity of the area.

2) All candidates shall be in clear view of the Qualified Instructor.

3) The proctor shall not be permitted to discuss or answer inquiries regarding skills required for the State Practical Examination.

4) State Practical Examination results shall be posted to the candidate’s records and made available by accessing the DPSE WebAccess Portal. The Division shall maintain these results and may use them internally for statistical or employment purposes.

A) Candidates challenging the State Practical Examinations shall meet one of the following employment requirements and be at least 18 years of age:

i) Engaged in firefighting in an organized Illinois fire department in accordance with the Act and attested by the candidate’s employing fire chief;

ii) Employed by a local governmental agency;

iii) Employed by an Illinois fire brigade;

iv) Employee of the Office; or

B) Candidates who have not met minimum requirement for a State Practical Examination shall not be examined, nor shall candidates who are ill or obviously under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In making the determination of drug or alcohol impairment, the Division shall consider, but is not limited to, observation of demeanor, slurred speech, odor of alcohol, general behavior and other considerations that may aid in making the determination.

5) State Practical Examinations required by the Division for all certifications other than Basic Operations Firefighter are valid for 12 months. If a candidate has not passed the State Written Examination within 12 months after the State Practical Examination, the candidate must retake the State Practical Examination. State Practical Examinations for Basic Operations Firefighter are valid for 5 years. If a candidate does not pass the State Written Examination for Basic Operations Firefighter within 5 years from the State Practical Examination date, the candidate must retake the State Practical Examination.

6) The passing rate of all State Practical Examinations shall be 100% and it shall be the responsibility of the qualified instructor to follow the Division's rules and assure accuracy of the skills.

7) If firefighters from a given fire department experience excessive or repeated failures of a State Written or Practical Examination, the fire chief and appropriate officers of the department are encouraged to contact the Office for assistance.

8) Non-affiliated individuals may not challenge any State Written or Practical Examinations except as permitted under Section 141.215.

9) The Office may extend deadlines for requirements of this Section for good cause shown (e.g., military deployments, medical leaves, personal emergencies, Acts of God or natural disasters, Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation, etc.). [50 ILCS 740/1, 11 and 12]

(Source: Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 424, effective January 1, 2023)