Legal Issues for the Safety Officer – Course Description

Ricky Rescue Training Academy’s “Legal Issues for the Safety Officer” is a 45‑hour e‑learning course with continuous open enrollment that fulfills a portion of the Florida State Fire College pre‑certification requirements for Safety Officer competency. This self‑paced online course is required as one of the three components to achieve Florida Safety Officer certification, alongside “Florida Health and Safety Officer” and “Florida Incident Safety Officer.”

Detailed Course Content Legal Issues for the Safety Officer (FFP2770)

A 45‑hour e‑learning program delivered fully online. The course focuses on the legal framework governing Safety Officers, liability, negligence, and compliance obligations. It integrates Florida-specific laws and rules, providing officers with the tools to manage safety responsibilities confidently within both statutory and ethical boundaries.

Key learning outcomes:

• Legal authority: Understand Florida Statutes Chapter 633 and Florida Administrative Code 69A as they apply to Safety Officer duties and investigations.
• Liability risks: Identify vulnerabilities tied to negligence, unsafe operations, or procedural failures.
• Documentation standards: Develop defensible reports, compliance checklists, and incident logs.
• Ethical leadership: Apply professional codes and decision-making frameworks in complex scenarios.
• Employment law basics: Review protections and limitations related to personnel and internal investigations.
• Case law and litigation: Examine precedent-setting incidents, litigation trends, and the consequences of unsafe practices.
• Coursework activities: Participate in case study defenses, mock interviews, SOP/SOG development projects, and a mock trial exercise.
• Final project: Complete a 69A-62 Compliance Checklist for your department, prioritizing top compliance issues and presenting corrective action plans.
• Grading: Based on quizzes, projects, exams, presentations, and participation, with a minimum passing score of 70%.
• Attendance: Maximum of 10% excused absence (4.5 hours) permitted; participation in all exercises and presentations is mandatory.

Suggested material: Florida State Fire College student manual; Florida Statutes Chapter 633; Florida Administrative Code 69A

Course Summary Table