A GSFT – School Safety Certification Program
Private Texas Fire & EMS Training
Private initial training and annual continuing education for qualifying Texas fire and EMS departments—delivered at your classroom and range.
Open class · Limited seats
A 28-hour initial course hosted by Yoakum Fire/EMS, open to paid fire and EMS personnel from any Texas department. $625 per participant.
How it works
Departments hire us. Your chief, EMS director, or training officer reserves a class, and we deliver it to your personnel only—no public seats, no open enrollment, no shared roster.
That keeps the class small, the schedule built around your shifts, and the conversation about eligibility, policy, and insurance inside your organization where it belongs. Individual first responders: ask your department leadership to request a quote. Right now you can also take a seat in the open class in Yoakum.
Training
Initial course
An intermediate to advanced course with classroom instruction, field instruction, and required physical demonstrations of proficiency. Personnel must arrive with sound handgun fundamentals.
Annual CE
Privately scheduled annual continuing education aligned with current requirements for personnel who have completed the initial course.
Under current Texas law a certificate of completion expires on the first anniversary of issuance, so plan CE before that date.
Annual CE overviewNew for 2026 · Law enforcement tactical teams
A separate 28-hour course under Government Code §411.1884 for the physicians and EMS personnel employed or appointed by a law enforcement agency to support its tactical unit. Taught by a DPS-certified Tactical Medical Professional instructor.
Different statute, different eligibility: no population limit or Chapter 179 requirement in the law.
Tactical Medical Professional courseDepartment fit
Texas law limits which localities and personnel this program applies to. A short set of questions helps you see what to confirm with your legal counsel before you plan training.
A screening and conversation tool—not a legal determination.
Process
Step 01
Answer a few questions about your department, locality, and personnel. It frames the conversation — it is not a legal determination.
Step 02
We confirm course, class size, date window, classroom, and range, then prepare a quote and any vendor paperwork your purchasing process needs.
Step 03
We travel to your department and deliver the course to your personnel only, then complete the course paperwork.
Responsibilities
Purchasing and risk reviewers: the vendor of record is GSFT – School Safety Certification. Pricing is by written quote, and W-9, certificate of insurance, vendor registration, and purchase-order needs are handled during setup. Procurement details
Your instructor
A retired police officer and military veteran, Bryan was one of the first twelve instructors in Texas certified to provide this first-responder program. He trains departments across the state.
Instructor and credentialsWho we are
GSFT – School Safety Certification is a private Texas firm focused on school safety: it trains and certifies school Guardians, conducts school safety and security audits, and helps schools and law enforcement build and sustain their safety programs.
Armed First Responder brings that experience to Texas fire and EMS departments: the same focus on armed-staff training, course paperwork, and public-sector purchasing.
About GSFTQuestions
Not usually. Training is reserved privately by a department for its own personnel. Occasionally a host department opens seats in its class to paid personnel from other departments; we post that class here with its own registration page. Open now: Yoakum, Texas, October 13–15, 2026 ($625 per participant). Otherwise, if you are an individual first responder, ask your chief, EMS director, or training officer to request a department quote.
At your facilities. The hiring department supplies an appropriate classroom and range, and we travel to you anywhere in Texas. We talk through classroom and range requirements when we plan your quote.
Not by itself. Under current Texas law, on-duty carry by a first responder also depends on whether Local Government Code Chapter 179 applies to your municipality or county, a policy adopted by the employing or supervising department, a Texas License to Carry, an unexpired certificate of completion, and required liability insurance. We cannot make that determination for you. Confirm it with your legal counsel and current DPS materials. See Eligibility & Texas Law.
Department training is priced by quote. Cost depends on the course, class size, location, and scheduling. Request a department quote and we will prepare one for your purchasing process. Seats in an open class hosted by another department have a posted per-participant fee.
Tell us about your department, your personnel, and your facilities. We will prepare a quote.
