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HomeCoursesCertificate III in Public Safety (Firefighting and Emergency Operations)

Certificate III in Public Safety (Firefighting and Emergency Operations)

This qualification is the training firefighters do once they are already on the job, covering the skills needed to fight urban fires, rescue people and handle hazardous materials incidents as part of a crew.

  • Course code: PUA30622

Where you can study this course

Where

  • TAFE NSW

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    Campuses
    40 campuses
    Duration
    Not yet checked
    Study mode
    Not yet checked
    Full fee
    Not yet checked

    What students say

    Many students speak well of the facilities and campus, and some rate the trainers and teaching highly, though opinions are mixed on the trainers and teaching and student support, and some found the organisation and admin frustrating.

  • Fire and Safety Australia Pty Ltd

    Visit provider website → (opens in a new tab)
    Campuses
    4 campuses
    Duration
    Not yet checked
    Study mode
    Not yet checked
    Full fee
    Not yet checked

    What students say

    Most students rate the trainers and the teaching highly, and many speak well of the course content and the facilities.

  • Department of Defence

    Visit provider website → (opens in a new tab)
    Campuses
    8 campuses
    Duration
    Not yet checked
    Study mode
    Not yet checked
    Full fee
    Not yet checked

Last reviewed 21 September 2026.

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Is this course right for you?

Entry requirements

There are no entry requirements for this qualification.

  • Providers can set their own conditions, such as a minimum age or a current job in the industry, and practical training may need a workplace placement. Check each provider above.
  • No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this qualification at the time of publication.

Entry recommendations

To be prepared for this course, it helps to have:

  • an interest in protecting people and property
  • the ability to stay calm under pressure
  • good teamwork and communication skills
  • a willingness to follow safety procedures carefully

What will you learn?

You learn to use protective equipment and breathing apparatus safely, run pumps and hoses, drive fire appliances under operational conditions and keep yourself and your team safe at an incident scene. It also covers the prevention side of the work, such as inspecting buildings for fire regulation compliance and running community fire safety education. The focus is on making sound decisions on your own within a team, under limited supervision.

  • Personal protective equipment
  • Hazardous materials response
  • Pump and hose operation
  • Driving fire appliances
  • Incident scene safety
  • Fire safety inspections

Units of competency (5 core, 6 elective)

The qualification is made up of 11 units. Everyone completes the 5 core units below, and the remaining 6 are electives chosen from the list on training.gov.au, so they vary by provider. Select a unit to see what it covers.

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Data from training.gov.au and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (CC BY 4.0).