This Firefighter I & II cheat sheet strips the NFPA 1001 job performance requirements down to the facts the written exam tests most, so you can cram fast instead of rereading a textbook. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free Firefighter I & II toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
Firefighter I & II exam at a glance
- Standard: NFPA 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications (consolidated into NFPA 1010, 2024 edition)
- Components: Written cognitive exam plus a hands-on practical skills evaluation
- Written format: Multiple choice — commonly about 100 questions in roughly 2 hours (varies by AHJ)
- Passing score: Typically about 70% on the written exam (some require ~75%) plus passing every skills station
- Administered by: State, regional, or federal fire training agencies; accredited by IFSAC and/or the Pro Board
What’s on the Firefighter I & II cheat sheet
- Fireground Operations (~50%) — fire behavior and the tetrahedron, flashover vs backdraft, classes of fire and agents, PPE and SCBA, hose and streams, ladders, forcible entry, and coordinated ventilation — the largest area.
- Rescue & Extrication (~16%) — primary vs secondary search, VEIS, victim removal, vehicle extrication and cribbing, plus ropes and knots.
- General Knowledge & Orientation (~10%) — fire department organization, the Incident Command System, span of control, and the five building construction types.
- Communications (~8%) — clear radio procedure, initial and progress reports, plain language, the Mayday, and LUNAR.
- Preparedness & Maintenance (~8%) — inspection and service of hose, SCBA and cylinders, tools, ladders, and apparatus, including hydrostatic test intervals.
- Fire & Life Safety Initiatives (~8%) — fire cause and origin preservation, detection and suppression systems, and hazmat awareness with NFPA 704 and the ERG.
How to use it in your final week
- Spend most of your final week on Fireground Operations — it is roughly half the written exam. Lock in the fire tetrahedron, flashover-vs-backdraft cues, the five fire classes and matching agents, and SCBA air management before anything else.
- Turn the safety rules into reflexes: the interior of a structure fire is always IDLH, which forces positive-pressure SCBA and two-in/two-out. Those two facts anchor a large share of the tricky questions.
- Drill the quick contrasts the sheet lays out side by side — forward vs reverse hose lay, solid vs fog stream, division (where) vs group (what), and Mayday vs urgent traffic.
- Read the sheet the morning of the test as a final pass, then pair each review with a short timed practice set so your pacing and recall stay sharp under pressure.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your Firefighter I & II practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
Firefighter I & II cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — download the Firefighter I & II (NFPA 1001) cheat sheet as a PDF with no account and no sign-up. It sits alongside Career Employer's free Firefighter I & II practice test, study guide, and flashcards so you have a complete toolkit at zero cost.
It compresses the highest-yield NFPA 1001 facts into a fast reference: the fire tetrahedron, flashover versus backdraft, the five classes of fire and their agents, IDLH and two-in/two-out, positive-pressure SCBA and air management, hose lays and stream types, ladder angles, and coordinated ventilation. Everything is grouped by the six content areas the written exam is weighted around, with Fireground Operations front and center.
It targets the written cognitive exam, where memorized facts win points — fire behavior, SCBA, hose, ladders, ventilation, and safety rules. The hands-on skills evaluation still has to be rehearsed in gear, but many station steps (donning SCBA, LUNAR on a Mayday, PASS for extinguishers) are reinforced by the same quick-reference cues on the sheet.
Most state and regional fire academies set the written cut score near 70 percent, with some closer to 75 — always confirm with your authority having jurisdiction. The sheet is built from the current NFPA 1001 job performance requirements (consolidated into NFPA 1010, 2024 edition), OSHA 1910.134, and IFSTA Essentials, and we review it against those sources.
Tap the download button or the preview card at the top of this page and the PDF opens instantly. Bookmark the page so it is one click away during your final week and on the morning of your written exam.
References
- 1.National Fire Protection Association. “NFPA 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications.” NFPA.org, 2026. ↑
- 2.International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC). “Fire Service Certificate Assembly — Accreditation.” ifsac.org, 2026. ↑
- 3.National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (Pro Board). “Accredited Certifications.” theproboard.org, 2026. ↑
- 4.U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). “29 CFR 1910.134 — Respiratory Protection.” osha.gov, 2026. ↑
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