A new, affordable certification option for fire/smoke damper technicians has just been approved that should help increase the number of fire/smoke damper technicians that are legally allowed to work in WA.  The certification is available from the National Inspection Training Certification (NITC) and is available without regard to union affiliation. Candidates must have a minimum of 2,000 hours of HVAC/building facility industry OR successful completion of a second-year apprenticeship program.  The two-hour open book exam includes reference materials of NFPA 80 and 105.

Background:  In the early 2020s, the Washington State legislature created new certification requirements for personnel that work on smoke control systems and fire dampers, smoke dampers, and fire/smoke dampers.  The new State requirements are contained in Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 19.27.720 and sharply limit the number of existing certification programs that are acceptable in Washington.  As a result, building owners are reporting a shortage of private sector technicians who are legally allowed to perform this work.  The Washington State Association of Fire Marshals has advocated to broaden the qualifications in RCW 19.27.720 to allow a wider range of trades and unions to demonstrate acceptable qualifications. However to date the Legislature has not amended RCW 19.27.720.   

Options to Obtain a Certification Acceptable Under RCW 19.27.720

WSAFM is aware of the following limited number of certifications that are accredited through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) International Organization for Standards (ISO) 17024 and therefore compliant with RCW 19.27.720.

Smoke Control

• International Certification Board (ICB) Pathway for members of sheet metal/HVAC unions or employees of contractors who have signed collective bargaining agreements with these unions. For more information please see www.icbcertified.org .

Dampers (Smoke/Fire/Combo)

• National Inspection Training Certification (NITC) New as of summer 2026!  Available without regard to union affiliation and meets the requirements in RCW 19.27.720.  Price is less than $200 as of 2026, for a certificate valid for 3 years.  NITC Fire Smoke Damper Technician Certification
• Safenetix Level 1 Fire and Smoke Damper Inspector Certification Open to all unions and non-represented workers.  www.safenetix.com/certifications. Pricing is approximately $1,500 as of 2024.
• International Certification Board (ICB) Limited to dues paying members of sheet metal/HVAC unions or employees of contractors who have signed collective bargaining agreements with these unions. www.icbcertified.org