COFT - COUNCIL ON FIREFIGHTER TRAINING

The actual tax application forms are not yet approved by the Oklahoma Tax Commission, but a new worksheet is available below.

ONLY volunteer firefighters in good standing during 2008 with an Oklahoma fire department will be able to participate in this program!

For 2008, there were two Training Incentive programs for Oklahoma's volunteer firefighters:

1) One is a $200 Volunteer Firefighter Training Tax Credit...

- for any volunteer firefighter who is personally applying for the first time in 2008!!
              (Please use 2008 Form1A for $200, when it is available from the Tax Commission--usually in September.
                     You will need 12 points of eligible training - you can grandfather in eligible training from previous years)

        - for volunteer firefighters who had not yet completed and were still working on training sessions
             required to finish their Volunteer Fire Fighter Practices [VFFP] training program in 2008.
             Previously, the COFT Council in conjunction with OSU-Fire Service Training officially recognized
             the Structural Fire Fighter program as being an approved equivalent to the VFFP for the purposes of
             the Training Tax Credit program.
            (You will still be using 2008 Form1A for $200, when it is available from the Tax Commission--usually in September.
                   You only need 6 points of eligible training - but you already grandfathered in eligible training from previous years,
                   so all your eligible submitted training for 2008 MUST have been done in 2008.)

2) Another is a $400 Volunteer Firefighter Training Tax Credit....
- used by those volunteer firefighters:
a) who were volunteer members in good standing of an Oklahoma fire department in 2008
            AND
                   b) who were previously approved for and who used their $200 Training Tax Credit in a previous year
AND
                  c) who had finished either their VFFP training program by December 31 of 2008
                        OR their Structural Fire Fighter training program by December 31 of 2008
                        OR their Fire Fighter I [FFI] training program by December 31 of 2008
                        OR their Fire Fighter II [FFII] training program by December 31 of 2008
AND
                   d) who had taken approved Homeland Security-related training to be compliant for 2008
PLUS
   you must take 6 points of general firefighter training by December 31 of 2008
All the criteria above must be met OR else you would still stay
with the $200 Training Tax Credit for Tax Year 2008.

In this section, you will find all the forms you need to fill out:
   - 2008 Worksheet to use for any tax credit program
   - 2008 Equivalency Charts
     (Be sure to download the NEW Equivalency Charts for 2008.)

Coming in September:
- 2008 Form 1A for $200 Training Tax Credit,
      when the Oklahoma Tax Commission approves it.
- 2008 Form 1B for $400 Training Tax Credit,
      when the Oklahoma Tax Commission approves it.
- 2008 Attachment S (if you use In-House Training),
      when the Oklahoma Tax Commission approves it.

2008 Worksheet - a handy sheet to collect your info
Download Worksheet to use with Form 1A or 1B
and print it out for your use. PRESS

DOWNLOAD: 2008 Worksheet

This is not a required form, just a helpful tool for you.

2008 Equivalency Charts give the details on "POINTS"
Download the NEW Equivalency Charts to use with Form 1A or 1B
and print it out for your use. PRESS

DOWNLOAD: 2008 Equivalency Charts

For an explanation of the Equivalency Charts, scroll down...

Explanation of
EQUIVALENCY TABLES / CHARTS for Tax Year 2008

In order to make the application process more understandable and more consistent,
the new 2008 Equivalency Tables have each module in the Volunteer Fire Fighter Practices [VFFP]
and in the Fire Fighter I / II [FFI / II] Continuing Ed programs at two points each.

There are Point Equivalency Charts for 2008:
- the Volunteer Fire Fighter Practices [VFFP] program
- the Structural Fire Fighter program
- the Fire Fighter I / II [FFI / II] Continuing Ed program
- some NEW optional courses on various topics

Here is the 2008 Point Equivalency Chart for Volunteer Fire Fighter Practices......
which appears on the 2008 Equivalency Charts DOWNLOAD above.

Here is the 2008 Point Equivalency Chart for Structural Fire Fighter program.....
which appears on the 2008 Equivalency Charts DOWNLOAD above.

Here is the 2008 Point Equivalency Chart for the Fire Fighter I program.....
which appears on the 2008 Equivalency Charts DOWNLOAD above.

And still in 2008, Point Equivalency Chart on various additional topics.....

Effective July 28 of 2006, COFT was given discretion
to adjust eligible training to meet the ever-evolving needs
of the fire service. Several categories of eligible training classes
were added for 2006, 2007 and 2008 to encourage Oklahoma
firefighters to be better prepared to protect our citizens and
their communities. You MUST use the list of eligible training classes
for the specific year for which you are applying. The new 2008
optional eligible training list appears below.

So that firefighters would still work towards completion
of VFFP or FFI program, only HALF of your required general firefighter training points
in any year may come from the yellow chart below:

Here is the 2008 Point Equivalency Chart for optional additional training
which was approved to count towards
the 2008 General Firefighting Training Coursework for use
on either the $200 Tax Credit on 2008 Form 1A
or the new $400 Tax Credit on 2008 Form 1B...