F2T Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

F2T is our newest wellness and fitness program. Born as an extension of the IAFF/IAFC Peer Fitness Trainer (PFT) program, F2T is designed to support the IAFF/IAFC Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative (WFI) by helping more fire fighters be more active, more often.

The F2T program will provide direct and immediate access to resources that help every certified member serve in their role as a wellness and fitness ambassador. This includes resources tailored to address specific departmental needs. F2T will emphasize practical strategies that improve physical, psychological and social well-being; accommodate the diverse needs and interests of all fire fighters; and make education, training, mentorship and support accessible – all while promoting solutions to change behaviors.

F2T members will have access to a wide range of resources including virtual, online and in-person courses and workshops; webinars with industry leaders; implementation guidelines for exercise programming; wellness education and return-to-work protocols; mobility and fitness assessment tools; a series of questionnaires and surveys; and practical strategies to influence the physical activity behaviors of all fire fighters. New resources will be made available every month!

Individuals that held an active Peer Fitness Trainer (PFT) certificate with ACE/IAFF as of January 1, 2022 will have their certificate transferred to us and be given a membership to the F2T program. Please reference the “Active PFTs” section below for more information.

Individuals that held a PFT certificate with ACE/IAFF that expired on or before December 31, 2021 are considered Legacy PFTs. Legacy PFTs are being given an F2T membership for one year at no cost. Please reference the “Legacy PFTs” section below for more information.

Anybody can join the F2T program as a ‘Non-Certified Member’ by creating an account HERE. Creating an account will provide you access to your individualized member portal, access to a suite of free resources, and allow you to browse all educational opportunities that the F2T program has to offer. If you’d like to learn more about becoming certified within the F2T program, please visit the Membership Page.

ACE is and will continue to be a respected fitness organization and a partner of the IAFF and IAFC. However, over the past 25 years, the IAFF and IAFC have positioned themselves as authorities on fire fighter wellness and fitness by assembling a task force comprising fire fighters, fire chiefs, labor leaders, researchers, physicians, clinicians, and wellness and fitness professionals. Assuming oversight of the PFT Certificate will allow us to better serve the fire service by providing education, training, support and mentorship via the F2T program.

Yes. The F2T program also involves two certificates aside from the PFT Certificate. The Fitness Performance Specialist (FPS) Certificate reflects a more advanced level of training and the Wellness-Fitness Ambassador (WFA) Certificate reflects a more foundational level of training. Each certificate is associated with a membership that offers access to resources specific to that level of training, in addition to general benefits associated with F2T membership. Further details on the certification and renewal process for each certificate level can be found HERE.

Please view the F2T Program Costs resource document.

Please view the full F2T Policy of payment & registration refund, exchange, and transfer.

Each certificate level has different continuing education requirements to recertify. The recertification requirements associated with each certificate level can be found on the webpages for the Fitness Performance Specialist (FPS), Peer Fitness Trainer (PFT), and Wellness-Fitness Ambassador (WFA) certificates respectively. For complete information on what is required to renew, we encourage you to visit our Certificate Renewal page.

Individuals that held an active ACE/IAFF PFT Certificate that expired after December 31, 2021, will have their certificate transferred to the IAFF system and be given a membership to the F2T program. Please continue reading below for more information about this process.

The only action item is to confirm your personal details by filling out this brief questionnaire. This step is essential to ensure the information we have on file is up to date so that we can contact you, create your F2T PFT Certificate and provide you with access to an F2T membership.

Regardless of when your ACE/IAFF PFT certificate was meant to expire, your F2T PFT Certificate will remain active through December 31, 2023 (2-year renewal cycle). During this two-year period, you will be required to complete 8 CECs and 1 F2T Challenge (which will consist of a contribution to the F2T community). View the further details of the renewal process. View a list of upcoming F2T educational opportunities.

Once you complete the short questionnaire at the link above, we will begin processing your certificate. You will receive an email from our team with your new F2T PFT certificate. We are batch processing all new certificates so please allow for 1-2 weeks to receive it. Some department accounts do block and/or direct our emails to the junk folder, so if you don’t hear from us after 2 weeks please check there and/or reach out to our team at [email protected].

As someone who was previously certified as a PFT, you are eligible to be reinstated without completing F2T 101 (the PFT Certificate course). However, you will be required to fill out a brief survey HERE and complete our online Fitness Fundamentals course (F2T 110) before December 31, 2024. This four-hour online course can be completed on your time and does not include a final exam. Members who complete the survey and the F2T 110 course will receive active PFT status through December 31, 2024. Click HERE if you are a Legacy PFT and want to register for F2T 110 – Fitness Fundamentals. Complete eligibility details can be found on the F2T 110 registration page linked above.

Individuals who are reinstated as PFTs by completing the requirements detailed above will be required to complete 8 CECs and one F2T Challenge (which will consist of a contribution to the F2T community) during the 2023-2024 renewal cycle. Further details of the renewal process can be found HERE. View a list of upcoming F2T educational opportunities can be found HERE.

We are batch processing all new certificates so please allow for 2-3 weeks to receive it. Some department accounts do block and/or direct our emails to the junk folder, so if you don’t hear from us after 3 weeks please check there and/or reach out to our team at [email protected].

F2T 101 introduces an integrated approach to the physical preparation of fire fighters for work, life and play. The central tenet of this approach is that every fire fighter, regardless of age, experience, fitness or job status, needs the capacity to meet the demands of their life. The framework and principles taught will help attendees establish exercise recommendations for peers with diverse needs and interests. Specifically, upon completing this course (in-person and virtual delivery), students will have improved their ability to:

First, participants will receive access to a series of online practical activities (e.g., observation, coaching and program design applications) that can be completed on their own time to reinforce the course material. Second, participants will engage in weekly group activities that include a series of hands-on activities, each of which involves multiple experiences to reinforce relevant skills related to assessment, program design, implementation and leadership.

The six-week online F2T 101 course is delivered asynchronously (on your own time) and synchronously (with IAFF instructors) using interactive small and large-group activities, case studies and virtual exercise sessions. Specifically, prior to each of the first four weeks, students will be given access to a series of videos and learning activities that detail each of the associated modules. Approximately two hours per week will be required to complete these learning activities. In addition, students will participate in 11 two-hour virtual group activities over the six-week period with 15-25 other individuals. Four scheduling options are available for these group activities.

In order to host an in-person F2T 101 course, interested departments should complete the pre-approval process detailed HERE. Once submitted, we will review your documentation and contact you with a proposed date and details about payment and registration.

In general, we do not allow individuals with other fitness-related education and certifications to challenge the F2T 101 exam without taking the course. We do understand and appreciate the overlap with some other professional designations, but consider the F2T 101 course to be sufficiently unique in its scope, experience and overall learning objectives. In contrast to other fitness-related courses, degrees, etc., F2T 101 is specific to the fire service, emphasizes wellness and fitness program implementation, and provides practical experiences to reinforce the many roles that PFTs might play. These differences are part of what will help to establish the foundation for an effective Fit To Thrive program.

Click HERE to learn how to set your password and login to your portal for the first time. Note, this is only for pre-existing F2T certificate holders who have received an email from our team with instructions on how to access their profile. If you are not an existing F2T member you can create an account for free by clicking HERE.

Click HERE to learn how to update your password and personal information on the portal. Pre-existing F2T certificate holders who have received an email from our team with instructions on how to access their profile should update their password immediately after logging into the portal for the first time.

Click HERE to learn how to access Moodle, the F2T Program’s learning management system. Note, you must be an F2T member to gain access to Moodle.

Click HERE for a tutorial of the F2T member portal. You will be oriented to the different features and capabilities you have access to to help you manage your certificate and maximize your membership.

Click HERE for a tutorial on how to report external continuing education credits (CEC) using the member portal. This is relevant to Peer Fitness Trainers (PFT) and Fitness Performance Specialists (FPS) who may potentially want to use CECs offered by external providers for their certificate renewal requirements.

You can register in F2T educational offerings for yourself by paying directly with your credit card, debit card, or PayPal account on the F2T website. Once your purchase/s are complete, you will immediately gain access to all virtual products via your F2T portal, and any CECs associated with the product/s will immediately be credited to your account.

Click HERE for a tutorial on how to purchase/register in an F2T Course, Workshop, Challenge, and/or Webinar for yourself by paying directly.

If you have been given a coupon code by a member of your department you can use this code to register in F2T educational offerings for yourself without paying at checkout. Once your purchase/s are complete, you will immediately gain access to all virtual products via your F2T portal, and any CECs associated with the product/s will immediately be credited to your account.

Note, the coupon code you have been given only corresponds to the product (that is, course, workshop, etc.) which was purchased by your department representative. You will not be able to redeem the coupon for any other product on the website.

Click HERE for a tutorial on how to purchase/register in an F2T Course, Workshop, Challenge, and/or Webinar for yourself by using a coupon code.

If you are a wellness-fitness coordinator, an administrator, or any other member of a department overseeing the operations of F2T ambassadors, you will likely be responsible for paying for your members’ registration in F2T education. This can be accomplished easily on the F2T website by selecting the paying for “Someone Else” option when starting the checkout process.

This option will allow you to purchase multiple “seats” in any course, workshop, challenge or webinar for your team, which they can redeem by using the coupon code/s that you are provided after the order is complete. You will not be enrolled in the product/s you are purchasing.

Click HERE for a tutorial on how to purchase seats in an F2T Course, Workshop, Challenge, and/or Webinar for someone else by paying directly.

Click HERE for a tutorial on how to pay the fee to renew an F2T certificate. This video will address the different use cases for purchasing the F2T Renewal product on the F2T website.

Click HERE for a tutorial on how to upload your submission for an F2T Challenge.