Technical Rescue Training Programs(s)

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY
Division of Fire Standards & Training and EMS
Technical Rescue Training Programs(s)
RFP DOS 2026 - 21
RFP ISSUED................................................................................................. April 6, 2026
STATE POINT of CONTACT .................................................... Dianna Courtemanche
DOSContracts@dos.nh.gov
603-223-8000, Option 8
CONTRACT TYPE .............................................................................. Firm Fixed Price
PROPOSALS DUE .................................................................................... April 24, 2026

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION 1 - Overview and Schedule .......................................................................................... 3
SECTION 2 - Requirements and Scope of Work .......................................................................... 5
SECTION 3 - Contract Terms and Conditions .............................................................................. 9
SECTION 4 - Request for Proposal Process .................................................................................. 9
SECTION 5 - RFP Terms and Conditions ................................................................................... 10
SECTION 6 - Evaluation of Proposals ........................................................................................ 14
SECTION 7 - Process for Submitting a Proposal ........................................................................ 17
SECTION 8 - Proposal Content and Requirements ..................................................................... 18
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED WITH THIS RFP ...................................................................... 21
ATTACHMENT - A .................................................................................................................... 22
ATTACHMENT - B .................................................................................................................... 26
ATTACHMENT - C .................................................................................................................... 28

SECTION 1 - Overview and Schedule
A. Goal of this procurement/Business needs:
The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to procure services from interested person(s)
and/or firm(s) (hereafter referred to as Vendor) for the provision of training related to Firefighter
Technical Rescue programs through the State of New Hampshire, Division of Fire Standards &
Training and Emergency Medical Services (FSTEMS). Through a RFP process described herein,
Vendor(s) interested in assisting FSTEMS with the provision of such services must prepare and
submit a proposal in accordance with the procedure and schedule in this RFP. FSTEMS seeks
qualified Vendor(s) that possess the professional and administrative capabilities to provide the
proposed training. The Vendor(s) may elect to employ sub-Vendors to deliver required services
subject to the terms and conditions of this RFP.
This RFP is divided into five (5) certification programs, and Vendors are allowed to bid on any
combination of these programs. Each certification program will be evaluated independently based
on the proposals received for that specific program. The State reserves the right to make one award,
multiple awards, partial awards, or no award for any individual certification program, as deemed
to be in the best interest of the State.
This structure is intended to allow Vendors to propose on program areas that align with their
expertise and capabilities, while promoting competition and ensuring the State obtains the best
value for each program.
The resulting contract shall be a Firm Fixed Price agreement with a term ending no later than June
30, 2029, subject to Governor and Executive Council approval. No extensions or renewals shall
be permitted.
B. Schedule
The following table provides a Schedule of Events for this RFP through contract finalization and
approval. The State reserves the right to amend this Schedule at its sole discretion and at any time
through a published Addendum.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
EVENT DATE & TIME (EST)
RFP Released (Advertisement) April 6, 2026
Vendor Inquiry period end (final inquiries due) April 15, 2026
Final State Responses to Vendor Inquiries April 20, 2026
Proposal Due April 24, 2026, 2:30 PM EST
Anticipated Governor and Council approval TBD
RFP DOS 2026-21 Page 3 of 28 Contractor Initials _________
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C. Description of Agency or Program issuing the Request for Proposals
The multi-faceted mission of the Department of Safety (DOS) encompasses protection of the lives
and safety and preservation of the quality of life of New Hampshire citizens and visitors to our
state on the highways, on the waterways, and in their homes and businesses. The ultimate goal of
FSTEMS is to provide quality fire training and education, and to certify first responders to protect
the citizens and visitors of New Hampshire. The Division is comprised of three bureaus: the
Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, the Bureau of Firefighter Training, and the Bureau of
Certification and Support. The Bureau of Firefighter Training provides training and education to
fire service personnel. The Bureau of Certification and Support ensures the New Hampshire's fire
and emergency medical services personnel are exceptionally certified and have access to efficient
education and support. The Bureau of Emergency Medical Services is the sole regulatory body
for emergency medical services in New Hampshire.
The Successful Respondent will consider FSTEMS' values and mission to provide outstanding
quality and timely service to the citizens of the State of New Hampshire. This Request for Proposal
(RFP) seeks detailed responses describing each Vendor's capacity and commitment to meet the
needs of FSTEMS. The RFP requires statements of qualifications, technical expertise and pricing
submittals.
In this RFP, "State" means the NH Department of Safety, Division of Fire Standards & Training
and Emergency Medical Services. "Vendor" means a person or entity who offers products or
services for sale. "Selected Vendor" means the qualified Bidder which has been identified by the
State as having received the best score for its proposal according to the criteria set forth in this
RFP.
D. Vendor Instructions
Interested Vendors must read the entire RFP and submit the required documents in the manner
specified in the RFP. Vendors are responsible for reviewing the most updated information related
to this RFP before submitting proposals.
Remainder of this page intentionally left blank
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SECTION 2 - Requirements and Scope of Work
A. Scope of Services
During the term of this Agreement, the Vendor(s) shall provide instruction services for firefighter
technical rescue courses for up to 24 students per program in New Hampshire. The certification
programs are:
Rope Rescue Technician
Rope Rescue Awareness/Operations
Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Technician (SRT)
Swiftwater Flood Rescue Boat Operator
Hazardous Materials Technician
The site locations of the program(s) will be scheduled in New Hampshire, chosen based upon pre-
site assessments completed by the Vendor and the Division of FSTEMS representative(s). The
dates will be mutually agreed upon with the Division of FSTEMS and the Vendor(s) keeping
within the time frame of the agreement. The instructors must be certified and qualified to teach
within the specified certification program and must deliver the program(s) in person.
Programs may be offered as separate awareness, operations, and technician levels, as combined
awareness and operations programs, or as all three levels combined. No program may be offered
without the awareness level.
B. Description of Certification Programs
1. Rope Rescue Technician
a) Rope Rescue - Technician is a very intense and hands-on, multi-day program
featuring a combination of classroom and practical evolutions combined with real
life scenarios. This course is designed to continue the development of skills and
knowledge obtained in the Rope Rescue Operations course, while exposing the
student to those skills expected and required of the professional rescue technician.
Students will be challenged both mentally and physically to complete the
objectives and scenarios.
Designed to meet objectives of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
1006 and 2500 (1670), Chapter 5, to the Technician Level. Topics include team
and rescue safety, personal protective equipment, rope rescue fundamentals,
equipment selection, inspection and maintenance, belaying techniques, system
safety factor testing and demonstration tests, patient packaging, belaying,
rappelling, raising and lowering systems, knot passing on raising, lowering, and
rappelling systems, litter rigging and tending, load distributing and load sharing
anchor systems, simple, compound and complex mechanical advantage systems,
manufactured and improvised artificial high anchor points, high lines, guiding
lines, advanced litter handling techniques
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The program(s) must align with the job performance requirements of at least one
requested chapter of the NFPA 1006 Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel
Professional Qualifications (2021 Edition) and the associated chapter in NFPA
2500 Standard for Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue
Incidents and Life Safety Rope and Equipment for Emergency Services (2022
Edition).
Requested NFPA 1006 Chapter: Chapter 5 - Rope Rescue
2. Rope Rescue Awareness/Operations
a) Rope Rescue - Operations is an intense multi-day program featuring a
combination of classroom and practical evolutions combined with real life
scenarios. This course will provide the knowledge and practical skills necessary
to safely and legally mitigate a rescue involving low angle. Students will be
challenged both mentally and physically to complete the objectives and scenarios.
Designed to meet objectives of NFPA 1006 and 2500 (1670), Chapter 5, to the
Awareness and Operations Level.
Topics include team and rescuer safety, personal protective equipment, rope
rescue fundamentals, equipment selection, inspection and maintenance, knots,
anchors, patient packaging, mechanical advantage systems, belaying, raising and
lowering systems, system safety factors, litter rigging and tending, low-angle
rescue techniques, and stretcher evacuations.
The program(s) must align with the job performance requirements of at least one
requested chapter of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1006
Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications (2021
Edition) and the associated chapter in NFPA 2500 Standard for Operations and
Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents and Life Safety Rope and
Equipment for Emergency Services (2022 Edition).
Requested NFPA 1006 Chapter: Chapter 5 - Rope Rescue
3. Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Technician (SRT)
a) Swiftwater Rescue Level I provides rescue personnel with the fundamentals
needed to stay safe while working in or around Swiftwater/flood environments.
This program includes interactive lectures, dry land operations, and ample time
will be spent on the river. Students will gain knowledge in hydrology and river
classifications, size-up, site control and scene management. Practical skills
include self-rescue, Swiftwater swimming and fundamentals of shore, boat and
in-water rescues. Additionally, students are introduced to the basics of paddle
boat handling and the fundamentals of rope rescue including mechanical
advantage and anchor systems.
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Acceptable programs are Rescue 3 International Swiftwater and Flood Rescue
Technician (SRT) or other program that meets or exceeds NFPA 1006 Chapter
18 and Flood Rescue Technician (SRT) Chapter 23.
The program(s) must align with the job performance requirements of at least one
requested chapter of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1006
Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications (2021
Edition) and the associated chapter in NFPA 2500 Standard for Operations and
Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents and Life Safety Rope and
Equipment for Emergency Services (2022 Edition).
Requested NFPA 1006 Chapters:
Chapter 18 - Swiftwater Rescue
Chapter 23 - Floodwater Rescue
4. Watercraft Rescue/Flood Water Rescue
a) Watercraft Rescue/Flood Water Rescue course provides rescue personnel with
the knowledge and skills to safely operate motorized rescue craft in
Swiftwater/flood rescue environments. This multi-day course includes interactive
lectures on boat maintenance, Class I whitewater operations, Class II & III
whitewater operations, low-light operation and continues to build on operator and
bowman with advanced rescue skills through challenging scenarios.
Acceptable programs are Rescue 3 International Swiftwater and Flood Rescue
Technician (SRT) or other program that meets or exceeds NFPA 1006 Chapter
23.
The program(s) must align with the job performance requirements of at least one
requested chapter of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1006
Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications (2021
Edition) and the associated chapter in NFPA 2500 Standard for Operations and
Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents and Life Safety Rope and
Equipment for Emergency Services (2022 Edition).
Requested NFPA 1006 Chapter: Chapter 23 - Floodwater Rescue
5. Hazardous Materials Technician
a) HazMat Technician course is designed specifically for fire and rescue personnel
who may respond to incidents involving hazardous materials (HazMat's) and/or
weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). This course is a multi-day, participant-
centered, instructor lead training program that will prepare operations-level
responders with Technician-level HazMat certification. The course is based on
NFPA 1072: Standard for Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction
Emergency Response Personnel Professional Qualifications Chapter 7 and will
provide participants with HazMat specific response knowledge and skills. The
training includes hand-on activities such as donning and doffing PPE Levels A
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and B, containing leaks and drum over-packing, and performing technical and
mass decontamination. The participants will analyze the incident to determine the
complexity of the problem and potential outcomes. Plan a response including
developing response objectives, identifying potential response options, selecting
the personal protective equipment (PPE) required and a technical
decontamination process, and developing an IAP. Participants receive hands-on
training in a simulated HazMat environment, and this training program shall end
with eligible participants taking the National Board on Fire Service Professional
Qualifications (Pro Board) exam for HazMat Technician certification.
The program(s) must align with the job performance requirements of at least one
requested chapter of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1006
Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications (2021
Edition) and the associated chapter in NFPA 2500 Standard for Operations and
Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents and Life Safety Rope and
Equipment for Emergency Services (2022 Edition).
Requested NFPA 1006 Chapter: Chapter 7 - Hazardous Materials Technician
C. State Program Delivery Expectations
1. The selected Vendor(s) shall be responsible for the following in the delivery of the
program(s):
a. Equipment and Supplies to adequately deliver the program.
b. A list of any classroom requirements
c. A list of any audio-visual requirements
2. The State shall be responsible for:
a. Providing appropriate classroom space for the training
b. All necessary Audio-visual equipment
c. Course enrollment will be handled by the Division
d. Certifications will be issued by the Vendor
e. Printing of all training materials to include training manuals, teambuilding
cards, and reference sheets
f. Location planning
D. Subcontractors
The Vendor may employ subcontractors to deliver required services subject to the terms and
conditions of this RFP.
The Vendor shall remain wholly responsible for performance of the entire Contract regardless of
whether a Subcontractor is used. The State will consider the Vendor to be the sole point of contact
with regard to all contractual matters, including payment of any and all charges resulting from any
Contract.
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SECTION 3 - Contract Terms and Conditions
A. Non-Exclusive Contract
Any resulting Contract from this RFP will be a non-exclusive Contract. The State reserves the
right, at its discretion, to retain other contractors to provide any of the services or deliverables
identified in this RFP or make an award by item, part or portion of an item, group of items, or total
Proposal.
B. Award
If the State decides to award a contract as a result of this RFP process, any award is contingent
upon approval of the contract by the Governor and Executive Council of the State of New
Hampshire and upon continued appropriation of funding for the contract.
C. Standard Contract Terms
The State will require the Selected Vendor to execute a contract using the Standard Terms and
Conditions of the State of New Hampshire (Form P-37) which is attached as Attachment A. In no
event is a Vendor to submit its own standard contract terms and conditions as a replacement for
the State's terms in response to this solicitation.
The terms of this RFP and the Selected Vendor's Proposal will be used to form the terms of any
resulting contract. The resulting contract may incorporate some or all of the selected Vendor's
Proposal. References in the P-37 to Exhibits A, B and C are references to the required structure
of any resulting contract (Exhibit A - Special Provisions/Amendments to the P-37, Exhibit B -
Scope of Services, and Exhibit C - Payment Terms) and are not references to sections of this RFP.
To the extent that a Vendor believes that exceptions to the contract terms in Attachment A will be
necessary for the Vendor to enter into the contract, the Vendor must note those issues during the
Vendor Inquiry Period, as further described Section 4B.
SECTION 4 - Request for Proposal Process
A. State Point of Contact/Restriction of Contact with State Employees
The sole point of contact for this RFP, from the RFP issue date until the approval of the resulting
contract by the Governor and Executive Council is:
Ms. Dianna Courtemanche, DOSContracts@DOS.NH.GOV
From the date of release of this RFP until an award is made and announced regarding the selection
of a Vendor, all communication with personnel employed by or under contract with the State
regarding this RFP is prohibited unless first approved by the RFP Sole Point of Contact. State
employees have been directed not to hold conferences and/or discussions concerning this RFP with
any potential contractor during the selection process, unless otherwise authorized by the RFP Sole
Point of Contact. Vendors may be disqualified for violating this restriction on communications.
RFP DOS 2026 - 21 9 of 28 Contractor Initials _______
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B. Vendor Inquiries
All inquiries concerning this RFP, including but not limited to, requests for clarifications,
questions, any changes to the RFP, and any exceptions to the contract terms in Attachment A,
including the Form P-37, shall be submitted via email to the State Point of Contact specified above.
Inquiries must be received by the end of Vendor Inquiry Period (see Schedule of Events herein).
The Vendor must identify the RFP name and the number and include the Vendor's name, telephone
number, and e-mail address.
The State will issue responses to properly submitted inquiries on or before the date specified in the
Schedule of Events; however, this date is subject to change at the State's discretion. The State may
consolidate and/or paraphrase questions for sufficiency and clarity. The State may, at its discretion,
amend this RFP on its own initiative or in response to issues raised by inquiries, as it deems
appropriate. In response to requested exceptions to P-37, the State will review requested
exceptions and accept, reject or note that it is open to negotiation of the proposed exception
at its sole discretion. Questions about or requested exceptions to the RFP, Form P-37 and/or
any relevant attachments not raised during the inquiry period are waived. Oral statements,
representations, clarifications, or modifications concerning the RFP shall not be binding upon the
State. Official responses by the State will be made only in writing by the process described above.
Vendors shall be responsible for reviewing the most updated information related to this RFP before
submitting a proposal.
SECTION 5 - RFP Terms and Conditions
A. Debarment
Vendors who are ineligible to bid on proposals, bids or quotes issued by the Department of
Administrative Services, Division of Procurement and Support Services pursuant to the provisions
of RSA 21-I:11-c shall not be considered eligible for an award under this RFP.
B. Proposal Preparation Cost
By submitting a proposal, a Vendor agrees that in no event shall the State be either responsible for
or held liable for any costs incurred by a Vendor in the preparation of or in connection with the
Proposal, or for work performed prior to the Effective Date of a resulting Contract.
C. Validity of Proposal
Proposals must be valid for one hundred and eighty (180) days following the deadline for
submission of Proposals in Schedule of Events, or until the Effective Date of any resulting
Contract, whichever is later.
D. RFP Addendum
The State reserves the right to amend this RFP at its discretion, prior to the Proposal submission
deadline. In the event of an addendum to this RFP, the State, at its sole discretion, may extend the
Proposal submission deadline, as it deems appropriate.
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