Zion Fire Academy · McKinney, Texas
Learn fire protection from the people who do it every day.
Texas license exam prep, NICET inspector tracks and fire-watch training — the same curriculum our own apprentices use on Friday classroom days, now open to you.
Two ways in
Take a course, or get paid to train.
Public courses are self-paced online. The apprenticeship is a paid job at Zion Fire Protection with a classroom day every Friday.
Online courses
License & certification exam prep
Texas FAL and extinguisher licenses, NICET inspector levels, fire-watch certificates. Long access window, certificate on completion. Enrollment opens soon — join the waitlist.
See courses & join the waitlist →
Apprenticeship
Four days in the field, Friday in class
No experience required. Paid from day one, with a sponsored licensing ladder. Start with our free 2.5-hour workshop — second Friday of every month, 10 AM, McKinney.
How the program works →Courses
Start with the credential you need next.
Every course lists its hours, access period and exactly what it prepares you for. Pick yours and join the waitlist — we email you once when enrollment opens.
Texas Fire Alarm LicenseTexas Fire Alarm Technician License (FAL) Exam Prep
Pass the Texas State Fire Marshal FAL exam on your first attempt. Two-course track (TFM 11 + TFM 12).
Texas Extinguisher LicenseTexas Fire Extinguisher License — Type B (FEL-B) Exam Prep
Portable extinguishers: the Type B license exam, taught by people who service them daily. Two-course track (TFM 1 + TFM 2).
Texas Extinguisher LicenseTexas Fire Extinguisher License — Type K (FEL-K) Exam Prep
Kitchen hood and duct suppression systems: the Type K license exam.
Why we cost more
Buying questions won't make you a technician.
Most helpers spend two or three years hanging around job sites hoping to pick up the trade. Most exam-prep sites sell you a question bank and wish you luck. That's not fair to you — you're ready to work, and nobody is actually teaching you.
Zion Fire Academy is the method we use to turn our own helpers into licensed technicians. A daily study plan. A working technician on the line with you. Hands-on lab hours. The books. We don't help you pass a test — we help you understand the work. Passing is what happens next.
- Months, not years: the same path our apprentices take to their first license.
- Always learn from someone doing the work today — a team of industry veterans, each 10+ years in the trade, holding multiple NICET III and II, PE and FCC credentials.
- A results commitment on top of a fair refund policy: finish the plan, sit the exam, don't pass — tuition refunded.
If you're willing to do the work — get on the list.
Apprentice story · October 2026
Hired in May. Both Texas fire alarm exams passed by October — first try.
Most people who enter this trade spend years as a helper before anyone puts them on a real path to a license. If that's you, it's not a lack of talent. Nobody is actually teaching you.
Nick Bleggi joined Zion Fire Protection in May 2026 with no fire alarm license. A month later he started the Academy's fire alarm track: four days in the field with a Zion crew, Friday in the classroom, and the online course, ZionFlash decks and practice exams in between. He passed the State Fire Marshal's Fire Alarm Statutes & Rules exam (TFM-11) with an 88% on his first attempt, then the Fire Alarm Technician exam (TFM-12) with another 88% — first attempt again. The passing score is 70%.
Next on his ladder: the Texas fire extinguisher license and NICET Fire Alarm Systems Level I. At Zion, the FAL is where you start, not where you stop.
"Honestly, the fire alarm training over-qualified me for the state exams. The courses, the flashcards, and especially the practice tests are incredible."
The lab
Real panels. Real risers. Real radios.
Our McKinney training room and lab: addressable fire alarm panel stands, a sprinkler riser, BDA head-ends and DAS antennas — the hardware you will be tested on and work on.
How it works
From waitlist to certificate.
Pick your course
Each page lists hours, access period, what is included and the exam it prepares you for.
Join the waitlist
Leave your email on any course page. When enrollment opens you get one email with the price and a link — pay once, no subscription, 72-hour cancellation.
Learn at your pace
Sign in with a one-time email code. Your seat on the learning platform is ready in minutes, with progress saved.
Test with confidence
Hit the practice-exam bar, download your certificate, and schedule your state or NICET exam.
Standards
Mapped to the codes you'll be tested on.
Lessons cite their source so you learn to navigate the book, not memorize trivia.
"We built the Academy because we could not hire the people we needed. Now we make them — and the same lessons that get our apprentices through NICET will get you through, too."
Ready?
Your next credential starts here.
Browse the catalog, or apply for the paid apprenticeship at zion.us.