About

FSTRS became inaccessible on February 1, 2021. On this date, FSTRS became unsupported by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA), our partner for state agency technology. Please note that if you did not download and save your records in FSTRS before February 1, 2021, you can request a copy of your records by submitting a VDFP Transcript Request Form. The manual request process will take 10 business days to complete.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why was FSTRS being decommissioned on February 1, 2021?

The Fire Service Training Records System (FSTRS) is nearly 20 years old and runs on a legacy server. The server became unsupported by the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA) as of February 1, 2021.  As an agency that focuses on dispersing 75 percent of its budget through its Aid-to-Localities program, it became extremely costly for VDFP to maintain FSTRS. With the introduction of Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD) in April 2020, VDFP wants to operate solely from the newer system.

  • What will happen to my FSTRS training records?

Nothing will happen to VDFP training records. The decommissioning of FSTRS on February 1, 2021 means that student and instructor records will not be accessible from FSTRS, as the system will no longer exist. VDFP will continue to maintain records on a backup server independent of FSTRS and CSOD, to allow Fire Programs staff to manually retrieve training records.

  • How can I get my FSTRS training records?

Prior to February 1, 2021, students and instructors were highly encouraged to download and save transcripts from FSTRS in order to upload them to CSOD. Transcripts are critical for VDFP to determine if prerequisites are met for certain courses. After February 1, 2021, transcripts will be provided upon request. The manual request process will take 10 business days to complete. Access the VDFP Transcript Request Form to submit a request.

  • Who do I speak to if I have questions about my FSTRS training records?

Contact your respective VDFP Division Office. Please note that VDFP Division Offices cannot expedite transcript requests or process bulk transcript requests. However, VDFP Division Offices will conduct research regarding transcript discrepancies. Students are encouraged to fill out the VDFP Transcript Request Form to retrieve their records.

  • What if I don’t have a PC or internet connection to utilize Cornerstone OnDemand?

An internet connection is required to use CSOD. CSOD is a dynamic, cloud-based tool that can be utilized from any device: desktop PC, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. If none of these tools are at a student’s or instructor’s disposal, it is recommended that one take advantage of local, public resources, such as PC access at a library. Or, feel free to utilize a PC at your fire department or fire station.

  • Can my fire department be the keeper of my training records?

VDFP strongly encourages students to be advocates of their own training records. We know that the Fire Service is as dynamic as the community it responds to, and opportunities call across the Commonwealth. It is a good practice to keep copies of your records so that no matter where you serve, your records are intact. Based on Virginia’s records retention policy, VDFP is only required to store physical records for 10 years back from the current fiscal year. VDFP digital records go back as far as 2003. As VDFP transitions its records management practices, the agency will continue retaining student records for manual access by VDFP staff.

  • Why didn’t VDFP transfer my records from FSTRS to CSOD?

FSTRS and CSOD have exclusive data saving and storage methods. As a result, they don’t integrate with one another, making it difficult to seamlessly transfer to CSOD the hundreds of thousands of training records that were created within FSTRS.

  • What if I didn’t transfer my records before February 1, 2021?

See the section above, How can I get my FSTRS training records?