Blue Card Holds the Line on Core Program Pricing for 2027
Blue Card Holds the Line on
Core Program Pricing for 2027
Prices for Blue Card’s flagship training programs remain unchanged, with new leadership training & updated simulation resources on the horizon.
By Nick Brunacini
B Shifter Buckslip, Nov. 10, 2026
As we look ahead to 2027, we’re pleased to once again hold the line on pricing for Blue Card’s core programs. While prices for our primary training programs remain unchanged, soaring fuel costs, continued inflation and the rising cost of technology and devices have made price adjustments necessary for a few select programs and products. We make every effort to limit rising costs wherever possible, balancing financial realities with our long-standing commitment to delivering Gold Standard command training of incomparable value.
Pricing for 6 Foundational Products Stays the Same
Blue Card IC Online Program
Includes Blue Card 30+ hour online interactive program. Also includes online access to textbooks Fire Command (2nd edition) and Command Safety.
No price change: $385 per subscription
Blue Card Online ARFF IC Program
Includes Blue Card 30+ hour online interactive ARFF program. Also includes online access to textbooks Fire Command (2nd edition) and Command Safety.
No price change: $385 per subscription
Blue Card Dispatchers Online Program
Includes Blue Card 30+ hour online interactive program. Also includes online access to textbooks Fire Command (2nd edition) and Command Safety.
No price change: $385 per subscription
Blue Card First Responder Online Program
This 4 to 5 hour online program is designed for non-IC first responders. This program is available as a CE for full-access ICs and is also available to all instructors.
No price change: $95 per subscription
Blue Card 2-Day Workshops
Customized workshops designed to train incident commanders and firefighters right at their facility. Our certified staff delivers expert training directly to you, enhancing skills and leadership. Includes Mayday Management, Strategic Decision-Making, Big Box Fires and Division Ops.
No price change: $485 per person
Blue Card CE Renewal
There is no price increase for Blue Card annual CE. This content also includes the Hazmat IC certification program, which is designed to be used as Blue Card continuing education for Blue Card ICs, Dispatchers and ARFF ICs.
No price change: $125 per subscription
Modest Price Adjustments Still Deliver Excellent Value
Blue Card 5-Day Train-the-Trainer Class
Includes five days of in-person instruction. Also includes a yearly license to access all Blue Card educational content: simulation library, CE modules, instructor presentations and use of the Blue Card learning management system (LMS) to manage the certification of your department’s incident commanders.
New price effective May 1, 2027: $4,900
The original price of Blue Card Train-the-Trainer classes was established at $4,500 in 2008. For nearly two decades, we have maintained that price despite cumulative inflation exceeding 50%. This adjustment is less than a 10% increase and reflects our commitment to keeping the program accessible while continuing to provide the education, resources and support Blue Card instructors and departments rely on. The new pricing will apply to all Blue Card Train-the-Trainer classes.
Effective immediately, we are capping food reimbursement for trainers at $1,000. This applies to all trainers delivered at the customer’s facility. Food costs for classes taught at the Alan V. Brunacini Command Training Center in Phoenix are included in the price. The food budget for two-day workshops will remain capped at $2,000. This pricing is effective immediately.
Blue Card 3-Day ARFF Train-the-Trainer Class
Includes three days of in-person instruction. Also includes a yearly license to access all Blue Card ARFF educational content: simulation library, CE modules, instructor presentations and use of the Blue Card learning management system (LMS) to manage the certification of your department’s incident commanders.
New price effective May 1, 2027: $3,400
The original price of a Blue Card ARFF Train-the-Trainer Class was established at $3,000. Since 2024, travel-related expenses have increased by more than 22%. Despite these rising costs, the new price represents an increase of less than 15%, allowing us to continue delivering the same level of instruction and support while keeping the adjustment as modest as possible.
CTC in a Box
A CTC in a Box includes either eight iPads or laptops preloaded with Digital Combustion Fire Studio software, along with status boards and passports/accountability kits. Blue Card instructors also gain access to more than 40 multi-position, high-fidelity structural firefighting simulations.
New price effective immediately: $20,000.
Due to continued increases in technology costs and surging fuel prices that have driven up shipping expenses, the price of a CTC in a Box is increasing from $17,000 to $20,000.
Additions & Changes Coming Soon
Silverback Leadership
For the past few years, we have been developing a leadership program designed to help fire service leaders build, manage and lead stronger, more effective fire departments. Rooted in the leadership principles Alan V. Brunacini developed throughout his career, Silverback Leadership focuses on organizing and leading the fire department around the service firefighters deliver to their communities. The program emphasizes using the work itself as the foundation for managing and leading the department, creating stronger connections with the workforce, customers and authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). It also strongly emphasizes firefighter safety and survival. The program is on track for completion in 2027.
Program Development & Pricing
Online Program: The Silverback Leadership online component is on track for completion in 2027. It will include approximately 25 hours of content and will be priced at $485.
In-Person Workshop: Silverback Leadership will also include a two-day in-person workshop. Tuition will be $3,500 per student.
Blue Card Sims Update
Instructors have download access to the full library of Blue Card simulations. There are over 40 structural firefighting simulations and 8 Blue Card ARFF simulations. These sims are currently available in Fire Studio’s Digital Combustion, Version 6. In the first quarter of 2027, we will make all of these simulations available in Fire Studio, Version 8.
Blue Card SAFE-T Training Program Is Changing Course
We are discontinuing the two-day SAFE-T workshop. Fabricating and shipping the burn prop is no longer economically feasible. However, we are building several CE modules based on the SAFE-T curriculum. We will announce when these become available.
Nick Brunacini joined the Phoenix Fire Department (PFD) in 1980. He served seven years as a firefighter on different engine companies before being promoted to captain and working nine years on a ladder company. Nick served as a battalion chief for five years before promoting to shift commander in 2001. He then spent the next five years developing and teaching the Blue Card curriculum at the PFD’s Command Training Center. His last assignment with the PFD was South Shift commander. Nick retired from the PFD in 2009 after spending the first 26 years of his fire-department career as a B-shifter and the last three on C Shift. Nick is the author of “B-Shifter—A Firefighter’s Memoir.” He also co-wrote “Command Safety.” Today, he is the publisher of B Shifter and a Blue Card instructor.