The Ontario government is strengthening fire safety training across the province

The Ontario government is strengthening fire safety training across the province by increasing access to on-site and online courses in communities where firefighters serve. Enhancing training opportunities offered through 20 regional training centers will help local fire services better meet the needs of their community and result in cost savings for municipalities.

 Building on a regionally connected system of training centres, the Office of the Fire Marshal will deliver fire safety training through a combination of in-person training at regional training centres, online courses, and through contracts with individual fire departments. Expanding local training opportunities will increase capacity for training and reduce the need for municipal fire departments to pay for travel and costs related to overtime and shift backfills.

As part of this plan, the Office of the Fire Marshal is also investing in two mobile units that will bring live fire training to local fire services. Specialized equipment will also be made available to regional training centres so training can be specifically tailored to local needs.

As firefighter training opportunities are expanded across the province, the Ontario Fire College location in Gravenhurst, which has not hosted on-site training since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, will be decommissioned. Ontario Fire College staff will continue to play a leading role in developing training courses.

“The Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association supports the expansion of regional firefighter training centres and the modernization of programming centred around the needs of the fire service,” said Carmen Santoro, President, Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association. “Improved access to sanctioned education/training will greatly enhance the quality by standardizing the safe delivery of firefighter training.”