Province - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Province

of Ontario, Canada

Fire Service Education Initiatives

A

Public/Private Partnership

Humber College/OAFC/OFMEM Slide2

Canada

2nd largest country in the world, 3.85 million square miles, with the world's 37th largest population of 36 million

people

Approximately 80% of the country’s population lives adjacent to the southern border, shared with the United States

10 Provinces and 2 Territories Slide3

Province of Ontario

2nd largest Province in total area

,

1st in population with nearly 14 million residents, approximately 40% of Canada’s total population,

Majority

of the population lives in Southern Ontario, within 1-hour of the US border

Approximately

½ live in the GTHA,

5

of Canada’s 10 largest cities.Slide4
Slide5

Province of Ontario Fire

Service

455 Fire

Departments

32 Full Time Departments

196 Composite

Departments

227 Volunteer Departments

11,318 Full Time Fire

Fighters

19,393 Volunteer Fire

Fighters

No

Fire-MedicsSlide6

Ontario Fire Service

Provincial Ministry governs the Fire Service, Ministry of Ontario Fire Marshal and Emergency Management (OFMEM)

Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC

)

Over

700 membersSlide7

Ontario Fire Service Education

OFMEM is the AHJ for all NFPA Standards

,

Ontario Fire College offers a limited number of programs. Catalogue has been reduced due to Provincial Government cutbacks

,

Pre-employment NFPA 1001 programs are offered by a number of Community Colleges, along with 2-private

institutions

1 college offers a Fire Technology Diploma – NFPA 1031.Slide8

Ontario Fire Education

–

Prior to 2016

No

Fire Service Masters degree program offered in the Province

,

No

Fire Service Bachelor degree program offered in the Province

,

No

Fire Management diploma (Equivalent to an Associates Degree

)

.

No

accredited training program for Fire Senior OfficersSlide9

Ontario Fire Education – Prior to 2016

OAFC President stated at annual conference in November that, to that date in 2015, 18-Fire Chiefs had lost their jobs in the Province of Ontario for reasons not of their choosing

,

With no formal educational opportunities, most Fire Chiefs learned through mentoring, trial and error, off-shore programs and conferences.Slide10

Ontario Fire Education – Prior to 2016

Recruiting for Fire Senior Officer positions is problematic with no job-related degree available in the Province,

With no valid minimum qualifications, it can be argued that municipalities are challenged to find qualified personnel to fill the vacancies,

With no valid minimum qualifications

its hard to attract candidates to the positions.Slide11

Ontario Fire Education – A New Day

Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning – Canada’s largest

College

Pre-service NFPA 1001 program

Gina

Antonacci – Dean of School of Social and Community Services

Instrumental in development of only Police Service degree program in

Ontario

Initiated development of Fire programs Slide12

Ontario Fire Education – Reality

Highly structured post-secondary program approval in Ontario

,

Degrees and diplomas are funded by the Provincial government must meet strict criteria to be approved

,

Universities and colleges are hesitant to invest in new programs without a guarantee of funding approval.Slide13

Ontario Post-Secondary Education

Certificate

: “Programs provide a level of skills, knowledge and allow graduates to meet narrowly defined job

requirements”.

Certificates rarely obtain Provincial funding and therefore institutions have the latitude to design programs that offer valuable training in the day-to-day skills that enable professionals to perform their dutiesSlide14

Ontario Post-Secondary Education

Diploma

: “ Programs provide a level of skills, knowledge and attitudes to allow graduates to work within a broad range of technical and/or administrative requirements, coordination and evaluation”.

Diploma programs receive Provincial funding and today are rarely funded for any program that does not provide entry-level employment opportunities

.Slide15

Ontario Post-Secondary Education

Degree

: “Programs provide some broad knowledge and conceptual sophistication, including specialized knowledge in at least one discipline or field”.

A bachelor’s degree does not typically provide the needed training to perform your job. It’s an education, not training.Slide16

Ontario Fire Education – Reality

5 – 7 years to develop a new degree program in the Province

,

No University was interested in a Fire Services/Fire Management/Fire Science degree program in spite of years of lobbying by the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs,

Humber

College and the University of Guelph/Humber envisioned a solution.Slide17

Bachelor of Applied Arts in Public Safety Management

Existing degree in Justice Studies was the only Police Services Degree program in the Province,

Program

was modified by offering alternative courses to the Police-centric courses, changing the focus from Police management to a more general public safety management degree,

Full

Fire cohort will begin in September 2016.Slide18

Fire Management Training

Humber College partnered with the OAFC and OFMEM to create a

Certificate

program that would provide the necessary skills to incumbent Fire senior managers as well as junior officers, to enable them to succeed in managing today’s Fire Services,

The Humber

Fire Service Public Safety Management Certificate

was born.Slide19

Humber College/OFMEM/OAFC

Fire Management Studies

Executive Certificate/Accreditation Program

24 courses

12 core, mandatory courses

6 elective courses

18 courses needed to complete the certificate

12 core + 6 electives

Courses do not need to be completed in any given order. Students may take whatever courses they need to round out their skills.Slide20

Fire Management Certificate

- Core

Public Safety Leadership

Municipal Budgeting and Finance

Public Administration

Legislation

Effective Communication and Report Writing

Human Resources Management

Labour Relations

Strategic Management

Employee Wellness

Health and Safety

Career Management

Recruitment, Selection and Talent ManagementSlide21

Fire Management Certificate

-Elective

Fire Prevention and Public Education for Fire Service Officers

Basic Emergency Management

Managing Multiple Agency Responses

Project Management + Procurement

Personal Management Skills

Change Management

Dispute Resolution Skills

Negotiation Skills

Performance Management

Communication Skills

Fire Service Technology

Introduction to Research Methods Slide22

Fire Management Certificate

Hybrid program,

All

courses include pre-class work, 2-days in class and a post-class exam or assignment

,

Courses

are facilitated by a mix of Fire professionals, practical subject matter experts and academics,

Topics

will be based on real job requirements of Fire Service Chief Officers.Slide23

Fire Management Studies Certificate

“This competency based certificate program will provide a solid foundation for those looking to enter into a leadership position in the Fire Service, or to further the career of current Fire Service professionals in mid-level or management positions. The FSMC program will build on existing competencies and experience, and teach how to apply those skills to everyday decision-making, problem solving and strategic planning. Topics focus on the essential competencies required by Fire Service leaders. The courses will provide a practical look into “real life” challenges and opportunities. This program has the endorsement of the office of the

Ontario Fire Marshal and Emergency Management (OFMEM)

and the

Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC).”Slide24

Ontario Fire Service

The Ontario Fire Service will continue to develop, with cooperative partnerships between the Provincial Government, the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs and our educational institutions, to provide progressive training to our Fire service professionals and setting them up for success in an ever-increasingly challenging environment.Slide25

THANK YOU.