Province of Ontario, Canada Fire Service Education Initiatives A Public/Private Partnership Humber College/OAFC/OFMEM

2 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

3 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.

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5 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-Medics

6 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 members

7 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.

8 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 Officers

9 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.

10 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.

11 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

12 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.

13 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 duties

14 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.

15 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.

16 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.

17 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.

18 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.

19 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.

20 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 Management

21 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

22 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.

23 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).”

24 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.

THANK YOU.