WELLINGTON NORTH – New mandatory minimum training standards required of all fire departments in Ontario will have little effect on Wellington North Fire Services (WNFS).
New regulations from the province came into effect in July requiring all fire departments, including those staffed by volunteers, to meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) minimum training standards and fully-certify all firefighters by 2026.
Prior to the mandate, no certification whatsoever was required, and fire services throughout the province had training levels determined by municipal councils.
WNFS chief Chris Harrow said the service already trains volunteers to an NFPA level two standard (Wellington North has a full-service department) and has done so for the past six to seven years.
Recruits go through a county-wide training process, with the The Office of the Fire Marshal administering four written exams and four practical exams, and at the end become fully-certified firefighters—the same as any other firefighter with a professional service.
“A lot of volunteers are finding it very fulfilling because you’re training to it, so now you get a certification … when you get the certification, you’re a fully-certified firefighter,” Harrow said.
Five to six years ago, when Harrow was on the board of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, legislating minimum training standards was being discussed.
“We knew that eventually legislation was going to come in,” Harrow said.
What is changing for the service under the regulations is the requirement for each firefighter to also be certified for their individually assigned roles.
For example, a pump truck driver will now have to take a course specifically for that role.
Harrow said recruits will work through those specialized courses, offered through the county’s training program.
Though current volunteers with experience will also have to take specialized courses, they aren’t required by the province to go through the base-level training process to become fully-certified firefighters.
Instead, they’re being “grandfathered” with certification awarded based on their experience.
Details on the criteria for grandfathering aren’t yet available, but Harrow said few of the roughly 40 volunteers split between the Mount Forest and Arthur stations will be affected because most are already fully-certified.
According to Harrow, recent recruits wrote their level one and two exams and were tested on practical skills in July. They will write two more exams, on dealing with hazardous materials, in addition to more practical evaluations, before becoming fully-certified firefighters.
“There is a big demand on them, for them and all firefighters, they have to keep taking courses online and in-person to keep up with different certifications,” Harrow said, adding recent recruits have “dedicated an immense amount of time to complete the training.”
WNFS is hoping to recruit additional volunteers for the next training intake, beginning in January. For more information, contact fire chief Chris Harrow at charrow@wellington-north.com or call 519-343-3735.
