CAMBRIAN COLLEGE
Cambrian College Adds Wildfire Training to Pre-Service Firefighter Program

With wildfire season seeming to expand every year and wildfires causing more damage than ever, the demand for people trained, ready, and qualified to fight forest fires is growing.

To help meet this need, Cambrian College has added an optional course in wildland firefighting to its Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training program.

"I'm excited to offer our students another pathway to firefighting within Ontario," says Dave Tessier, a faculty member in Cambrian's Pre-Service Firefighting program.  "Fighting a fire in an urban area is completely different than battling a blaze in the forest, and now our students will be trained for both. The best part is our Pre-Service Firefighting program ends just as the forest fire season is getting underway, so our students are available the moment they graduate."

Wildland Firefighting Training is a 40-hour course that is a requirement to work as a forest firefighter in Ontario. It is being taught at Cambrian by Fire 1, a company specializing in wildlands forest fire training. The course focuses on such aspects as basic fire behaviour and fire terminology, the maintenance and operation of equipment such as the power pump, and the proper use of suppression hand tools, communications equipment and camping gear.

"One of our goals is to meet the demands of industry", says Janice Clarke, Cambrian's Vice-President Academic. "By offering wildland firefighting training in our existing Pre-Service Firefighter program, our graduates will have the training to fight fires in any environment, which makes them incredibly valuable to employers."

In addition to earning their Ontario Certificate in Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training, students who successfully complete this Wildland Fire Training earn a certification that is valid for two years (two fire seasons), with renewal required every two years.

Learn more about Cambrian's Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training program at  https://cambriancollege.ca/programs/pre-service-firefighter-education-and-training.