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Location:  Certification > Accreditation

ACCREDITATION

Accreditation Agency:

IFSAC
Pro Board

What is accreditation?

Accreditation is a voluntarily sought status that is given to an educational institution or program that has been found to meet or exceed stated criteria of educational quality. Accredited entities are recognized as having met the criteria of an independent organization.
Candidates who have been awarded certification by an accredited agency know that they have been measured against valid criteria that meet international standards.
Certification with accreditation affords fire service personnel portability of qualifications.
The accrediting body establishes the minimum criteria for the assessment and validation of the process used to certify fire service personnel to professional qualifications standards.
The accrediting agencies evaluated the Office of the Fire Marshal on:

• Its authority to certify fire service personnel
• The appropriateness of the standards to which the OFM certifies and how the standards compare to the relevant National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard
• The procedures for administering secure, comprehensive, valid, standardized, written and manipulative skills examinations
• The record keeping system

Why accreditation?

The concept of fire service accreditation was created to provide fire service agencies with a systematic, voluntary process for evaluating their educational programs using an established set of professional criteria. Accreditation by a recognized accrediting agency serves as a significant indicator that a program is meeting established standards and stated objectives.
The outcomes of accreditation are intended to assure quality for:

• the learner,
• the educational program,
• and ultimately, the public.

The benefits of accreditation to the Firefighter Certification Program are that it:

• promotes excellence within the fire service
• encourages quality improvement through a continuous self assessment process
• provides assurance to peers and the public that the program has defined missions and objectives and strives to meet or go beyond them
• provides a detailed evaluation of the programs administrative office
• identifies areas of strength and weakness within the program
• provides a method or system for addressing deficiencies and building on strong points
  offers international recognition for the program by peers and the public

Accredited Certification Programs and Courses

Ontario Standards recognized by IFSAC:

1. Firefighter Standards
2. Company Officer Standards
3. Senior Officer Standards
4. Deputy Fire Chief Standards
5. Fire Investigator Standards
6. Fire Protection Advisers Standards
7. Training Officer Standards
8. Fire Prevention Officer Standards

IFSAC accredited programs/courses:

1. Ontario Firefighter Certification Program
2. Company Officer Certification Program
3. Advanced Fire Cause Determination and Investigations Course
4. Public Fire and Life Safety Educators Certification Program
5. OFM Fire Investigators Certification Program
6. Hazardous Materials Operations Level Course
7. Hazardous Materials Technician Level Course
8. OFM Fire Protection Advisors Program
9. Training Officer Certification Program
10. Fire Prevention Officer Certification Program

Pro Board accredited OFM programs/courses:

1. Ontario Firefighter Certification Program
2. Advanced Fire Cause Determination and Investigations Course
3. Public Fire and Life Safety Educators Certification Program
4. Hazardous Materials Operations Level Course
5. Hazardous Materials Technician Level Course
6. Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program

Accreditation Chart  (PDF 34kb)

Program Equivalencies