Authority
History
Professionalization Process
Professional Standards Setting
Body
Standardized Curricula
Certification Council
Purpose of Certification
Term of Certification
Benefits of Certification
Certification Requirements
Window of Opportunity
Certification Renewal
Simulations Guide
The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal certifies Ontario training officers to the Ontario Training Officer Standards. The Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 (FPPA), clauses 9 (2) (d) provides authority to the Office of the Fire Marshal for training and evaluation of firefighters.
In 1988, ‘Paradigm for Progress’, a Task Force Report to the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs recommended that the Professional Standards Setting Body (PSSB) be created with the mandate to develop a training, educational and certification system for the Ontario Fire Service.
The PSSB, under the auspices of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC) and the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) has developed and published nine Ontario Fire Services Standards.
The PSSB is a partnership between the OAFC and OFM, and includes membership from all major fire service stakeholders.
The mandate of the Professional Standards Setting Body is to:
The endorsed Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program, developed by the OAFC and OFM, is being delivered by community colleges across the province in partnership with fire departments.
The endorsed, standardized Ontario Firefighter Curriculum has been developed by the OFM and OFC. The Certificate of Achievement is the academic requirement for the Ontario Firefighter Certification Program.
Successful completion of the Fire Prevention Officer Diploma Program, developed by the OFM and delivered by the OFC, meets the academic requirement for the Ontario Fire Prevention Officer Certification Program.
The Company Officer Diploma Program was developed
by the OFM and is delivered by the Ontario Fire College. Candidates who
successfully complete the program meet the academic requirement for company
officer certification
through the regular route.
In 1996, the Certification Council held its first meeting. The Council includes membership from fire service stakeholders, OFM personnel and independent persons appointed by the Fire Marshal. For a list of current members, consult the OFM web site, or training officer certification, questions and answers.
The mandate of the Certification Council is to develop and recommend policies and procedures required for an ongoing, voluntary certification program.
Certification formally acknowledges that an experienced training officer in Ontario meets the recognized job performance standards, and educational/training and job experience requirements as approved by the Office of the Fire Marshal and agreed to by the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs.
Certification is not a means of determining who shall participate in the practice
or profession of firefighting its related activities. A lack of certification is
only an
indication that the individual has not applied for or completed the requirements of
certification.
The initial training officer certificate is valid for five (5) years from the date of issuance and subsequent renewals.
There are a number of benefits to training officer certification:
Certification is a voluntary process and is based on a candidate's ability to:
Training officers, employed after June 1, 2005 when the Ontario Training Officer Certification Program was introduced, are eligible to certify through the regular route.
To meet the academic requirement, a candidate is required to successfully complete a community college Certificate in Adult Education plus required OFM courses, which focus on the application of adult education skills within the fire service context. Successful applicants will be awarded an Ontario Fire College Training Officer Diploma.
Training officers may be eligible for advanced standing towards the academic requirements for certification, based on courses or programs they completed in the past. On-the-job experience may also qualify toward advanced standing. Determinations of how much, if any, advanced standing to grant will be made by both the community colleges and the Ontario Fire College.
Candidates employed as training officers in a municipal fire department in
Ontario as of May 31, 2005 when the Training Officer Certification Program
was introduced are required to meet the following academic requirement:
Training officers are responsible to maintain their certification and initiate renewal. The procedures for certification renewal will be developed, utilizing the following guiding principles:
The purpose of this document, which was released in November 1999, is to provide Ontario Fire Service personnel who are responsible for the training and/or evaluation of training officers, with guidelines for the creation of safe, effective, standardized, simulated exercises.
This document complements and relates specifically to:
The Guide is posted on and available for downloading from our web site:
http://www.ofm.gov.on.ca/
For further information or if you are unable to access our web site, please contact the OFM Certification Office at 416-325-3142.
There is no fee for certification and certification renewal, at this time.
Members are representative of the Ontario Fire Service. For a list of current members, consult the OFM or OAFC web sites.
Note: There are seven brochures on The Professionalization Process for the Ontario Fire Service — Ontario Professional Standards Setting Body, Endorsement, Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program, Ontario Firefighter Certification Program, Ontario Fire Prevention Officer Certification Program, Ontario Company Officer Certification Program, and Ontario Training Officer Certification Program.
Regarding Training Officer certification, please contact the OFM Certification Office at: (416) 325-3142
Regarding PSSB, please contact the PSSB Secretary at the OAFC, 335 Bayly
Street West, Suite 206, Ajax, ON L1S 6M2
1-800-774-6651
Regarding endorsement, please contact the Endorsement Review Board Office at: 1-800-744-6651
For current information visit the following web sites:
OFM http://www.ofm.gov.on.ca
OAFC http://www.OAFC.on.ca
OAFTO http://www.firetraining.ca
OMFPOA http://www.omfpoa.com
Ontario Training Officer Certification
Program Brochure (pdf 43kb)
Ministry of the Community Safety and Correctional Services
Office of the Fire Marshal
Certification Office
Place Nouveau Building
7th Floor 5775 Yonge Street
North York, Ontario
M2M 4J1
Ph: (416) 325-3142
June 2005
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