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Grey Highlands council has approved a recommendation that the local fire department direct the Grey County Regional fire Training Centre (GCRTC).
Council heard from Grey Highlands Fire Chief Marty Wellwood Wednesday on the fire department absorbing the training centre.
A report from Wellwood says up until March 31, 2021, fire service in Ontario relied on the Ontario Fire College to deliver training programs to thousands of firefighters from across Ontario.
The physical location of the fire college was closed by the provincial government, leading to the creation of regional training centres, meaning firefighters had to be training at the local fire departments.
Later in July, 2022, the Office of the Fire Marshal announced legislation requiring certification for all firefighters in the province. This would require all firefighters within a department achieve certification to be able to respond to calls for service.
“After the closure of the Fire College, training officers from three fire departments within Grey County came up with the idea to create the Grey County Regional Training Centre. All departments within the county were able to provide input and direction to the training centre to provide the necessary training to firefighters,” says the report.
The GCRTC has been in operation at the Grey Highlands Fire Station 2 since 2020 and has been volunteer run. It trains firefighters from across the county for the mandatory training, and has since trained 400 firefighters.
“In 2023, it has become apparent that the GCRTC has outgrown the volunteer operational model and need to be run as a business. The current executive group of the GCRTC simply does not have the spare time and availability necessary to keep up with the Fire College demands and changes,” says the report.
By having the Grey Highlands Fire Department absorb the GCRTC, it would continue to be run as a satellite location, but under its direction.
“We would expand the training courses that could be offered to further enhance the in-house training opportunities,” says the report.
It is estimated there will be eight training sessions per year, and the net annual revenue is projected for between $10,000 to $15,000.