Training Ontario’s Firefighters

Our government is investing $700,000 to support four innovative and free training projects designed for 203 professional and volunteer firefighters around the province. Training will focus on fighting fires in hazardous (Mayday) situations for small and rural services to ensure they are equipped and prepared for ground rescue and wildfire scenarios. There will also be courses on automobile extraction, boating and water safety, and elevator rescue. This will help ensure firefighters have the training and resources they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.  

Our firefighters are true heroes who face danger head-on without hesitation to protect our communities and our people. This new training investment is critical to tackling the operational and mental health challenges our professional and volunteer firefighters encounter daily. The training programs offer peer support and mental health services ensuring our firefighters have the training and experience they need to continue to take care of their communities and themselves.

Quick Facts

• There are about 30,000 firefighters in Ontario, including about 12,000 full-time firefighters, nearly 19,000 volunteer firefighters, and more than 400 part-time firefighters.
• Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association is receiving $367,105 for the Fire Ground Survival Program and $65,995 for the Peer Support Program.
• The City of Mississauga is receiving $101,099 for the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Fire Ground Survival program.
• The Town of Georgina is receiving $176,000 for the Professional Development Georgina Fire & Rescue Services project.
• Through its first three funding rounds, the Skills Development Fund helped launch 595 projects to help nearly 522,000 people around the province take the next step in their careers.
• Ontario’s Skills Development Fund is supported through labour market transfer agreements between the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.