Training with our partners in Fire Pre-Service

One of the roles of a fire prevention officer is to conduct fire investigations determine cause, origin and circumstance. In this function personal and protective equipment (PPE) is so important so how better to prepare our students for their future careers in the fire service than to actually don and use the equipment.

Our Fire Inspection and Fire Safety Education 3rd year students attended Conestoga College and with the help of their fantastic faculty and Pre-Service Fire students were able to use turn out gear and MSA SCBA airpacks. Beyond just wearing the gear, the students were treated to a building search in a two storey training training facility with smoke conditions. The students garnered a new appreciation of the difficulty of working in 50 lbs of gear with black out conditions and heavy smoke. Understanding all sides of the work undertaken in today's fire service is invaluable.

The collaboration between the Fire Service and Fire Inspection students was great to see and a foreshadowing of the inter-division cooperation we want to see in the fire service. I want to personally thank the Instructors Darrell and Mac who did a great job of enhancing the students' learning by providing not only training in gear and scbas but also insights into working on the fire ground and around suppression evolutions.

Another great example of experiential learning that will make our students have the tools they need to be successful as fire and life safety professionals