Overview
Southwest Fire Academy provides the unique opportunity for candidates to be trained on the minimum job performance requirements for personnel at the scene of hazardous materials incidents, to the Technician level. This course is taught by experts in the field, who have up-to-date knowledge and vast hands-on experience with hazardous materials incidents. These instructors are on the job. They take the initiative to continuously learn and train, to ensure the delivery of the best quality training to students. Using life-size and interactive props, candidates will experience training sessions and run various training scenarios, based on actual calls that our instructors have experienced. Students will learn to face the challenge of mitigating hazardous materials emergencies.
Topics include: classifying and verifying the presence of hazardous materials using various instruments, demonstrating the use of instruments to identify hazards, predicting substance behaviour, estimating potential outcomes, developing a command structure and a plan of action, utilizing appropriate PPE, performing control options, and performing decontamination.
All training is conducted safely in accordance with Section 21 Guidance Notes, NFPA Standards for Increased Hazard Exposure Training, and experienced Southwest Fire Academy instructors with a 5:1 student to instructor ratio.
Prerequisites
NFPA 472: Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents
Or
NFPA 1072: Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations Operations
Program Components
- Equipment familiarization / inspection and maintenance
- Decontamination
- Air Monitoring and Sampling
- Plugging / Patching
- A / B / C Kits
- Incident Command
- Planning and Research
- Use of PPE, including: Level A Suits, Level B Suits, SAR, SCBA
Note: You will be provided access to online course content shortly after your registration, which must be completed prior to your arrival on SFA campus.
Certification
Candidates successful in this program will receive a certificate of completion from Southwest Fire Academy, and will qualify to complete OFMEM testing. Be advised that Pre-Service students are not eligible to complete the testing for Hazardous Materials Technician with the OFMEM. Pre-Service students qualify to complete the examinations for Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations, but not Technician. This not a Southwest Fire Academy rule, but an OFMEM rule. Municipal firefighters are eligible to complete testing.
Please note: OFMEM testing is included in the price of your course. If you are interested in completing OFMEM testing, please email registrations@fire-academy.ca with an attached Eligibility Letter from your fire department. This is required four weeks prior to the testing date, in order to qualify and register for testing.
What is Included
- Use of SFA PPE and equipment
- Complete JPR package (SFA retains all original documentation)
- Certificate of qualification
What to Bring
- CSA approved footwear
- Station workwear (long pants recommended)
Additional Information
Please note: if this course is not filled to 75% capacity 7 days before it is scheduled to begin, it may be cancelled. In the event of course cancellation, you will be provided adequate notice and a full refund.
Accommodations may be available upon request for the duration of your program. If you are staying for one or two nights, the flat rate for accommodations is $50 plus taxes. If you are staying for three or more nights, the fee is $100 plus taxes, total. Regardless of how long you are on campus, your fee will not exceed $100 plus taxes. This fee grants you access to your bunk, a communal kitchen, parking, and washroom/shower facilities. Please contact SFA at 705-510-9501 or registrations@fire-academy.ca with advanced notice, to reserve your spot.