Municipal Affairs
November 4, 2009
Minister Congratulates Participants of
Fall Fire and Emergency Services Training School
Over 150 firefighters and emergency
management practitioners from municipalities and local
service districts around the province converged on
Stephenville�s Marine Institute�s Safety and Emergency
Response Training (SERT) Centre recently to attain
various fire and emergency management certifications
offered through Fire and Emergency Services-Newfoundland
and Labrador (FES-NL).
"It is obvious that training is an
important part of the fire protection and emergency
services of our province," said the Honourable Tom
Hedderson, acting Minister of Municipal Affairs and
Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services -
Newfoundland and Labrador. "Our government is proud to
provide such valuable training opportunities to
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who can then bring the
skills and knowledge back to their own communities. We
were also pleased to provide a targeted training grant
of $30,000 to help aid those departments where financial
situations would have otherwise prevented them from
attending."
Training participants attained
certifications from the International Fire Services
Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) in Driver Operations,
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Firefighter
Level One and Two, Hazardous Materials Awareness and
Hazardous Materials Operations. IFSAC is the
International Fire Service Accreditation Congress which
is a peer driven, self-governing system that accredits
fire service certification programs within many
countries. Newfoundland and Labrador was one of the
first two participating members to be accredited by
IFSAC and recently renewed its accreditation during the
2009 Clarenville training school.
"Officials with Fire and Emergency
Services - Newfoundland and Labrador should be commended
on the significant amount of time and effort that goes
into planning and delivering these training schools,"
said Minister Hedderson. "Countless hours of work go
into preparing regional trainers, proctors and
participants for the delivery of over 20 courses twice a
year. On behalf of our government, I offer a sincere
thank you to all who made it possible, which includes
the multitude of volunteer firefighters and officials
that take advantage of our training opportunities."
The 2009 fall Fire and Emergency
Services Training School which ran from October 24
through November 1, in Stephenville was a partnership
between FES-NL, the Town of Stephenville, and the Marine
Institute. The next training school will be held in
Grand Falls-Windsor in the spring of 2010.
More information on all the training
opportunities offered through FES-NL can be found by
visiting www.gov.nl.ca/ma/fes/ or by calling
709-729-1608.
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