A new college program has already paid off for six city firefighters.
Confederation College launched its pre-training firefighter education and training program last fall with 18 students. Thunder Bay Fire Rescue hired six of those students this month.
College president Jim Madder said it’s a great way to end the program’s first year. It took five years to get it off the ground between accreditation and development.
“To see them out and employed and in action today I think is terrific,” Madder said.
As for the rest of the graduates, Madder said they are ready to compete for jobs in any fire department they want.
“I think ultimately they’ll all do extremely well.”
Thunder Bay fire chief John Hay said the program can help students prepare for the written and physical tests associated with the recruitment process but it is in no way a shortcut to the fire service.
The strict hiring process is the same for everyone.
“The goal wasn’t to create a hiring list. The goal was to create students who were able to compete for the jobs in the fire service,” Hay said.
“We’re very consistent about how they’re applied to everyone and that has helped us I think we’ve been successful in getting a lot of good people.”
Competition for spots on any fire service is tough. And Madder said students in the program were competitive with each other to get the best out of each other.
“They urge each other on especially in the physical fitness part of what they do. I have seen them in action and they’re doing great work,” he said.
The program starts again this fall.
