Chief Heydon accepts the Award at the 2017 OAFC

At the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC) Conference and Tradeshow in May of 2017, New Tecumseth Fire Rescue was presented with the VFIS Recruitment and Retention Award. The VFIS Recruitment and Retention Award is presented to a department that has demonstrated positive recruitment and retention results using a comprehensive approach to retaining and recruiting volunteer firefighters. The award is sponsored by VFIS and the OAFC and was presented to New Tecumseth Fire Chief Dan Heydon at the conference on May 8th, 2017.

Fire Chief Heydon Tweeted “Appreciative and proud to accept this award on behalf of our exceptional team at New Tecumseth Fire Rescue”.

New Tecumseth Fire Rescue has a dedicated recruit training program encompassing NFPA 1001 Firefigher I and II and NFPA 472 Hazardous Materials Awareness and Core Operations spanning a 14 month period totalling 260 hours of tested skills drill and training. The program is approved by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s AS&E for provincial certification to NFPA standards. On the retention side of training, NTFR maintains an in house NFPA 1001/1002 maintenance program spanning 3 years where firefighter refresh their knowledge and skills. This ensures the lifelong knowledge and skills of firefighting are maintained repeatedly in a challenging program that spans 8 hours a month with dedicated weekends for extended drills and specialty training. New Tecumseth Firefighters and Officers benefit from two dedicated training facilities designed to cover complex operational skills such as search and rescue, RIT/RIC, rope rescue, confined space, class A, B and vehicle fires and smoke and fire behaviour. One facility is a repurposed water treatment facility and the other is a dedicated live fire training center in a partnership with Honda Canada in Alliston Ontario. New Tecumseth recruit firefighters also benefit from the use of a live burn facility located at Canadian Forces Base Borden. New Tecumseth also has a comprehensive EAP program and a gym membership program, encouraging members to maintain their health, fitness and readiness for firefighting.

New Tecumseth Fire Rescue utilizes Stillwater’s FLMS e-Training technology to maintain its various programs and curriculums so that instructors and students benefit from a comprehensive blended program, curriculum and records management system, which maintains all firefighters progress and credentials. Stillwater is very proud to be a part of New Tecumseth Fire Rescue’s training success, and congratulates New Tecumseth Fire Rescue on a job well done.