CREDIT: JEFF MCCORMICK
Former Brantford Fire Department chief, Jeff McCormick, will be the co-ordinator of Fanshawe's new fire inspection and fire safety education program.

Brantford Fire Department chief, Jeff Mc Cormick, will join Fanshawe as the co-ordinator of the new fire inspection and fire safety education program, the first of its kind in Ontario.

“I am thrilled to have this opportunity, looking forward to the challenge of being involved in a firstof- its-kind program in the province and I’m looking forward to working with eager students who want to pursue a career in fire prevention and fire safety education,” McCormick said.

With 30 years of experience with the Brantford Fire Department, six of those as chief, McCormick will be able to bring real-life experience to the program, which will help the students looking to excel in this position.

“We are thrilled to have Jeff Mc- Cormick come join us on our team as our first full time faculty member as the co-ordinator of the program. Jeff has a very extensive background on the fire inspection side and fire prevention side,” said Mark Hunter, chair of Fanshawe’s School of Public Safety. “[He is the] ideal person to have as the leader of the program, we are so very fortunate to have him with us.”

The program is a six-semester diploma that will prepare graduates to enter the public or private sectors as certified fire inspectors, fire educators and public information officers. The graduates will also be able to write the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) certification exams and the Ontario Building Code exams.

“Often times the leaders in the fire service come from, just like Jeff McCormick did, the fire inspection side, which means the expectations are the Fanshawe graduates will be the future leaders of the fire service,” Hunter said. “It is a rewarding, challenging position and reflecting that, the entrance requirements for this advance diploma program are pretty high.”

According to both McCormick and Hunter, there was collaboration between the Firefighter Services of Ontario, the Ontario Fire Marshal and a number of fire prevention personnel, fire chiefs and deputy chiefs from across the province who took part in focus groups and identified the types of training and education the program needs to have.

“They have asked to work with us to expand our capacity to train people to do this and this is the first time a college has been granted to have its graduates eligible to have the qualifications to become fire inspectors in the province of Ontario,” Hunter said.

The program is still accepting applications for September 2016 and all classes as well as other public safety programs for the upcoming year will be held in the new building at Fanshawe.

“I think this is a program where upon graduation the candidates are going to have a fantastic opportunity to work in a very worthwhile and rewarding career and there will be lots of opportunities for them to seek those career paths,” McCormick said. “There will be jobs waiting for them.”