Unregulated ice rescue courses the only option for firefighters, inquest hears
TORONTO — Firefighters seeking training in ice rescue operations may have no other choice but to take unregulated private courses such as the ones in which two Ontario men died, an inquest into the men’s deaths heard as it began Tuesday.
The Ontario Fire College, a provincial body that offers training to members of municipal fire departments, put its own ice rescue program on hold in 2014 and has yet to replace it with an updated version, the college’s acting academic manager told the coroner’s inquest.
Jeffrey Attwell said he wasn’t aware of any other options outside of the private training industry, which currently has no government oversight or certification.
Asked if anyone could simply open a private safety training program, Attwell said: “I believe so.”