# Policy - Training and Competency

> Fire Service Safety Management System, version 0.3.3 (2026-10-25). The Human Factor. Document FSSMS-POL-11.
>
> Canonical: https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency
>
> Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 with the Adopting Agency Grant (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
>
> General information only, not legal, medical or other professional advice. Verify every requirement against the current official text of the law, standards and manufacturer instructions that apply to you. Obtain your own legal review and consult your joint health and safety committee before adopting anything. You adopt, adapt, implement and rely on this material entirely at your own risk and on your own responsibility. Full terms: Terms of Use, thehumanfactor.ca.

> **Warning: Adoption without implementation increases legal exposure**
>
> Adopting this policy without the training, equipment, supervision, verification and resources to carry it out as written increases municipal and command liability in a regulatory investigation or a fatality inquiry. See [00a Copyright, Licence and Legal Notices](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/copyright-licence-and-legal-notices).

> **Warning: Before adoption**
>
> This model policy requires review by the department’s legal counsel and against every applicable collective agreement and volunteer agreement before adoption. It is general information, not legal advice. Where it conflicts with a statute, a regulation or an agreement, the statute, regulation or agreement governs. Standard and regulation references are cited as of 2026-10-23, while several training standards are being consolidated; confirm each clause and section before the policy is signed.

## How to use this model

**Format.** Adopt as a policy approved by the fire chief (or by the council or board where the municipality’s framework requires it), or restate it as a directive. Keep the numbering, because the training program, the procedures and two audit checklists refer to it.

**Drafting conventions.** **Shall** is mandatory. **Should** is expected unless a documented reason exists. **May** is permitted. Placeholders in double curly braces, such as `{{Department}}`, are completed by the department. Drafting notes sit in callouts and are removed before adoption.

**Keep intact.** Competent before assigned (5.1.2), “not trained, not deployed” (5.1.4), training before anything new goes into service (5.3.2), performance-based verification and remediation without penalty (5.4), the instructor rules for live fire (5.7.2), the training safety officer and the live fire rules (5.8.2, 5.8.3), training that mirrors operations (5.8.4), self-removal without consequence (5.8.7), same standard for volunteers (5.9) and the learning firewall (5.12). **Adapt** the service-to-standard table, the intervals where a regulation or the department sets a stricter one, the delivery schedule and the records system.

| Policy header |  |
|:---|:---|
| Title | Training and Competency |
| Number | {{Policy number}} |
| Approved by | {{Fire Chief}} (role) |
| Effective date | {{Effective date}} |
| Next review date | {{Review date}} (12 months after adoption, then every three years) |
| Policy owner | {{Deputy Chief}} responsible for training |
| Consulted | {{JOHSC}}; {{Union}}; {{Volunteer Association}}; the training division; {{Occupational Health Provider}}; legal counsel |

## 1. Purpose

1.1 To state {{Department}}’s commitment that no member is assigned work they have not been trained for and verified competent to do safely; that training itself is run as safely as the department can make it; and that the department can prove both from its records.

1.2 To assign accountability for training and competency to the line, with the training safety program owned by a line officer through a Program Improvement Team, verified by the health and safety officer and consulted on with the joint occupational health and safety committee.

## 2. Scope and application

2.1 This policy applies to every member: career, volunteer and paid-on-call members, recruits and probationers, officers, specialty team members, and every instructor, including adjunct and visiting instructors.

2.2 It applies to every competency the department relies on: operational, driver and operator, supervisory and command, safety officer, specialty discipline, medical first response and occupational health and safety.

2.3 It applies to all training the department delivers, sponsors or sends members to. At another agency’s facility, the department’s members follow this policy, and its senior officer present withdraws them if the host’s safety arrangements fall short of it.

## 3. Definitions

- **Capability matrix:** the per-station record of the services each station is trained and equipped to deliver, used to decide deployment.
- **Competency:** the knowledge, skill and judgment to do a task safely to a stated standard, shown in performance and not by attendance alone.
- **Currency:** a competency or certification that is within its maintenance or recertification interval.
- **High-hazard evolution:** training with a credible risk of death or serious injury: live fire, acquired structures, roof work, rope and heights, water and ice, confined space and trench, driver training, forcible entry with power tools, flashover simulators.
- **Instructor-in-charge:** the qualified person in overall charge of a live fire evolution [(NFPA 1403, 2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1403).
- **Job performance requirement:** a written statement of the task, the conditions and the measurable standard a professional qualification standard sets [(NFPA 1010, 2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1010).
- **Learning firewall:** the rule that information gathered for learning is never used as the basis for discipline, and that conduct concerns go to a separate process run by different people [(The Human Factor, 2026a)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-the-human-factor-2026a).
- **Performance-based evaluation:** a documented check of a member doing the task against a skills sheet keyed to the job performance requirement, by a trained evaluator.
- **Psychological safety:** the shared belief that it is safe to speak up, ask, admit error and challenge [(Edmondson, 1999)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-edmondson-1999).
- **Service-to-standard table:** the approved table that states the minimum professional qualification, or documented equivalent, for each service the department delivers.
- **Training needs analysis:** the written analysis of the tasks, hazards and competencies each position requires (CSA Z1001-18).
- **Training safety officer:** the person assigned to a training evolution with authority to alter, suspend or terminate it and no other duty during it [(NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 7)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1550).
- **Work-as-done:** how a task is actually performed under real conditions, as distinct from how it is imagined [(Hollnagel, 2014)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-hollnagel-2014).

## 4. Principles

1.  **Competent before assigned.** A member does a task alone only after the department has seen them do it to the standard.

2.  **Training mirrors operations.** The same PPE, SCBA, accountability and air rules apply in training as on the fireground, so habits formed in training are the right ones.

3.  **Training is the one place the department controls every variable.** It should be the safest work a member does, and a training injury is reviewed as seriously as one on the fireground.

4.  **Same standard, different delivery.** Volunteers meet the same competency standard as career members; the department builds the schedule around their lives ([Policy - Volunteer Members](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-volunteer-members)).

5.  **People are the solution we build around, not the problem to fix.** Instructors’ and members’ judgment is the main source of safety in training; the rules exist to support it.

6.  **Procedures describe work as done, written with the people who do it.** What is taught is checked against how the job is really done, and a lesson that does not match the job is changed [(Hollnagel, 2014)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-hollnagel-2014).

7.  **Learning comes before blame, and learning information is never used for discipline.** A failed evaluation leads to help, and a training near miss leads to a review of the plan, the prop and the day, not of the person [(Dekker, 2016)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-dekker-2016).

8.  **Psychological safety is a condition of safety, so speaking up is expected and protected.** Any participant can stop an evolution or leave it, and the drift points that become normal in training are named out loud [(Vaughan, 1996)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-vaughan-1996).

> **Information: Drafting note**
>
> Citations are kept out of the policy statements so the policy reads as policy. The standards and regulations behind each clause are in section 11 and in [Training Safety and Live Fire Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/training-safety-and-live-fire-program) section 3.

## 5. Policy statements

**5.1 Competency before assignment.** 5.1.1 The department shall keep a service-to-standard table stating the minimum professional qualification, or documented equivalent, for every service it delivers: structural firefighting (interior and exterior), driver and operator by apparatus type, officer by command level, instructor, incident and training safety officer, each technical rescue discipline and level, hazardous materials level, wildland, and medical first response. 5.1.2 No member shall perform a service before meeting its standard, except as a probationer under documented direct supervision within a stated limit. 5.1.3 No member shall enter a structure fire’s interior before completing the interior competencies, SCBA qualification, a current fit test and medical clearance. 5.1.4 The capability matrix shall show, for each station, the services it is trained and equipped to deliver, and no crew shall be deployed to a service outside it. *Accountable: the deputy chief responsible for training; officers check before assigning.*

**5.2 Training needs and the plan.** 5.2.1 The training division shall keep a written training needs analysis for every position, career and volunteer, updated from the hazard profile, program changes, learning reviews, audits and JOHSC recommendations. 5.2.2 A multi-year training plan shall schedule initial, maintenance and recertification training for every competency at a stated interval. 5.2.3 OHS training shall be managed as a cycle of needs identification, design, delivery, evaluation and records. 5.2.4 Training materials shall be reviewed at least annually and shall cite the current edition of each standard. *Accountable: the training division.*

**5.3 Orientation and training on change.** 5.3.1 Every new member, including volunteers, students and transfers, shall receive OHS orientation before the first operational shift: rights and duties, the OHS policy, hazard reporting, the right to refuse, stop-work authority, PPE, hazard communication, near-miss reporting, psychological health supports and the JOHSC. 5.3.2 Training shall be delivered before any new equipment, PPE, substance, procedure or process is placed in service. 5.3.3 A member returning after six months or more away, or changing role or station, shall be re-oriented to changed hazards and procedures before the first shift. *Accountable: the training division; company officers.*

**5.4 Competency verification.** 5.4.1 Competency shall be verified by performance against skills sheets keyed to the job performance requirements, by evaluators who are trained and calibrated, and not by attendance alone. 5.4.2 Crews shall be evaluated at least annually in drills under command that test accountability, two-in/two-out, rapid intervention, mayday and air management. 5.4.3 Recruits and probationers shall complete step evaluations before independent assignment. 5.4.4 A member who does not meet a standard shall be given remediation and shall not be assigned the task until they meet it; a failed attempt carries no disciplinary consequence. *Accountable: the training division; company officers.*

**5.5 Currency and recertification.** 5.5.1 Every member shall maintain annual skills proficiency in the competencies of their position at the intervals in the plan. 5.5.2 Certification and qualification expiries shall be tracked, and renewal shall be arranged at least 90 days before expiry. 5.5.3 A member whose competency has lapsed shall not be assigned that service until it is renewed. *Accountable: the training division; company officers.*

**5.6 Supervisor, officer and safety officer competency.** 5.6.1 Every supervisor, career and volunteer, shall complete the supervisor safety modules in [01 Roles and Responsibilities](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/roles-and-responsibilities) section 7 within six months of appointment and before acting as incident commander, including the supervisor’s legal duties, responding to a concern or a stop call, and human factors for officers. 5.6.2 Officers shall meet the fire officer standard for the level at which they command, or follow a documented bridging plan with dates. 5.6.3 Incident commanders shall complete annual continuing education in risk management at incidents, accountability, mayday and rapid intervention, air management, rehabilitation and the safety officer triggers. 5.6.4 Members assigned as incident or training safety officer shall hold the incident safety officer competencies, and the department shall keep a qualified pool large enough for every platoon and volunteer district. *Accountable: the deputy chief responsible for training.*

**5.7 Instructor qualification.** 5.7.1 Every instructor shall hold the instructor qualification for the level delivered: Instructor I to deliver, Instructor II to develop and lead courses. 5.7.2 No member shall instruct at a live fire evolution without the live fire instructor qualification, and no member shall act as instructor-in-charge without that qualification; experience alone is never enough. 5.7.3 Instructors in a technical discipline shall hold that discipline’s qualification at or above the level taught. 5.7.4 Adjunct and visiting instructors shall be entered in the instructor register, with their qualifications checked, before they teach. 5.7.5 An instructor who enters a hazard shall have a current fit test, medical status and PPE in service condition. 5.7.6 Instructors shall complete annual recurrency covering fire behaviour and flashover recognition, current standards, the emergency plan, the year’s training injuries and stop calls, and the drift points the program names, and shall be evaluated annually and observed in high-hazard training. *Accountable: the training division.*

**5.8 Training safety.** 5.8.1 Every practical evolution shall have a written risk assessment proportionate to its hazard, completed before it starts and reviewed with the crew ([Form - Training Evolution Risk Assessment and Live Fire Go-No-Go](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-training-evolution-risk-assessment-and-live-fire-go-no-go)). 5.8.2 Every high-hazard evolution shall have a training safety officer with no other duty and authority to alter, suspend or terminate it. 5.8.3 Live fire evolutions shall follow the live fire standard through [SWP - Live Fire Training Evolutions](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-live-fire-training-evolutions), with no ignition until the go/no-go card is signed, no live victims and no fuel outside the listed fuels. 5.8.4 Training shall use the same PPE, SCBA, accountability and air management as operations; retired gear shall never be used for live fire. 5.8.5 Towers, props and burn buildings shall be inspected under [SWP - Training Tower and Prop Inspection](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-training-tower-and-prop-inspection), and a tagged item shall not be used. 5.8.6 The heat, cold, hydration and rehabilitation rules apply to training as to incidents, and the training safety officer may end a session on weather alone. 5.8.7 Participants shall meet the prerequisites and the medical status for a high-hazard evolution before it starts, and any participant may withdraw without explanation or consequence. *Accountable: the program manager, Training Safety team; instructors-in-charge; training safety officers.*

**5.9 Volunteer access to training.** 5.9.1 Volunteer members shall receive the same orientation and the same competencies as career members performing the same task, before being assigned to it. 5.9.2 Training shall be delivered at times and places volunteers can attend (evenings, weekends, at the volunteer station), scheduled a quarter ahead, with e-learning for knowledge and hands-on sessions for skills. 5.9.3 Training time shall be paid, credited or recognized on the same basis as response time. 5.9.4 Volunteer stations shall have the equipment, props and instructor access to deliver the plan locally or by scheduled rotation. 5.9.5 Volunteer completion rates shall be reported beside career rates, and a gap of more than 10 percentage points shall be a corrective action. *Accountable: the training division for delivery; the fire chief for recognition.*

**5.10 Training records.** 5.10.1 One training records system shall hold, for every member, each course, evaluation, certification, expiry and instructor, retrievable by member, by competency and by station. 5.10.2 Each member and their supervisor shall be able to see the member’s own record and currency. 5.10.3 Training records shall be kept at least five years after the member leaves, or longer where a regulation ([J09 Records Retention](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j09-records-retention)), a claim or the volunteer participation record requires. *Accountable: the training division.*

**5.11 Training injuries, near misses and learning.** Every training injury, exposure, near miss, stop call and self-removal shall be reported before the end of the session, triaged through the learning system, reviewed with the instructors, trended quarterly and fed into the standing risk assessments and instructor recurrency; statutory reports shall be made on time. *Accountable: the program manager, Training Safety team.*

**5.12 Speaking up in training.** 5.12.1 Any participant, instructor or observer may stop an evolution, and the person in charge shall acknowledge, stop, act and review it later for learning. 5.12.2 A member who leaves an evolution shall be thanked and not questioned. 5.12.3 Every concern a member raises about training shall get a reply from the training division within five working days. 5.12.4 No member shall suffer reprisal for a stop call, a self-removal, a report or a concern raised in good faith, and learning information shall never be used for discipline. *Accountable: the fire chief.*

**5.13 Program, consultation and review.** The department shall maintain [Training Safety and Live Fire Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/training-safety-and-live-fire-program) and the multi-year training plan; charter the Training Safety Program Improvement Team; consult the JOHSC on the training plan and every training safety procedure; produce a quarterly update and an annual appraisal of the training program; audit training annually with [Checklist - Training and Competency](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-training-and-competency) and [Checklist - Training Safety and Live Fire](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-training-safety-and-live-fire); and have the system independently reviewed every three years. *Accountable: the fire chief.*

## 6. Roles and responsibilities

Only the differences from [01 Roles and Responsibilities](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/roles-and-responsibilities) are stated here.

6.1 **Fire chief:** approves the service-to-standard table and the recognition basis for volunteer training time; resources the training plan.

6.2 **Deputy chief responsible for training (policy owner):** accountable for competency before assignment, the capability matrix and the supervisor and officer program.

6.3 **Training division:** keeps the needs analysis, the plan, the instructor register, the evaluator pool and the records system; delivers to volunteer schedules.

6.4 **Program manager, Training Safety team:** accountable for training safety outcomes and indicators; owns every open training safety corrective action.

6.5 **Instructors-in-charge and training safety officers:** run live fire and high-hazard evolutions under 5.8; the safety officer’s stop is final until the card is reset.

6.6 **Instructors and evaluators:** teach and evaluate to the standard; record results honestly; refer remediation, not discipline.

6.7 **Company officers:** check competency and currency before assigning; release members for training; report concerns the same day.

6.8 **Members:** keep their own currency; take part in training and evaluation; stop or leave an evolution when something is wrong.

6.9 **{{Occupational Health Provider}}:** supplies medical status for exertion as an outcome only.

6.10 **{{JOHSC}}:** is consulted on the training plan and training safety procedures; designates a standing consultant to the Training Safety team; inspects the training ground at least annually.

## 7. Program and procedures this policy requires

- [Training Safety and Live Fire Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/training-safety-and-live-fire-program) (FSSMS-PRG-08) with its toolkit, and the multi-year training plan.
- [SWP - Live Fire Training Evolutions](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-live-fire-training-evolutions); [SWP - Training Tower and Prop Inspection](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-training-tower-and-prop-inspection).
- Shared: [SWP - SCBA Donning, Use and Air Management](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management); [SWP - Rehabilitation at Incidents and Training](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-rehabilitation-at-incidents-and-training); [SWP - Fall Protection on Apparatus and at Heights](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-fall-protection-on-apparatus-and-at-heights); [SWP - Emergency Vehicle Response and Backing](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-emergency-vehicle-response-and-backing).
- Forms: [Form - Training Evolution Risk Assessment and Live Fire Go-No-Go](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-training-evolution-risk-assessment-and-live-fire-go-no-go); [Form - Driver Qualification and Training Record](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-driver-qualification-and-training-record).
- Related policy: [Policy - Volunteer Members](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-volunteer-members) sections 5.3 and 5.8.

## 8. Records, confidentiality and disclosure

8.1 The records this policy creates are the service-to-standard table, the capability matrix, the needs analysis and plan, course and evaluation records, certifications and expiries, the instructor register, rosters with prerequisite and medical status columns, evolution risk assessments, live fire plans and cards, the training injury log and the concern reply log. They are kept in {{Records system}} for the periods in 5.10.3 and the program.

8.2 Rosters show medical status for exertion as yes or no only, never a diagnosis.

8.3 Failed evaluations and remediation plans are training records, not discipline records, and are not placed in a personnel file as discipline.

8.4 Every record is written on the assumption that it may be disclosed under freedom-of-information legislation, and identifies people by role wherever the purpose allows. Training injury reviews are de-identified before they are shared.

## 9. Reporting

9.1 To the fire chief: the quarterly indicator update; every Tier 2 or Tier 3 training event within 24 hours; the annual appraisal.

9.2 To {{JOHSC}}: training completion, currency and proficiency rates by station and by career or volunteer status each quarter; training injuries, stop calls and self-removals; the corrective action register.

9.3 To council or the governing board: training indicators in the annual health and safety report ([03 Accountability and Reporting](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/accountability-and-reporting)), including any gap between career and volunteer completion.

9.4 To the regulator and the compensation board: as the applicable law requires, including serious injuries in training ([J08 Incident Reporting and Investigation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j08-incident-reporting-and-investigation)).

## 10. Training requirements

| Role | Minimum training | Refresh |
|:---|:---|:---|
| Every member | OHS orientation; the competencies of the position and station | Annual proficiency; recertification on the plan’s interval |
| Supervisors and officers | The supervisor safety modules; the fire officer standard for the command level | Every three years; incident commanders annually |
| Incident and training safety officers | Incident safety officer competencies [(NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 5)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1550) | Every three years |
| Instructors | Instructor I; Instructor II to develop and lead courses | Annual recurrency and evaluation |
| Live fire instructors and instructors-in-charge | Live fire instructor and instructor-in-charge qualifications | Annual recurrency |
| Evaluators | Evaluator training and calibration on the skills sheets | Every three years |
| Health and safety officer | Health and safety officer competencies [(NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 4)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1550) | Continuing education |
| JOHSC members | This policy and the training safety procedures | At each revision |

## 11. Legal and standards basis

11.1 The applicable occupational health and safety statute and regulations, which differ by province and territory: any requirement that the written program provide for the training and supervision of workers ([J03 OHS Policy and Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j03-ohs-policy-and-program)); the employer’s general duty, which includes the training the work needs ([J02 Duties of Employers, Supervisors, Workers and Contractors](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j02-duties-of-employers-supervisors-workers-and-contractors)); consultation with the committee on written procedures and plans, including the training plan ([J05 Joint Committee and Health and Safety Representative](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j05-joint-committee-and-health-and-safety-representative); [J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j06-written-procedures-and-committee-consultation)); the firefighter equipment rules and the training they carry, such as SCBA use, the buddy rule and fit testing ([J12 Fire Service OHS Rules and Fireground Operations](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j12-fire-service-ohs-rules-and-fireground-operations); [J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j13-firefighter-ppe-and-protective-equipment); [J14 Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j14-respiratory-protection-fit-testing-and-breathing-air)); the training intervals for fall protection and confined space ([J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j16-fall-protection-and-rope-access); [J17 Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j17-confined-space)); the reporting of serious injuries in training ([J08 Incident Reporting and Investigation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j08-incident-reporting-and-investigation)); and the retention of training records ([J09 Records Retention](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j09-records-retention)). The Jurisdiction requirements table at the end of this policy lists what to confirm for your province or territory.

11.2 NFPA 1550: members trained and qualified to the professional qualification standards before performing duties, training safety and annual proficiency [(NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 7)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1550); safety officer competencies [(NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 4 and 5)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1550).

11.3 NFPA 1010: firefighter and driver/operator job performance requirements [(NFPA 1010, 2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1010); NFPA 1020: the professional qualifications standard for fire and emergency services instructors, fire officers and EMS officers, which absorbed NFPA 1041 [(NFPA 1020, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1020); the live fire instructor and instructor-in-charge qualifications, which NFPA 1041 carried in its last standalone edition [(NFPA 1041, 2019)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1041) and NFPA 1020 now absorbs.

11.4 NFPA 1403, now consolidated into NFPA 1400: live fire evolutions, training facilities and props, respiratory and rapid intervention training ([NFPA 1403, 2024](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1403); [NFPA 1400, 2026](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1400)); NFPA 1580: medical evaluation and rehabilitation in training [(NFPA 1580, 2025)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-nfpa-1580).

11.5 CSA Z1001: management of OHS training (CSA Z1001-18); ISO 45001: competence and awareness (ISO 45001:2018, cl. 7.2 and 7.3).

11.6 The Criminal Code: the duty of everyone who directs work to take reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm [(Criminal Code \[CA\], 1985, s. 217.1)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-criminal-code-ca).

11.7 Firefighter certification: some jurisdictions set a mandatory minimum certification standard per service by regulation, and others set none ([J34 Fire Services Legislation and Firefighter Certification](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j34-fire-services-legislation-and-firefighter-certification)). Where the department’s jurisdiction sets none, the department’s own service-to-standard table is its floor.

11.8 Accreditation: training needs, legal mandatory training and minimum levels per position; appropriate training, schedules, performance-based evaluation, records and annual appraisal; facilities, instructors, materials and equipment; OHS training from hire and on change [(CPSE, 2019, criteria 8A.1 to 8A.4, 8B.1 to 8B.6, 8C.1 to 8C.8, 11A.5)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency#ref-cpse-2019).

## 12. Review and approval

12.1 This policy is reviewed 12 months after adoption and every three years after that.

12.2 It is reviewed sooner after a training death, critical injury or Tier 2 training event; a change in the applicable regulation or a new edition of NFPA 1550, 1010, 1020 or the training standard; a written request of {{JOHSC}}; or when the annual audit or appraisal recommends it.

12.3 Every revision is consulted with {{JOHSC}}, {{Union}} and {{Volunteer Association}} before approval, and the consultation record is filed with the policy.

## 13. Adoption checklist

| Step | Lead | Done |
|:---|:---|:---|
| 1\. Complete every placeholder and the policy header | Policy owner |  |
| 2\. Counsel and collective agreement review | Fire chief; counsel |  |
| 3\. Approve the service-to-standard table and publish the capability matrix per station | Deputy chief |  |
| 4\. Build the instructor register; confirm every live fire instructor and instructor-in-charge qualification | Training division |  |
| 5\. Name the training safety officer pool and the trigger list | Program manager, Training Safety team |  |
| 6\. Put the evolution risk assessment and the go/no-go card into use | Training division |  |
| 7\. Inspect every prop and structure once; tag what fails | Training division; facilities |  |
| 8\. Write or update the training needs analysis and the multi-year plan | Training division |  |
| 9\. Audit currency for every member; schedule renewals 90 days ahead | Training division |  |
| 10\. Publish the volunteer delivery schedule and the recognition basis | Training division; fire chief |  |
| 11\. Consult the JOHSC, the union and the volunteer association; file the record | Fire chief; JOHSC co-chairs |  |
| 12\. Charter the Training Safety team; hold the first learning-team session with instructors | Deputy chief |  |
| 13\. Start the training injury log, the concern reply log and the quarterly update | Team lead |  |
| 14\. Diarize the 12-month review | Policy owner |  |

## 14. Consulting the JOHSC and bargaining agents

Consult early, before the policy is in final form, and put the outcome in writing.

| They will ask | Honest answer |
|:---|:---|
| What happens to a member who fails a skills evaluation? | Remediation, a re-test and no assignment to that task until they pass. A failed attempt is never discipline, and the record is a training record. |
| Can a recruit really walk out of a burn without being questioned? | Yes. Self-removal is recorded as “self-removed” and nothing more. The instructor follows up on welfare, not reasons. |
| Will volunteers be held to the career standard? | To the same competency standard, yes; to the same schedule, no. Delivery is built around evenings and weekends, and time is recognized. |
| Who decides whether a station is trained for a service? | The capability matrix, approved by the deputy chief and shown per station. A crew is not deployed outside it. |
| Our department burns rarely. Do we have to qualify our own instructor-in-charge? | No. Borrow a qualified instructor-in-charge and safety officer from a neighbour or the provincial fire school, and write the arrangement into the mutual aid agreement. |
| Is training time paid? | Yes, on the same basis as other work, and for volunteers on the recognition basis in 5.9.3. |
| How will we know training is safe and not just recorded? | The indicators in the training safety program, the health and safety officer’s unannounced visits to burns, the committee’s annual training ground inspection, and two audit checklists that score practice and effectiveness, not paperwork. |

Where the parties disagree, record the disagreement, adopt what can be adopted, and review at 12 months.

## 15. Customization and sector variants

> **Note: Customize**
>
> Complete the header and every placeholder. Build the service-to-standard table from the services the Program Profile Worksheet switches on. Set the plan’s intervals, the evaluator calibration method, the volunteer recognition basis and the records system. Decide whether the department pursues third-party certification or documented department evaluation for each service. The policy text is generic across Canada: check each row of the Jurisdiction requirements table against your province’s or territory’s section of the topic page, and where your law sets a stricter interval or a certification mandate, adopt it.

> **Tip: Volunteer and composite departments**
>
> Keep the policy as written and change the delivery: knowledge on e-learning, skills on training nights and weekend musters, travelling instructors and props on a rotation, and borrowed specialists for rare high-hazard evolutions. Track volunteer completion separately so the gap is visible.

> **Information: Delivery note**
>
> Start with the instructor register and the capability matrix; together they show in a week who is teaching what without the qualification and which stations are sent to calls they are not trained for.

**Disclaimer.** This model policy is general information for the use of {{Department}} in building its own policy. It is not legal advice. The applicable statute, regulation and collective agreement govern on any conflict. Confirm every cited clause and section with counsel before adoption.

*End of model policy.*

## Jurisdiction requirements

This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it.

| Topic | What to check in your jurisdiction | Page |
|:---|:---|:---|
| Duties of Employers, Supervisors, Workers and Contractors | The employer’s general duty to provide the information, instruction, training and supervision the work needs, and the duties of officers who direct training | [J02 Duties of Employers, Supervisors, Workers and Contractors](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j02-duties-of-employers-supervisors-workers-and-contractors) |
| OHS Policy and Program | Whether the written OHS program must provide for the training and supervision of workers | [J03 OHS Policy and Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j03-ohs-policy-and-program) |
| Joint Committee and Health and Safety Representative | The committee’s role in training matters, and the training and paid time its own members are entitled to | [J05 Joint Committee and Health and Safety Representative](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j05-joint-committee-and-health-and-safety-representative) |
| Written Procedures and Committee Consultation | The duty to consult the committee when the training plan and the training safety procedures are written or reviewed | [J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j06-written-procedures-and-committee-consultation) |
| Incident Reporting and Investigation | Which training injuries must be reported to the regulator and the compensation board, and how fast | [J08 Incident Reporting and Investigation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j08-incident-reporting-and-investigation) |
| Records Retention | How long training and competency records must be kept | [J09 Records Retention](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j09-records-retention) |
| Fire Service OHS Rules and Fireground Operations | Any fire-service OHS rule that carries a training duty, such as SCBA use and the buddy or two-in rule | [J12 Fire Service OHS Rules and Fireground Operations](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j12-fire-service-ohs-rules-and-fireground-operations) |
| Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment | The protective ensemble, SCBA and PASS standards the regulation names, which set what members are trained to use | [J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j13-firefighter-ppe-and-protective-equipment) |
| Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air | The fit test interval and method, and the respirator training the regulation requires | [J14 Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j14-respiratory-protection-fit-testing-and-breathing-air) |
| Fall Protection and Rope Access | When fall protection training is required and how often it must be refreshed | [J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j16-fall-protection-and-rope-access) |
| Confined Space | The training and retraining intervals for confined space entrants and rescuers, and any firefighter exemption | [J17 Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j17-confined-space) |
| Fire Services Legislation and Firefighter Certification | Whether any law sets a mandatory firefighter certification standard per service; where none does, the department’s service-to-standard table is its floor | [J34 Fire Services Legislation and Firefighter Certification](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j34-fire-services-legislation-and-firefighter-certification) |

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