The Grey Highlands Fire Department will take over responsibility for operating the Grey County Regional Training Centre.
At its meeting on July 5, Grey Highlands council approved a recommendation from Fire Chief Marty Wellwood to take over responsibility for the regional training centre that provides training seminars and workshops to firefighters from area fire departments, as well as from around the province.
The regional training centre was formed by three area departments (Grey Highlands, The Blue Mountains and Owen Sound) in response to a decision several years ago by the province to close the physical location of the Ontario Fire College.
The three departments put together the regional centre run by volunteer firefighters and a small executive group that looked after finances, course coordination and operations. The training centre operates at Grey Highlands Fire Station 2 in Markdale.
In his report, Wellwood explained that the training centre has outgrown its start-up model.
“In 2023, it has become apparent that the Grey County Regional Training Centre (GCRTC) has outgrown the "volunteer" operational model and needs to be run as a business. The current executive group of the GCRTC simply does not have the spare time and availability necessary to keep up with the Fire College demands and changes,” Wellwood wrote in his report. “This proposal is for Grey Highlands Fire Department to absorb the GCRTC.”
Wellwood said the presence of the regional training centre has been a huge benefit to local fire departments.
“The GCRTC allows Grey Highlands firefighters, and firefighters from across the county, to attend the mandatory training in our own facility, negating the need to travel to other locations. Since inception, the GCRTC has delivered training to over 400 firefighters,” Wellwood said in the report.
Wellwood estimated that the operation would net the fire department $10,000 - $15,000 in revenue. Instructors at the training seminars are paid by the Ontario Fire College. Firefighters attending a session pay $250. Wellwood said the training centre offers courses to local firefighters in Grey County first, but does open up courses to all fire departments when there are vacancies. He said firefighters from North Bay, Ottawa, Windsor and Niagara-on-the-Lake have attended sessions.
Council was pleased to support the recommendation.
“This is a positive step that we’re hosting these training centres. It’s good for our volunteers,” said Coun. Nadia Dubyk.
Coun. Dan Wickens asked if there was a chance of the municipality losing money on the training centre.
Wellwood said all courses have minimum and maximum enrollment numbers. A course that does not meet the minimum attendance would not run.
“We would never lose money on a course,” he said.
