Certificate in Fire Service Leadership

The new Certificate in Fire Service Leadership (CFSL) consists of three (3) fully online courses. It provides fire service officers with opportunities to expand their knowledge of the fire service and add management education to their technical training. 

Courses

Each course in the certificate is twelve (12) weeks in length and consists of 36 learning hours, including 7.5 hours of live online sessions. Learners can expect to spend a minimum of three (3) hours per week on their studies.

Click on each course name for more details and specific learning outcomes:

• OLCD-FIRE0034 Station Officer Essentials: People & Operations
• OLCD-FIRE0035 Fire Prevention and Suppression Management
• OLCD-FIRE0025 The Environment of the Fire Station

Please note: The Certificate requires a passing grade of 70% in each course. See each course for applicable tuition fees and schedule. You must register for each course individually to reserve your spot. Courses can be taken in any order. Enrolling in OLCD-FIRE0034 or OLCD-FIRE0035 will automatically enrol you into the certificate. 

Prerequisites

Students who enrol in this certificate should have a minimum of 3 years of experience working or volunteering in the fire service.

Language Requirement: University-level English language proficiency required in writing, speaking and reading comprehension. It is recommended that students have an IELTS Academic score of 6.5 overall or a TOEFL-IBT score of 90 overall for this program. Please see the following guidelines from Dalhousie University for more information: English Language Requirements For Undergraduate Admissions - Admissions - Dalhousie University.

Program Delivery

The program is delivered through the flexibility and convenience of Dalhousie's enriched and engaging online learning platform (OpenDal). Courses include group activities, live streaming lectures and project work. Course delivery is designed to provide maximum benefit and flexibility through online study. All course materials are made available through the OpenDal learning platform and are included in the course fees.

Who Should Take This Certificate?

Any of the following individuals: 

• Junior officers in career fire departments
• Any officer in volunteer fire department
• Any officer in a composite fire department
• Any firefighter who wants to become an officer

Career Opportunities

• For junior officers in career fire departments, it provides essential knowledge for the supervision and leadership of firefighters in fire stations.
• For officers in volunteer departments, it provides essential knowledge for the supervision of volunteers and knowledge to plan new activities within the department.
• For officers in composite fire departments, it provides essential knowledge for the supervision of both volunteer and career firefighters.

Recognition of Prior Learning

It may be possible to receive advanced standing in this certificate based on your prior learning from work or life experience. We provide two types of recognition of prior learning:

• Prior Certified Learning: Assessment of prior coursework or training through a provider, that is neither a university or college, for the purpose of advanced standing. Examples of certified learning may include military courses, accredited certificates, workplace training programs, etc.
• Prior Experiential Learning: Assessment of previous work and life learning that may be equivalent to learning outcomes of university courses / programs, for the purpose of advanced standing. Relevant prior learning may come from work or volunteer experience, participation on committees or boards, independent study, etc.

To discuss how to use your prior learning to apply for advanced standing, please contact rpl@dal.ca.