Diploma in Executive Fire Leadership

The Diploma in Executive Fire Leadership is offered fully online. The diploma is designed to help Fire Service Officers further develop their knowledge and skills as leaders within their fire departments. 

Graduates of the Diploma in Executive Fire Leadership who have also obtained their Fire Officer III certification will meet the criteria for Fire Officer IV. 

Courses

The diploma consists of four (4) required courses and a choice of electives. Click on each course name for more details and specific learning outcomes:

Required courses:

• OLCD-FIRE0011 Emergency Medical Services Management and the Fire Department (36 hours)
• OLCD-FIRE0013 Fire Department Human Resource Management II (36 hours)
• OLCD-FIRE0022 Program Evaluation and Statistics (36 hours)
• OLCD-LGOV0014 Local Government (18 hours)

Electives (Choose from the options below to total at least 18 hours):

• OLCD-ADED0039 Indigenous Teaching and Learning Perspectives (12 hours)
• OLCD-FIRE0010 Disaster Management and the Fire Department (36 hours)
• OLCD-FIRE0033 Wildfire and Climate Change Adaptation Management (18 hours)
• OLCD-IDEA0001 Understanding EDI: An Organization Imperative (20 hours)
• OLCD-IDEA0002 Inclusive Communications in the Workplace (20 hours)
• OLCD-IDEA0003 Optimizing Diverse Team Performance (20 hours)
• OLCD-LGOV0015 Municipal Law (18 hours)
• OLCD-PALS0010 Coaching Skills for Leaders (36 hours)
• OLCD-PALS0012 Leadership Dynamics or OLCD-PALS0028 Leadership Essentials (36 hours)
• OLCD-PALS0015 Strategic Communications (36 hours)
• OLCD-PALS0030 Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication (36 hours)
• OLCD-PALS0032 Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (36 hours)
• OLCD-PALS0033 Introduction to Occupational Stress and Resilience for First Responder Leaders (18 hours)

Please note: The Diploma requires a passing grade of 70% in each course. See each course for applicable tuition fees and schedule. Some courses fill up quickly, and registration in one course does not guarantee your spot in another. You must register for each course individually to reserve your spot. Courses can only be used towards one diploma program.

There is an application for the Diploma in Executive Fire Leadership, which can be found within the student portal here, called the OLCD Fire Leadership Diplomas Application. 

There is a separate application for Fire Officer IV, which can be found within the student portal here, called the OLCD Fire Officer Accreditation Application. The application fee for Fire Officer IV is non-refundable. 

Prerequisites

The prerequisite for the Diploma in Executive Fire Leadership is the Diploma in General Fire Leadership.

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.

Who Should Take This Diploma?

• Graduates of the Diploma in General Fire Leadership
• Firefighters with Fire Officer III certification that would like to obtain Fire Officer IV certification

Career Opportunities

The Diploma in Executive Fire Leadership can help provide more advanced knowledge and skills that will enable participants to better manage their fire departments.

Recognition of Prior Learning

It may be possible to receive advanced standing in this diploma 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.