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Course Description

This online course is 36 learning hours over twelve weeks, including 7.5 hours of live online sessions. It is recommended that students spend a minimum of 3 hours each week on coursework. Students may choose to complete more hours of work on the course in order to explore the content in more depth.


This course examines a wide variety of drivers and situations that affect the environment of the fire station. This ranges from the history of the fire service and as a result its effects upon the structure of the local fire department, to that of legal drivers affecting the staffing of both volunteer and career fire stations. Additional areas examined are of the roles of local government, unions, and chief officers, as well as the necessity to effectively address the continuum of dealing with change. 

Course Outline

Unit 1: Municipalities and the Fire Service

A review of the forces affecting municipalities including municipal budget process, case law, and liabilities of municipalities and fire departments.

Unit 2: Chief Officers

Gain an understanding of the limitations and responsibilities of Chief Officers, as well as the various stakeholders with whom they interact.

Unit 3: Employment Equity and Equal Access to Services

Recognize types of discrimination and learn about the application of equal opportunity and the advantages of a diverse fire service work force.

Unit 4: Unions

An examination of the relationships between management and unions.

Unit 5: Promoting Change in the Fire Department

An appreciation of the social, psychological, and fire department structural reasons for change, together with an understanding and application of Greiner’s fire department research.

What You Will Learn

  • A better understanding of the municipal and volunteer structures that affect the delivery of fire services.
  • An appreciation of the dynamic social and legal forces that affect insular fire department structures and delivery systems.
  • An ability to deal with the consistency of change within the fire service from both a personal and organizational perspective. 

Notes

For more Fire Service Management courses click here.

The Faculty of OLCD recommends an intermediate level of English language proficiency for the most effective learning and participation in our online and face-to-face courses. A list of minimum recommended scores on some common English tests can be found on our website. If you have questions about your English language proficiency and ability to succeed in this course, please contact openlearning@dal.ca.

Prerequisites

Please note: A minimum of three years of fire-related (career or volunteer) experience is required for enrolment into the courses that make up the Certificate in Fire Service Leadership. You are able to enrol in this course but you will receive a warning message when you check-out. Please click the "Continue Checkout" button to by-pass this warning and complete your payment.

Once your registration is received, you will be contacted by the Program Manager to verify your experience. If you do not meet the requirements, your tuition will be refunded.

Prerequisite: A minimum of three years fire-related (career or volunteer) experience.

Recommended For

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

Applies Towards the Following Certificates

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Enrol Now - Select a section to enrol in
Section Title
The Environment of the Fire Station
Type
Online - Self-Paced
Dates
Jan 10, 2025 to Apr 04, 2025
Type
Online - Scheduled
Days
Tuesday
Time
7:00PM to 8:30PM
Dates
Jan 21, 2025 to Mar 18, 2025
Schedule and Location
Total Learning Hours
36.0
Location
  • Online Campus - Atlantic Time
Instruction Delivery Method(s)
Course Fee(s)
Fee non-credit $1,095.00
Instructors
Required Software
A webcam and microphone/headset will be required for the live sessions. This course requires a Dalhousie NetID. If you do not currently have a NetID, a NetID will be assigned to you, and—after registration—you will receive an email on how to claim your account. Once you have claimed your account, you will login to the Student Portal under the heading "I have a NetID Username and Password" on the far left of the login screen.
Section Notes

We are closed from December 24, 2024 to January 1, 2025 inclusive. Access credentials to the course site may be delayed for those who enrol during this time period.

This course has scheduled written assignments and discussions within the term time frame. There will also be 5 facilitated online sessions - click on View Details for dates. *Please note: Live session dates and times may be subject to change, but will be finalized 6 weeks prior to course start date.* 

The course site will be open at 4:00 PM Atlantic Time on the course start date.

Section Title
The Environment of the Fire Station
Type
Online - Self-Paced
Dates
Sep 05, 2025 to Nov 28, 2025
Type
Online - Scheduled
Days
Tuesday
Time
7:00PM to 8:30PM
Dates
Sep 16, 2025 to Nov 25, 2025
Schedule and Location
Total Learning Hours
36.0
Location
  • Online Campus - Atlantic Time
Instruction Delivery Method(s)
Course Fee(s)
Fee non-credit $1,195.00
Required Software
A webcam and microphone/headset will be required for the live sessions. This course requires a Dalhousie NetID. If you do not currently have a NetID, a NetID will be assigned to you, and—after registration—you will receive an email on how to claim your account. Once you have claimed your account, you will login to the Student Portal under the heading "I have a NetID Username and Password" on the far left of the login screen.
Section Notes

This course has scheduled written assignments and discussions within the term time frame. There will also be 5 facilitated online sessions - click on View Details for dates. *Please note: Live session dates and times may be subject to change, but will be finalized 6 weeks prior to course start date.* 

The course site will be open at 4:00 PM Atlantic Time on the course start date.

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