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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.


Fire Department Human Resource Management I explores the HR strategies, operations, and human resources services applied to fire and emergency services in Canada. The content considers the systems, policies, services, and challenges facing Fire Services organizations in attracting, developing, engaging, safeguarding, and retaining staff needed to serve or function effectively and efficiently. The focus of the course is on productivity through HR functions and practices that attract new employees and enhance employee productivity, retention, engagement, health and safety, and satisfaction.

Course Outline

  • Module 1: Getting Started with HR Management
  • Module 2: Major HR Issues Facing Canadian Fire and Emergency Services
  • Module 3: Recruitment Strategies and Practices
  • Module 4: Evaluating the Recruitment Function
  • Module 5: Key NFPA Standards and Strategic Planning
  • Module 6: HR and Organizational Leadership in Decision-Making
  • Module 7: Compensation Strategies
  • Module 8: Employee Benefits
  • Module 9: Health, Safety, and Performance
  • Module 10: Training
  • Module 11: Labour and Employment Law
  • Module 12: Development of Employee and Labour Relationships

What You Will Learn

Upon completion of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Explain the foundational principles of human resource management and its strategic role in organizations.
  • Analyze the unique HR challenges and strategies within fire and emergency services.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment and retention strategies.
  • Develop comprehensive compensation and benefits plans that align with organizational goals.
  • Implement effective training and development programs to enhance employee skills and performance.
  • Apply labour and employment laws to ensure compliance and promote fair employee relations.
  • Create a positive organizational culture through effective employee relations and communication strategies.
  • Use strategic planning and decision-making models to enhance organizational performance.
  • Assess the impact of health, safety, and wellness programs on employee well-being and organizational success.
  • Design innovative HR solutions to address emerging organizational challenges.

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

This course is one of six required courses in the Certificate in Fire Service Administration program. The Certificate in Fire Service Leadership program is a prerequisite to the CFSA program.

Prerequisite: Completion of the "Certificate in Fire Service Leadership"

Recommended For

This course will be of interest to:

  • all students who seek to build skills for promotion;
  • senior leaders who wish to assess their departments’ strategies and approaches to common people challenges;
  • current supervisors looking for insights and approaches to daily problems and opportunities;
  • firefighters seeking to understand their daily work life and influences on the performance of the team.
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Enrol Now - Select a section to enrol in
Section Title
Fire Department Human Resource Management I
Type
Online - Self-Paced
Dates
Apr 10, 2026 to Jul 03, 2026
Type
Online - Scheduled
Days
Monday
Time
3:30PM to 5:00PM
Dates
Apr 27, 2026 to Jun 22, 2026
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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