The fire chief for North Perth has no problem with the recent announcement that the Ford government plans to put a training program on hold for firefighters, which had been proposed by the previous Liberal government.
Ed Smith said if the goal is to further investigate the training program, that might be a good idea. But as far as the training itself goes, it's absolutely necessary.
"There was no actual certification within the province of Ontario. To be a firefighter you could have training in-house and do whatever the department you belonged to asked of you for training, and that's all that was required," stated Smith.
He said his department has always provided training that meets the standards set in the new proposal and believes that should be the standard throughout the province.
Smith admitted the cost could be an issue for some smaller, rural departments but his council has always agreed the training was necessary and has provided the money to cover it.