Lambton College is responding to the growing need for skilled wildfire and emergency response professionals with the launch of a new program.
The new Wildfire Prevention and Emergency Response Operation diploma program is expected to open to students in the fall of 2027.
"The way that wildfire is structured in Ontario and through most of Canada requires some different certifications. It is a different type of work that these folks are doing, so we've tried very hard to incorporate those elements, and we're working with some partners in northern Ontario to ensure that students have the opportunity to acquire the credentialing that makes them eligible for jobs in fighting initial attack and wildfire," said Dean for Fire Science, Community Services, Business, and IT at Lambton College Aaron Klooster. "On the other side of that program, there are all of these emergency response and emergency management elements as well, so we've really tried very hard to embed as many of these external certifications as we can."
Lambton College will be the first in the country to offer this type of education model of a full range of fire service programs with the addition of wildfire and emergency management to its already established Pre-Service Firefighter and Fire Science programs.
"The more we can do to help Ontario and protect Ontario, the better we're off," Klooster said.
Klooster also noted there is a need for these types of programs as wildfires become more common and widespread.
"With climate issues going on, we're starting to see that fire seasons are longer; they're more intense. We're also seeing flooding certainly up north. It's a common element up there. We see communities flooding seasonally, and so these people are needed, right? This is the type of training that we think is going to be valuable for the future grads coming out of the fire school," he said.
The program will include certifications and specialized fire science and disaster training as well as a blend of curriculum and optional additional training that will be offered locally and in northern Ontario.
"For a southern Ontario school to be doing this, it's kind of an interesting thing, and certainly there is a need," said Klooster. "The severity of what we're seeing for fire seasons in the last little while has increased. It doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon, and so we suspect that there will be opportunities for these grads to engage in meaningful work in wildfire fighting, but also in the response to emergencies, be it flooding or other natural disasters or anything along that aspect."
The college is hoping to see a class of about 30 to 35 students in its first semester and will accommodate more if there's enough interest.
Applications to the new program will be accepted beginning in October 2026.
