Manitoba Fire Collage or Fire Ect.???

[Skidz]

I would like to know if anyone knows which would be better to go to for someone that would like to get onto a dept. like Brandon or Winnipeg MB or Regina SK. Fire Ect. is close onto half the price of Manitoba Fire Collage but when trying to get onto a specific dept. price may not be a factor. So if anyone is on one of these depts. or knows someone that could help me please let me know, cause I don't want to just waste time and money going to the wrong collage.

[spinhunt]

I got accepted to Manitoba Emergency Services College in Brandon and I too am a little weary of the $11,000 tuition tag.

Keep me posted.

nivfire9@hotmail.com

[skidder]

the brandon fire college is to what i hear good.... 2 instructors where hired from our hall last year and they are having a blast. the good thing about brandon is they give you primary care which if you want to get hired into winnipeg then you have to have it.
I also know of people who graduated from brandon college and where not hired for multiple months.... one is now in regina and the other is still looking.

Good luck to you.

[Toxic]

I don't know anything about Fire Ect. I am pretty familar with Brandon though. I have slammed their hazmat program in the past but in my opinion the college has a good program in PFPP. I think that Winnipeg is hiring almost exclusively from the college in Brandon right now - although they do also pick up qualified vollies too (Maybe the guys from Wpg can confirm or contradict me here). PCP is also a requirement for Wpg and is part of PFPP.

[skidder]

the hazmat program is being redeveloped. take a second look at it. although hazmat is still hazmat even if its gold trimmed and comes with a free shirt.

[Toxic]

Hey Skidder...are you from Steinbach by any chance? I hear the new hazmat guy at the college is from Steinbach. I have yet to meet him.

[FireEMTGuy]

I am not sure if it is Saskatoon or Regina but one of them really likes students from some school in southern ontario. If you are wanting to get on with winnipeg, and if you do not already have your EMT/PCP, then the EST program may be a more suitable program to look at.

[Firefighter1680]

I attended brandon in 1996 when the Tuition was only 1500.00 (sorry guys, it used to be cheap...) Brandon is as good as anywhere. I have also attended the Justice institue of BC. I was hired by vancovuer and had to go there for their training.

The thing to keep in mind is where are you going ot be be applying, if like some you will apply anywhere at first. Winnipeg is the only place you need PCP and Brandon gives you that, so if you look at it that way all bases are covered.

In response to Skidder, the college you go to I would say deteremines only a small factor of you getting hired once you graduate. There are some guys who either just dont get it, or they are horrible in the interview..Once you are done your courses you should have an idea of what an interview is about and how to go about it. To have to wait a couple months to get hired is really not that bad

[yellow]

Fire etc's EST program also offers the PCP if you take the Fire/Medical option. So its that much cheaper I would suggest Fire etc. unless you want to work in Saskatoon then you pretty much have to be a MESC graduate because they require all those extra courses they offer (1031, 1041, 1002, 1006) as well as your PCP. Talk to training officers in the Depts your interested in and get thier input.
my .02

[spinhunt]

I read an article in the newspaper about 3-4 months ago that said that Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service will be looking towards graduates of MESC before volunteers...so that is why I am going to MESC...been a vollie since 2002 and I am looking forward to attending the college in Brandon this September.

[cjklassen]

Most of you probably know this already but for those that don't I thought I'd let you know.

At the present time in Winnipeg their hiring practices have not been the greatest.

If you get a job offer from Winnipeg you will not know if you will be working as a paramedic or a fire fighter. They wait until your skills are assessed and your orientation is over before they decide what you will be.

I've heard from previous rookies that they have put recruits that want to be fire fighters as paramedics and those that want to be paramedics as firefighters.

As of right now there is also no guarantee that you will be able to cross over to the other side. I do not believe that anyone has crossed over in the last two or three years if not longer.(except for maybe 1 class which was promised the opportunity to switch when they were hired) There has been a lot of talk about it but as you know that means squat until it actually happens. Not to say that this may not change in the future.

They also tend to change their hiring practices quit often as well, so you may have continually check in with them.

Many of the hiring issues have to do with the Amalgamation process and hopefully that will be resolved within a year or two. (I'm crossing my fingures)

Winnipeg created this problem by just hiring out of fire colleges. Most of the people from fire colleges want to be fire fighters first. There are many rural paramedics in the system that just want to be paramedics.

I hope this info helps you in you decisions.

[skidder]

Hey Skidder...are you from Steinbach by any chance? I hear the new hazmat guy at the college is from Steinbach. I have yet to meet him.



yup, im a steinbach guy.... geordie is the new HAZMAT MAN... he is the man. he's a cool guy, works hard.