2018 Registration Information & Fees - 2019 Information Coming Soon!

Registration for the Fire Service Women Ontario Professional Development Symposium and AGM is $350 for members and $450 for non-members, $250 for students, one day option is $250 and Changing Careers is $150. 

Your registration fee covers:

FSWO Members: $350 + HST

• Your fee includes: 2 full days of selected HOT courses and/or professional development workshops (Friday, October, 26 and Saturday, October 27), lunches and refreshments, opening ceremonies dinner and keynote speaker Friday night, cocktail/appetizer reception and silent auction Saturday night, and breakfast at the Annual General Meeting on Sunday, October 28.

Non-Members: $450 + HST

• Your fee includes: 2 full days of selected HOT courses and/or professional development workshops (Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27), lunches and refreshments, opening ceremonies dinner and keynote speaker Friday night, cocktail/appetizer reception and silent auction Saturday night, and breakfast at the Annual General Meeting on Sunday, October 28.

One Day ONLY: $250 + HST

• Your fee includes: 1 full day of selected HOT courses and/or professional development workshops, lunch and dinner on Friday, October 26 or cocktail/appetizer reception on Saturday, October 27.

Student: $250 + HST

• Your fee includes: 2 full days of selected HOT courses and/or professional development workshops (Friday October 26 and Saturday October 27), lunches and refreshments, opening ceremonies dinner and keynote speaker Friday night, cocktail/appetizer reception and silent auction Saturday night, and breakfast at the Annual General Meeting on Sunday, October 28.

Changing Careers $150 + HST  Please refer to Changing Careers. This program is for women who are not firefighters, but may be considering a career in the fire service.

• Your fee includes a full day of instruction, lunch, refreshments and cocktail/appetizer reception on Saturday night.

Friday Night Dinner (ONLY) $50 + HST

• Surge uniform or business casual dress required.

Saturday Night Cocktail/Appetizer Reception/Silent Auction (ONLY) $35 + HST

• Casual dress.

Become a Member today and save on registration.

Event Registration

Registration will take place in the lobby of the Delta Waterloo Hotel at the following dates & times:

October 25 - 5:00pm to 7:00pm
October 26 - 7:00am to 8:00am
October 27 - 7:00am to 8:00am

If you are attending HOT classes, please make sure to register Thursday night if possible. If you aren’t arriving until Friday or Saturday morning, please make sure to register early to allow for travel time to HOT class facilities. Registration is only available at the Delta Hotel, not at HOT class locations.

Fire Service Women Ontario

About Us

St. Jacob’s Fire Hall
3 Water Street, St. Jacobs, ON N0B 2N0

Cambridge Fire Department - Station 1
1625 Bishop Street North, Cambridge, ON N1R 7J4

IN CLASS SESSIONS:

Delta Waterloo Hotel
110 Erb St. West
Waterloo, Ontario
N2L 0C6

Thank you for Attending Fire Service Women Ontario 2018!

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2018 Symposium Agenda - 2019 Information Coming Soon!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2018 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2018

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2018 

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Changing Careers – Firefighters Wanted

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a firefighter, working as part of a team serving your community? Fire Service Women Ontario is offering an opportunity to women interested in firefighting as a career or volunteer opportunity.

During this full day session, we will explore the fire service from ‘where do I start’ to ‘how do I get hired’. The day will include in-class sessions on career prep, education, physical testing and the hiring process, as well as practical fire ground operations. Led by current firefighters, Conestoga College instructors, and women currently changing careers, you will gain exposure to firefighter training, comradery and what it takes to do the job. If you are curious if the fire service is for you and want to know what it’s all about, this session is for you.

Participant Requirements:

• Clothes suitable for physical fitness.
• Water bottle.
• Notebook and pen.
• Work gloves.
• Steel toe boots.

To register for this program click here.

Thank you for Attending Fire Service Women Ontario 2018!

Please find our 2018 Professional Development Workshops and Presenters below - 2019 Information Coming Soon!

Keynote Speaker: Isobel Granger

Isobel Granger is an individual who has advocated on behalf of issues affecting women and children. Her hard work, excellence, professionalism and service have made a profound difference in the lives of women in Canada and abroad. From her role as the first black officer to join the ranks with the British South Africa Police in segregated Rhodesia (which became Zimbabwe) and as one of the first five black female officers with the Ottawa Police Service 1994; as a leader of a platoon; her supervision in the Ottawa Police Youth Section, Diversity and Race Relations and OPS Partner Assault Unit (Domestic Violence),  through to her work delivering gender-based sexual violence training to UN personnel in peace operations around the world, her lifelong commitment to empowering individuals towards better lives and social change is truly extraordinary. Isobel is a catalyst for change that engages, motivates and inspires young women to consider the role they can play in strengthening the civic fabric of Canada. Isobel is one of 150 people from around the world, on the Justice Rapid Response Roster, a United Nations Women’s Initiative, who are qualified to investigate Sexual Gender Based violence related War Crimes against state leaders at the International Level. Isobel currently oversees a number of technical, forensic and investigative units in the Criminal Investigations Directorate of the Ottawa Police Service. She has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Policing Studies and a Masters Degree (MA) in Leadership.

IMS Safety Officer Academy
Presented by: Dave Dodson

This is a two-day (16 hour) course derived from Dave Dodson’s book: “Fire Department Incident Safety Officer” (Jones & Bartlett, 3rd edition, 2015) and addresses ISO components of NFPA 1521 (2015).  The course is a realistic, street-applicable approach to performing the functions of the Safety Officer at fires and other working incidents.

Retired Battalion Chief Dodson is a fire service author, lecturer, and trainer.  He is a 39-year fire service veteran, serving with the US Air Force, as well as the Parker (CO) and Loveland (CO) Fire Departments.  In January 2017, Chief Dodson became the first recipient of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.”  In 1997, Dave was chosen as the ISFSI “George D. Post Fire Instructor of the Year."

When I Doubt Myself and Other Women (Part 1) – Confronting Internalized Sexism
Presented by: jona olsson

This workshop encourages women to examine the harmful impact of a lifetime of sexist messages that can cause competent women to doubt their own judgment, competence & leadership capacity, and those of other women.

Self-confidence is a requirement for success in fire/emergency service. Most female responders have overcome many of the sexist comments, behaviors and policies that challenged them reaching their current positions, but their own, internalized sexism may still be holding them back.

Participants will confront the internal doubts, the effect on performance and support of other female firefighters and explore ways to overcome those doubts.

When I Doubt Myself and Other Women (Part 2) – Healing Deeper
Presented by: jona olsson

Leadership in the fire service demands self-confidence, and trust of one’s own knowledge, judgement and capabilities.  While most women have successfully challenged sexist comments, behaviours, policies and organizational structures to get to their positions, the impact of internalized sexism often still holds us back –since a lifetime of sexist messages causes us to doubt our judgement, our competence, and our leadership capacity.  Picking up from Part 1, we’ll help each other dig deeper and explore strategies to interrupt our patterns of self-doubt, and to support other women, so we can all perform our very best.

Men of Conscience – Standing Up Against Sexism
Presented by: jona olsson

The fire service still struggles with the legacy of its all-male history.  Sexism manifests differently in 2018, but the attitudes, behaviours and policies that constitute sexism, interpersonally and institutionally, still discourage, demean, oppress and endanger all women.  While men are also hurt by sexism, they still benefit from sexist attitudes and discrimination against women – even men of conscience.  The result: the effectiveness of emergency services is reduced – NOT by women, but by sexism.  This interactive workshop offers men a chance to identify both their responsibilities and their opportunities to work for gender justice in a supportive, yet challenging environment.

jona olsson is the Director of cultural bridges to justice and Asst. Chief of Latir Volunteer FD in New Mexico, US. jona has presented for IAFC, IAFF, FBU, i-women, CAFC, FSWO, London and Edinburgh Fire brigades, Ottawa and Calgary Fire Departments, Australasian Fire and Emergency Authorities Council, Women and Firefighting Australasia (WAFA) plus many other agencies in the U. S., Canada, UK and Australasia. She was named 2012 Volunteer Chief of the Year by Fire Chief Magazine and IAFC. In 2015 she received the first Ambassador Award from FSWO. jona lives with her wife, Jane, and several rescued 4-footed friends.

#MeToo in the Fire Service: Ending Harassment and Discrimination
Presented by:  The Barbra Schlifer Clinic

Women are speaking up and saying #metoo in all places of work, and the fire service is no exception. This panel will convene fire service and legal experts to discuss how to best support fire service women who bravely come forward and report their experiences of discrimination and harassment on the job.

The Barbra Schlifer Clinic offers legal representation, professional counselling and multilingual interpretation to women who have experienced abuse.

Our diverse, skilled, and compassionate staff accompany women through personal and practical transformation, helping to build lives free from violence. We are a centre by, for and about women. We amplify women’s voices, and cultivate their skills and resilience. Together with our donors and volunteers, we are active in changing the conditions that threaten women’s safety, dignity, and equality.

Hiring Panel
Presented by:  Chief Deryn Rizzi and Chief Jim Andrews

Trying to land a job as a firefighter can be a daunting process, considering the stiff competition. Today, fire departments look for well-rounded individuals who not only meet the physical and mental challenges of the job, but are also a good fit in terms of personality and leadership potential. This program will review drafting a resume that will get you noticed, the art of the application, and interview skills. In addition, we will review the courses, certification and other continuing education opportunities which may boost your scores in the application and recruitment process.

Deryn Rizzi is the Fire Chief for the Vaughan Fire & Rescue Service (VFRS).  Deryn is honoured to serve as an Aide-de-Camp for Lieutenant Governor of Ontario; Elizabeth Dowdeswell.  Deryn also is an elected Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, representing the Chief Officers from 448 departments in Ontario.  Deryn is a PhD candidate at York University.  Her doctoral work supplements a master’s degree in disaster and emergency management from York University and bachelor of education and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Queen’s University. Chief Rizzi actively promotes fire safety and prevention practices while acting as a visible advocate for both the VFRS and the Ontario fire service.

Jim Andrews lives in Ottawa with his wife Cathy and has two adult children, Cam Lin and Justin. Jim joined the fire service family in 1990 with the former City of Nepean. He has since held various positions with Ottawa Fire Services including; Lieutenant, Fire Training Officer, Special Teams Coordinator, Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Team Leader, Station Captain and Acting District Chief. Jim assumed the role of Sector Chief with Ottawa Fire Services Rural and Special Operation division in 2017.

Jim is currently taking a Masters Diploma in Municipal Leadership through York University’s Schulich School of Business. He received his Executive Diploma in Municipal Management from Western and Seneca College in 2014. Jim is a certified fire service instructor with extensive special operations training and experience.

Jim’s involvement with FSWO reaches back to the first Camp FITT in Ottawa; where the seeds of this organization were first sown. He has presented at numerous FSWO conferences; providing insight on crisis management, leadership and workplace harassment.

Jim is committed to providing the FSWO membership with high quality professional development opportunities that Empower, Educate, and Encourage.

Responding to Electrical Emergencies for Emergency Responders
Presented by:  Tim Burgess

The class is an interactive, PowerPoint driven lecture filled with energy and experiences in responding to electrical emergencies. We take the book “Electrical Safety Handbook for Emergency Responders“, and explain it from one firefighter to another firefighter. Tim will explain how to apply the concepts listed in the publication in order to be safe while at the scene. There are discussions and video clips to help re-enforce the understanding.

Tim Burgess’ background incorporates 30 years of emergency response experiences within Ontario in various capacities including working as an Arborist, Industrial Nuclear Power Plant Firefighter, Forest Firefighter, Electrical Powerline Maintainer and Health & Safety Instructor. He has been involved with volunteer fire departments since 1989, and currently as the Assistant Fire Chief with the Cramahe Township Fire Department. Safety has always been important to Tim and must be a priority while responding to electrical emergencies. He believes fire service responders must know how to remain safe while responding.

Tactical Yoga and Breathing - This is Your Nervous System on Stress
Presented by:  Jessica Stephenson and Lindsay Gulanes

Join Jessica and Lindsay for a practical approach to self-regulation to maintain good nervous system health as a first responder. Spending too much time in fight or flight mode can deplete your energy and cause deleterious health impacts that not only reduce your capacity at work, but also drain your quality of life. Using yoga and somatic experiencing techniques, Jessica and Lindsay will guide you through skills that you can use to optimize your nervous system and feel alert, responsive and calm”.

Jessica Stephenson has been with Waterloo Fire Rescue for 13 years.  She has two amazingly crazy children and a passion for people.  She has joined her experience in the fire service with her understanding of the human body and nervous system to provide you with real life tools to manage your day, on and off your mat, and on and off the job.

Lindsay Gulanes has more than 3,000 hours of experience teaching yoga classes and leading trainings and workshops. In addition to her love for yoga, Lindsay is also a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, a neurobehavioural intervention therapy style used in renegotiating trauma.

Pre-Emergency Responder and PTSD
Presented by:  Joe Casey

Personal and true experience of pre-emergency responder and post-emergency responder triggers associated with PTSD. How life goes on after diagnoses. Moods and mood swings. My personal everyday battle, coping ideas, and things I avoid that can trigger me every day. 

Joe has delivered this presentation to some fire departments across the province with good feedback.  It is very personal and everything is true to his life.

Joe Casey started his career in the fire service in 1977, over 40 years in the fire service. The highest rank he held was fire chief, and was a chief officer for close to 20 years. He worked as an emergency safety coordinator for a mental health facility that included not criminally responsible men.

Joe was diagnosed with PTSD in 2005 after what he thought was a heart attack. He is currently back in the fire field working as a program specialist.  Joe’s daughter is a paramedic.

Hoarding: Risks, Mitigation and Enforcement
Presented by:  Tawnya Roberts and Jennifer Cooper

Excessive accumulation of materials in homes poses a significant threat to responding firefighters. Compulsive hoarding behavior is an issue fire departments need to become familiar with in order to develop and implement effective mitigation, pre-planning and enforcement strategies. Case studies involving severe hoarding situations pre and post fire conditions will be used to provide participants with important insights on this serious issue that exists in every community.

Tawnya Roberts is a Program Specialist with the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management. As a strong advocate of the power of fire prevention, she has provided dynamic leadership for over 15 years in shaping fire safety standard enforcement across Ontario by developing and delivering educational seminars and mitigation strategies to support fire service leaders in utilizing their extensive legislative powers to save lives. From mitigation of extreme hoarding situations, execution of entry warrants to addressing “Immediate Threat to Life” situations, Tawnya Roberts highlights the significant impact, purpose and strategies surrounding fire safety enforcement.

Jennifer Cooper is a Fire Prevention/Public Education Officer with the Whitchurch-Stouffville Fire & Emergency Services. She has been in the fire service for 13 years starting her career as a suppression firefighter before moving into the Fire Prevention/Public Education division. Her passion is for fire prevention and public education and is a firm believer that in the fire service and in life, you should never stop learning!
 

OFMEM Enforcement
Presented by:  Tawnya Roberts

Introduction to legislative enforcement powers and mitigation strategies that can be utilized to address serious fire and life safety issues; participants will gain an understanding of how inspections of building construction, use and maintenance can have significant impact on fire ground operations and pre planning activities as well as how they may support building closures processes and or “Immediate Threat to Life” situations.

Social Media in Action
Presented by:  Stephanie Mackenzie-Smith

Done right, social media can improve community relations, maximize fire prevention education and even save lives in an emergency. Done wrong, it can devastate your service’s reputation, ruin careers and cause confusion in a crisis. Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay and it’s becoming an increasingly important part of reputation management and community engagement. In this session we’ll discuss the policies, strategies and best practices that can help you use social media to your advantage and avoid the pitfalls. Using an interactive format and real-world case studies, you’ll walk away with tangible ideas and tools for improving your social media presence and managing risk.

Stephanie Mackenzie-Smith is the Manager of Corporate Communications in the Town of Aurora where she oversees the marketing, communications and digital strategy of the municipality. She is also the Central York Fire Services media contact for Aurora-based incidents. Stephanie spent more than eight years at York Regional Police where she was responsible for the strategies and policies of the service’s social media presence. She regularly instructs at the Ontario Police College, and has spoken at conferences throughout North America, on social media, branding, crisis communications and media relations. She holds a degree in journalism, a master’s in public administration and professional certificates in public relations and teaching effectiveness.

Empowering Firefighter Health through Inclusive Research
Presented by:  Dr. Joy MacDermid

This talk will address why it is important to have firefighter-specific research that includes both men and women. It will discuss trends in how women have been included in firefighter research, a few studies that are specific to women firefighters and studies that have compared men and women firefighters. The focus of the talk will be to indicate what is known about how sex and gender affect health and work participation for firefighters. It will also discuss gaps in knowledge and where we need to go in the future.

Dr. Joy MacDermid is a physical therapist, hand therapist and researcher. She is a Professor in the School of Physical Therapy at Western University. Dr. MacDermid holds the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Chair in Gender, Work, and Health and the Dr. James Roth Chair in Musculoskeletal Measurement and Knowledge Translation. She is also the Project Director of FIREWELL, a collaborative research program focusing on firefighter health and wellness.
 

Embodied Resilience for Traumatic Stress
Presented by: Jane Clapp

Discover how understanding the brain-body connection during traumatic stress makes sense from a survival standpoint. In this 2-hour workshop, you will get a taste for the foundation of my trauma recovery research and coaching. Walk away with body hacks for traumatic stress prevention and tools to help you feel more grounded and resourced for coping better with day-to-day stress.

Jane Clapp started her journey in the fitness and wellness world by training as a group fitness instructor at 19 before earning a Bachelor of Commerce degree at UBC specializing in labour relations. In her first career, Jane was a Research Officer at a trade union and labour relations consultant at two large corporations and, in that time, she participated in the 200 hr interest based conflict resolution program at the Justice Institute of BC.

After moving to Toronto, Jane’s training includes: Ryerson professional personal training program, CPTN and CPFLA certifications, ACE Lifestyle and Weight Management, CanFit Pro Pre and Post Natal Fitness, Fascial Stretch Therapy, Charles Poliquin's strength coaching, Reiki Master level training, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, 120hr Tensegrity Therapy and 200hr Yoga Teacher Training with Diane Bruni, Buteyko Breathing lessons, certification program with Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture studying the bio-psychosocial impact of torture, ELDOA Level One, Dr. Rick Hanson's Foundations of Well Being program, and audited Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Level One. Add in an obsession researching and implementing the most recent research in trauma recovery and the body plus her own extensive work in psychotherapy since early adulthood.

Operating in Uncertainty
Presented by:  Jim Andrews

Mayday! – Mayday! – Mayday!

One is never ready to hear those words; either as a firefighter or chief officer in charge of a scene. In April of 2018, I was the chief officer who heard those words.

In this half-day session we will discuss the broad range of procedures, skills and perspectives which contributed to a positive outcome. We will look at the importance of taking decisive action and being comfortable in uncertainty. We may never be ready for a mayday call; we can however cultivate the operational resiliency needed to respond effectively.

Pregnancy in the Fire Service
Presented by:  Karen Simpson and Cassandra Greer

One of the most relevant issues facing women in the fire service today is pregnancy.  This workshop will examine Human Rights Code basics, specifically highlighting relevant arbitration and code decisions.

Karen Simpson is a lawyer practicing personal injury at Lerners LLP in London.  She is particularly interested in educating emergency service workers about the importance of being properly insured, third party claims that may arise in the course of employment and WSIB elections.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Karen served the citizens of Chatham-Kent for 10 years as a career firefighter.   While in the fire service, Karen sat on the board of directors for iWomen and Fire Service Women Ontario for seven and six years, respectively.

Cassandra Greer has been a fire dispatcher for 22 years. Her career started in a small rural dispatch centre that was responsible exclusively for volunteer stations. During this time, she was also hired by a mid-size urban dispatch centre that served rural and urban areas and an increased call volume. In 2001 she was hired by the city of Ottawa which to date has 32 urban fire stations and 19 rural stations with an annual average call volume of 25,000 emergency responses and 60,000 additional non-emergency calls. Ottawa Fire Services also serves a large geographical area of 2,796 kilometers and two outside municipal agencies. She is serving her fourth term with the Ottawa Professional Fire Fighters Association as an elected executive board member and currently chairs the Human Relations and Accommodation Committee and sits as a member of the bargaining committee for one of the largest firefighter unions in Canada. In 2012, she was appointed to sit on the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Human Relations Committee and proudly maintains her position there to-date. Cassandra is married to an exceptionally supportive husband Glen and they have two girls who are 11 and 15.

The Science of Recruitment – Path to Success
Presented by:  Mike Wood

Lecture/discussion, PowerPoint, questions and answers. Lots of interaction.

• Presentation to help identify where a candidate may be able to improve in their Career Journey to becoming a member of the fire service;
• Identify hidden talents candidates do not realize they have;
• How to create their own resume that gains an interview;
• How to successfully master the interview process; and
• How to avoid those career ruining mistakes during the journey.

Mike Wood has 23 years in the fire service, and is a very proud member of Toronto Fire Services. Over the years he was constantly being asked to assist individuals in becoming firefighters. He found the “science” of recruitment and interviews challenging and extremely interesting. Five years of in-depth research in recruitment, produced models for interview prep, resumes, cover letters and habits successful candidates use. To date he, and his mentor partner, have assisted over 130 individuals achieve their dream occupation.

Structural Firefighting Tactics for Rural Firefighting
Presented by:  Shaun Hunt and Andrew Blair

In this presentation, we will discuss fire dynamics with a focus on “non-urban “elements of firefighting.  We will look at efficient use of water with a variety of water application techniques, as well as the importance of coordinated ventilation tactics. We will cover the non-negotiables of interior attack and what we are doing post-fire to keep ourselves healthy for our families for years to come.

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