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Ontario Government Provides $5 Million in COVID-19 Funding To Local Fire Agencies

Deadline to Apply is Friday, March 19

The unprecedented risks and challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has created for fire safety training and inspections for many public safety agencies are significant. For the 441 fire departments in Ontario, relief is coming in the form of $5 million in funding from the province’s government to help municipal fire services better support crucial fire safety training and inspections.

With a tight deadline of Friday, March 19, municipality fire departments must act fast to submit proposals for the initial $4,500 base grant plus funding dependent on population served. This one-time funding designed to facilitate blended learning environments–combining in-person with online training–will help fire departments of any size and capacity increase access to additional mission-critical training.

More than 7,000 agencies rely on Vector Solutions’ training platform to help ensure personnel meet training requirements and recertification deadlines. The learning management system helps Fire Departments deliver, track and report on all types of training, whether in the classroom, drill yard, or online. The training platform also includes more than 450 hours of online firefighter training so agencies can deliver quality training in safe settings and convenient formats to accommodate diverse schedules.



This $5 million grant is a vital step in assuring critical frontline fire personnel can continue to provide life-saving services to the communities they serve during this global health crisis. And Vector Solutions has the industry’s most trusted distance learning platform to help fire departments stay up-to-date on essential fire safety training and certifications to protect those communities better.

The immense public safety challenges brought on by the 2019 novel coronavirus exist worldwide. The Ontario government’s investment in initiatives that will enhance public safety during these difficult times by providing the technology required for fire safety training and inspections to persist amid an evolving climate is imperative. For more information on applying for this one-time grant, please visit Get Funding from the Ontario government. Don’t miss out on this crucial funding opportunity. Apply before the Friday, March 19 deadline.

To find out how Vector Solutions’ online training platform can help your department meet training and certification demands during COVID-19 and beyond, contact Judy Smith, Regional Sales Manager, Canada, at 519-820-7751 or [email protected].

To learn more about this special grant for fire agencies in Ontario, please click here.

Submit an Entire Crew’s Performance Evaluations—in a Few Clicks

Vector Evaluations+ Introduces Crew-Wide Performance Evaluations

Streamline Job Performance Requirements for Canada

Firefighting requires a mastery of countless skills and competencies. This mastery requires countless hours of training and regular assessments to ensure skill proficiency and safe practices. While many of these skills can be tested and measured for each individual, there are countless others that are practiced and measured as a crew to more closely mimic live incidents, which require teamwork and cooperation.

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Why Blended Learning Lowers Costs and Improves Training Outcomes

Online learning about PPE

What is blended learning? Blended learning is a combination of off-line (face-to-face, traditional learning) and online learning that complements each other.

Today, many public safety agencies are facing budget cuts, staffing shortages and COVID-19 restrictions while needing to continue providing the same level of service AND finding valid methods of conducting training. Public safety professionals must work through the additional challenges of shift coverage, territory/zone coverage and out-of-service/overtime personnel costs.

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New Courses Approved by Several State Regulatory Agencies

New Course Approvals

Vector Solutions’ (formerly TargetSolutions) offers multiple training catalogs for public safety professionals to meet recertification requirements, complete continued education credits, and learn important skills relevant to their job. Our catalogues for fire, law and EMS include:

450+ hours of training for fire departments. Courses are based on the NFPA codes and standards, including NFPA 1001, NFPA 1021 and the NFPA 1500 Series. Courses also cover wildland fire, response to terrorism, first responder operations, and much more.

250+ hours of EMS continuing education courses that are accepted in most states. Our courses allow first responders, EMT-Basics, EMT-Intermediates and EMT-Paramedics to complete their continuing education requirements in an interactive and easy-to-use format. Courses cover a range of topics from endocrine emergencies, mental health for first responders, geriatric emergencies, and more.

240+ hours of law enforcement courses covering a multitude of topics for law enforcement officers. Our online law enforcement training courses are accepted in many states and includes an exclusive 25-course series from industry leader Calibre Press. Newly created courses cover topics around the physiological response to stress, leadership, and effective communication.

Check out the latest regulatory updates for our fire, law enforcement and EMS courses:

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Vector LMS (TargetSolutions) Foldering Flexibility in Generating Reports

Vector LMS (TargetSolutions) Foldering Flexibility in Generating Reports

As a flexible training platform that has gained top customer ratings for user-defined configuration, Vector LMS (formerly TargetSolutions) has added more functionality for users to organize their reports.

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Paying it Forward: A Decade Worth of Training Platform Optimization Tips

Kannapolis Fire Department Pays It Forward

Kannapolis Fire Department Division Chief, Greg Summitt, recounted how Tim Riley, a Vector Solutions employee and former fire department training administrator, helped him set up their training platform. “Back when we started with the TargetSolutions training platform (now called Vector LMS), Tim Riley was a tremendous help with our initial setup,” said Chief Summitt. “It can be a daunting task and having someone to help optimize the use of the system can make a big impact. I like to pay it forward and have helped several fire department training administrators with their Vector LMS setup. In one case, the fire department was printing everything off individually resetting dates on training credentials, which took about 16 hours. By changing a setting in the LMS credential parameters, they were able accomplish the same thing in just 10 minutes.”

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How St. Tammany FPD1 Leverages their LMS to Achieve Accreditation Excellence

Agency Stats:

  • Area of coverage: 186 square miles
  • Population in coverage area: Approx. 85,000
  • Operations: 8 fire stations
  • Staff: 180 staff to train (including staff working in fire suppression, communications, dispatch, fire prevention bureau, maintenance division, and training division) 
  • Implemented Vector Solutions LMS in 2017; EHS in 2020; Evaluations+ in 2020; Check It in 2020
St. Tammany Fire District No. 1 logo

It isn’t an easy process to receive a Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) accreditation. It’s even more difficult to get re-accredited. In fact, St. Tammany Fire Protection District 1 (FPD1) received their re-accredited on March 4, 2020 and remains the only internationally accredited non Department of Defense fire department in the state of Louisiana (ref: website citation). St. Tammany FPD1’s first accreditation included seven years of work to gather and arrange all the information needed. In the reaccreditation, CPSE is looking for information that shows progression and improvements upon the original accreditation data. St. Tammany FPD1 is also holds a Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL) Class 2 rating.

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Apex (NC) Fire Receives Top Office of State Fire Marshal Rating, Aided by Vector LMS

Agency Stats:

Apex (NC) Fire Department
  • Area of coverage: 65.5 square miles
  • Population in coverage area: 73,500
  • Operations: 5 fire stations, 4 engine companies, 2 ladder companies, 1 Rescue
  • Staff: 87 career personnel assigned to 3 shifts (8 Administrative 8-5) and 5 part-time employees
  • Implemented Vector Solutions LMS in 2016; Scheduling in 2020

Why Vector Solutions?

“We wanted a Learning Management System (LMS) that could grow with us,” said John White, Apex Fire Department Training Captain. “One that made it easier to follow the rating schedule and provide a true capture of all our completed training. We wanted a ‘one-stop-shop’ for all our training and documentation needs. Vector Solutions LMS (called TargetSolutions when we purchased it) provided all that and more.” 

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Ensuring Fairness with Callback Ranking and Automated Overtime Hiring

Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue







Agency Information

  • Area of coverage: 70 square miles
  • Population in coverage area: 105,000 residents
  • Fire Stations: 11
  • Staff: 265 employees (247 sworn, 18 non-sworn)
  • Implemented Vector Solutions LMS in 2019; Scheduling in 2019

Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue has gained substantial efficiencies and eliminated a lot of paper with the Vector Solutions Learning Management System to assign and deliver training courses, policies and track their ISO and registry hours. In 2019 they added Vector Solutions’ scheduling software to their technology stack to simplify, and add more transparency to, their staff scheduling.

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New and Customizable US&R Training Credential

Vector Solution's US&R Training Credential

Vector Solutions released a new and customizable US&R training credential to train and track your team’s initial certification and ongoing annual requirements. Easily combining course materials and task books to provide a US&R credentialing pathway for your team.

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