NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER Registration for a new First Responders academy open next month for students aspiring to become a police officer or firefighter. The Medicine Hat Catholic School Board is the first in the province to offer students the unique opportunity.
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Local students who dream of saving lives and enriching their community through public service will soon be able to enrol in a school academy that will provide them the necessary tools to become a police officer or firefighter.
Next school year, the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education is opening an unique First Responder Academy that will prepare students with the necessary attributes, physical fitness, mental health support and skills required for the demanding careers as a first responder.
Not only unique to Medicine Hat, the academy offered by the school division that aims to give students a leg up in first responder careers is the first of its kind in the province.
“The program is really going to focus on the attributes and skills that you need to have to be successful in those careers,” says Nick Gale, deputy superintendent, who explains the school division has collaborated with both the Medicine Hat Police Service and the Medicine Hat Fire and Emergency Services to develop its curriculum.
“What kind of character, what kind of integrity, what kind of mindset do you need to have in those careers,” says Gale. “There’s going to be a lot of work committed towards physical fitness in terms of what’s the functional physical demand of those two careers and what kind of demands those two careers have on your body.”
Police officers are sworn to protect life and property by enforcing laws and responding to emergencies while firefighters respond to several emergency calls including medical, and vehicle accidents. In Canada those life saving duties are often carried out during unfavourable weather conditions, or on the side of a busy roadway.
Gale says during meetings with local first responders, the topic of mental health and well-being came up frequently and he says the First Responder Academy will try to prepare students best for some difficult situations they may encounter throughout their careers.
“Making sure they are prepared to respond to those situations, that’s a huge aspect.”
Currently the school division is working with Medicine Hat College to expand the academy by offering dual credit opportunities as well as opening doors to the college’s Criminal Justice program.
“A very common pathway for our students that want to pursue policing, in particular, is to go to Medicine Hat College and do the Criminal Justice program and we’re working with the college to find a pathway there.”
In a recent interview with the News, Police Chief Alan Murphy spoke about a new partnership with Medicine Hat College to expand local police training, highlighting the benefit of hiring police officers who grew up in the area.
“There is a really nice synergy that is happening right now with the College and the police and I think this is a very opportune time for us to start working to prepare our students to enter in that type of program.”
That same synergy has allowed the school division to create the unique academy that required input and feedback from local first responders.
“Just their willingness to work with us on this, both Chief Murphy with the police and Fire Chief Chad Eakins, both tremendously responsive and both of their departments have been excited to work on this with us,” says Gale. “This wouldn’t happen without those guys and they’ve been exceptional to work with.”
Students will have opportunities to learn at both the police station as well as with fire services training equipment.
Registration for the First Responders Academy opens Feb. 4. During its first year the academy will be offered to Grade 11 students with approximately 20 seats available. Program costs have yet to be determined.
Catholic students will have the first opportunity to register before the division opens registration to all local students.
If the academy is successful, the school division plans to extend the First Responders Academy to students between Grade 10 to 12 for the 2026-27 school year.
Currently the First Responder Academy is only focused on police and firefighter roles and doesn’t include a medical EMS component.
