​In the spirit of reconciliation, HAZ-MATTERS acknowledges that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

1.  Are Your Courses IFSAC or Pro Board Certified?

Absolutely not.  Our courses are heavily based within the NFPA 1072 Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials however since traditional HAZWOPER only deals up to an Operations Level.  We focus on helping our clients gain a much deeper sense of response and handling techniques for hazardous waste and chemicals since most of our clients are front line responders and environmental technicians who handle chemical spills frequently.  We do this based on our 30+ years of cleaning up chemical spills, but we do not teach many of the fire-fighting protocols associated with NFPA training.  We are very proud and honoured of our alliances with fire departments and if you are looking for Pro Board certification you can find a list of approved training facilities at https://theproboard.org/   

2.  What is the Difference Between HAZWOPER & NFPA 1072 (472) Training?

HAZWOPER is generally training that people take when they are considered a Hazardous Waste Site Worker, particularly from an Operations perspective.  It is generally accepted as Industry Best Practice in Canada for anyone that works with or around chemical materials that have the potential of causing harm during handling and/or cleanup.  NFPA 1072 (formerly 472) is the standard of training that deals in depth for the response protocols to emergency situations with hazardous materials.  This standard deals with the Awareness and Operations Levels of HAZWOPER, but then deals with the Technician Level which involves the hands-on training for people who actually step in to stop and control a spill.  We bring Technician Level information heavily into our HAZWOPER/NFPA 1072 courses to provide a comprehensive course, but we do not provide the Pro Board Seal as noted in the previous question.


3.  Are Your ICS Courses Endorsed by ICS Canada?
Our ICS 100 & 200 Level courses are based on ICS Canada and FEMA and altered to suit our training goals within HAZWOPER.  Even though these courses are not recognized by ICS Canada, they are designed to work with our students to provide a thorough and reliable understanding of ICS for people who function both within an operational and technician capacity for spill response based on our experience.  


4.  Do You Provide Client Specific Training?

Absolutely.  We hold several open enrollment classes throughout the country every year but also provide specifically tailored in-house training that is designed for your individual organization and situation.  In many cases it is more economical for us to come to you so give us a call anytime and we can plan your training to suit your needs.  We also provide training internationally and travel to your location.


5.  Does the Training Include Hands-On Training?

Definitely.  Depending on the course, we try and bring a series of table top exercises and workshops into each course to help tie all the information together.  Our HAZWOPER line of courses focus heavily on the NFPA 1072 Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials so we get everyone to work with various levels of PPE as part of the training.  However, due to COVID-19, we are ensuring the safety of all our courses and will be using advanced precautions while donning PPE in order to minimize person to person contact.


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