Emergency vehicle technicians from across the country undergo training in North Bay

More than 30 emergency vehicle technicians (EVTs) are receiving training in North Bay this week.

The training is on the latest fire truck apparatus, and EVTs from Nunavut, British Colombia and the North West Territories are in attendance.

"Getting certified on fire apparatus has become a big deal to have their master mechanics EVT certified and actually work on fire trucks," said lead instructor Brian Brown, of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA).

"It also gives the guys a lot more dynamic training on the EVT side because fire trucks are very, very different.”

The training is being offered through a partnership with North Bay's Fire Service, the City of North Bay and Canadore College.

Canadore has also become the new Canadian centre for training EVTs, in partnership with FDSOA.

"We're trying to make Canadore the hub, so it's a consistent location on a consistent schedule," said Don Kerr, an industry liaison from Canadore College.

The technicians are being trained on the latest equipment.

"They're understanding how the pumps work, how to rebuild them, they're now doing the specifics on doing the pump test that's required under standards," said North Bay Fire Chief Jason Whiteley.

Whiteley also told CTV News it's all about safety for him when it comes to the trucks being able to operate.

"The biggest aspect for me as the chief is the safety of my firefighters than the safety of the public,” he said.

“Heaven forbid we had a failure, or the brakes or something and we have a fire truck accident."