Private safety training companies that teach firefighters aren't regulated

The recent death of a firefighting student during an ice rescue exercise conducted by a private company in Ontario has prompted calls for the province's oversight of the safety training industry that is not regulated.

Fire officials say that while the industry has established best practices for firefighter training, there's nothing to force private companies to adopt them.

Jeff Van Rybroeck, a fire chief in southwestern Ontario, says many firefighting students think taking these courses will give them a leg up during the job hunt.

But he says they don't always know to check whether the companies offering the training are above board.

He says the industry would be much safer if these companies were regulated.

Al Brunt, whose son Adam died in the training incident in Hanover, Ontario, last weekend, says the 30-year-old student took the course "because he wanted to have it on his resume."