Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service is troubled about provincial cuts to a program that provides first-aid training to firefighters.

The Emergency Health Services Commission announced it will no longer pay for advanced first-aid training at the Justice Institute of B.C. as of March 2010, said Chief of Don Beer.

"This is impacting all fire departments that play a first responder role. It's yet another download to local government from provincial agencies," said Beer, adding the Fire Chiefs' Association of B.C. has openly opposed the cuts.

The program certified senior firefighters for a period of three years, and they would come back and train their colleagues, said Beer.

Firefighters act as first responders for any number of calls, and may treat broken legs, head injuries or heart attack victims when paramedics are not on scene.

"It can be anything from a bleeding nose to somebody on their deathbed, but high priority calls are generally what we assist with," said Beer.

The fire department's role is to supplement the B.C. Ambulance Service.

"The rationale for the training is that firefighters have the opportunity to be there when the ambulance can't," said Beer.

"The ambulance service is stretched to the limit, and the fire service theoretically has the capacity to respond."

The commission expects to save $250,000 from the cuts, which is a small cost overall, said Beer.

"We supplement the ambulance service by providing this service, and at a cost of $250,000 provincially, it's good value for money."

Abbotsford Rescue Service typically sends eight firefighters a year to be re-certified, and then go on to train another 70 firefighters within the department.

It's not clear yet how much it would be for the fire department to absorb the training costs, and whether the same level of service could be maintained, said Beer.

If Abbotsford Fire Rescue covers the costs in its 2011 budget, other training institutes may be considered to save costs, perhaps at the expense of consistency of training between various first responders.

The public relies on firefighters to be able to respond to medical emergencies, said Beer.

"It's important to the citizens of the community who have the expectation that the fire rescue service has the ability to provide that level of pre-hospital care."