Mission Critical Team Leader Training (MCTL) 2025 - Hinton, AB - Mon, Dec 8, 2025

Prepare your mission critical team for the challenges of tomorrow.

Mission critical teams are small, integrated groups that adapt to complex, time-sensitive problems where failure can result in catastrophic loss. At Mission Critical Team Leader Training (MCTL) 2025, Canada Wildfire brings world-class, research-backed resilience and leadership training to Canada. Led by world-class instructors Dr. Dan Dworkis and Dr. Art Finch from the Mission Critical Teams Institute, the tailored course is driven by a collaborative inquiry model, where participants actively engage and share expert insights and tools from teams around the world.

.

This training is an essential opportunity to...

▸Lead & adapt: Apply research-backed tools for complex situations, effective decision-making under pressure, and leadership.

▸Broaden networks: Build relationships with first responder teams from across agencies and sectors.

▸Fast-track recovery: Process your experiences for a much-needed reset.

This training is for you if...

✔ You're a member, leader, or instructor of mission critical teams.

✔ You work in or with a first/critical response organization, including emergency management/response, military, law enforcement, etc.

✔ Your role involves increasingly complex decision-making or team leadership in uncertainty.

✔ You're experiencing (or supporting others through) mental recovery or burnout.

.

Questions? Learn more below, check our FAQs, or get in touch at [email protected].

---------------------------------------

Are you an Albertan resident?

Apply for a reduced rate! Click here for details.

---------------------------------------

Why MCTL?

MCTL breaks away from typical professional development by focusing on the human aspects of learning, sharing, decision-making, and psychological health to make a lasting impact.

Post-course feedback from MCTL 2024 found:

Over 95% of participants say that...

▸ They can better process challenging experiences, lead in complex and chaotic situations, and build community.

▸ The training was immediately relevant and applicable, with tools they brought back to their teams.

▸ There was high value, with an exceptional instructor and content.

▸ Attending in person offered irreplaceable benefits over an online format.

100% of past participants would recommend the training to others or attend another similar course.

What participants are saying...

Increased well-being that supported career retention:

“There were many aha moments for me especially after a brutal couple years of wildfire. This training was like a jolt of energy like the paddles on a heart attack machine - it jolted me out of what I was in which was not a good place and allowed me to see that... I can stay in this profession if I take better care of myself [and] take care of my people and those around me.”

"[It] was fundamental to my transition from existing and barely surviving back up into the land of the living and looking forward to the land of thriving!”

Engaging course format:

“I most enjoyed the table and group discussions as well as the non-typical learning style of the whole session. Not having a rigid curriculum where you feel like you are being talked at... was a nice change and much more effective.”

Diverse community learning:

“I appreciated having members present from outside the typical hazards I deal with.”

“Diversity of group was key. A subject like this has to be done in person.”

Tools to share and communicate:

“I have already been talking about the transition into the critical world with my team and family, have already done significant personal reflection and work, and will be incorporating many of the teachings in [training] wildland fire professionals.”

What's included?

Thanks to the Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders grant (Government of Alberta), we have enhanced the training offered in 2024 by adding an extra full day of instruction, an additional instructor, an extra night of accommodations, and a post-course follow-up—while cutting the cost of registration by ~20%!

Your registration package includes...

▸Course opening and networking event.

▸3 full days of expert instruction with a curriculum tailored to Canadian first responders (but applicable and beneficial to a wide range of critical decision-makers).

▸4 nights of on-site accommodations at Hinton Training Centre in Hinton, Alberta.

▸All meals (dinner on Mon Dec 8 through breakfast on Fri Dec 12).

▸Course and event materials to enhance your learning and bring back to your teams.

▸Post-event virtual follow-up session.

Transportation to and from Hinton is not included. Please book your travel independently.

Pricing

We understand the importance of this training and are dedicated to providing the best possible value. Your registration fee directly covers event expenses.

Rates (CAD)

▸$3,350 for Canada Wildfire members.*

▸$4,050 for standard registrations.

▸Limited scholarships are available for Albertan residents (click here to learn more).

*Parks Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Government of the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, Government of Alberta, BC Wildfire Service, Thompson Rivers University, University of Alberta.

Payment Options

Payment is available online via credit card. Please note that GST and a 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee will automatically apply. International cards will be subject to a 3.5% + $0.30 processing fee.

Cancellation Policy

Registrations cannot be cancelled or refunded as this event requires a minimum number of participants. Substitution of another member of your organization is permitted up to the course start date for no additional fee. Due to the limited availability of spaces and planning involved, we regrettably cannot offer refunds or transfers to future dates for no-shows. While we're confident in this opportunity, in the unlikely event the session is cancelled, we will notify you and issue full refunds.

Your registration helps make essential training like this possible. Thank you!

Instructors

Take advantage of specialized, world-class expertise.

We are pleased to offer a rare opportunity to access proven skills development training from the Mission Critical Teams Institute (MCTI). Their experienced instructors work with mission critical teams worldwide that face complex, high-impact problems every day, including urban and wildland fire, tactical law enforcement, military special operations, and emergency medicine.

Dr. Dan Dworkis

Chief Medical Officer

Mission Critical Teams Institute (MCTI)

Dan Dworkis, MD PhD FACEP is an emergency physician focused on exploring how individuals and teams apply knowledge under extreme pressure and perform at their best when it matters the most. He is a board-certified emergency physician, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, founder of The Emergency Mind Project, and author of The Emergency Mind: Wiring Your Brain for Performance Under Pressure.

Dr. Art Finch

Director of Psychology

Mission Critical Teams Institute (MCTI)

Dr. Art Finch is a consulting psychologist, retired COL and US Army Ranger (23 years of active duty), and President of The Gauge Group. He primarily focuses on teams: team optimization, assessment and selection, culture, personality, and executive coaching. He strongly believes in a strength or asset-based framework in mission critical psychology, where operators are equipped with the tools to make meaning of the "residue" from their lived experiences. He works with individuals who have chosen the hard path and need the tools to navigate their world without being labelled as broken or in need of fixing.

Schedule

Download the full course syllabus here.

Mon, Dec 8
Tue, Dec 9
Wed, Dec 10
Thu, Dec 11
Fri, Dec 12

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Check In (Social Room Available)

Meet your cohort and participate in pre-event activities. Coffee, tea, and snacks provided.

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Welcome & Introductions

5:00 PM

Dinner

Facility

MCTL 2025 will be held in Hinton, Alberta. Located in the scenic foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Hinton is easily accessible via Highway 16, which connects to Edmonton (288 km east, approximately a 3-hour drive) and Jasper National Park (77 km southwest of Hinton, approximately a 1-hour drive). The closest airports are located in Edmonton and Calgary.

Training and accommodations are conveniently located at the Hinton Training Centre (HTC) campus, which sits on a 14-hectare (35-acre) ridge in the heart of Hinton.

Stay involved throughout the event.

Your registration includes comfortable on-site residency-style accommodations with a private bedroom and common washrooms. Enjoy meals together in the on-site dining hall, as well as opportunities for social activities and networking.

.

While you can arrange your own accommodations elsewhere at your own expense, we highly recommend staying with the group to maximize your experience and build informal connections with fellow participants. The cost of room and board at HTC is included in your registration fee.

Hinton Training Centre (HTC)

1176 Switzer Dr, Hinton, AB T7V 1V3, Canada

Description
Amenities
Map

The Hinton Training Centre (HTC) offers a site for world-renowned technical and safety training programs and services for forest and wildfire management. The town of Hinton is in the central Foothills region of Alberta. The site includes an academic building, two residences, in-house meal services, a rappel tower, a wildfire lookout tower, the Historical Training and Public Outreach Centre, and a 1.1-kilometre interpretive trail. HTC is also home to the Alberta wildfire memorial, a monument dedicated to those who have lost their lives protecting Alberta’s forests and forest communities from wildfire.

Your stay at HTC residence-style accommodations includes:

▸Private bedroom (twin bed, desk, bed linens).

▸Common washrooms

▸Meals in the dining hall (dietary needs accommodated upon request).

▸Parking in well-lit outdoor lots with power outlets.

▸Fitness room including treadmills, exercise machines, and free weights (bring clean white-soled shoes).

▸Wireless internet

.

Plan to bring

Rooms are cleaned to hotel standards, but HTC does not provide room service. Plan to bring towels and toiletries (shampoo, soap, etc.). We also recommend bringing a refillable water/coffee container.

.

For more information, download the HTC facilities guide.

Scholarships for Albertan Residents

Do you live and work in Alberta? You may qualify for a free or reduced rate.

A limited number of scholarships are available by application for Albertans, thanks to the Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders grant from the Government of Alberta.

Please click here to apply. Scholarship recipients will be notified by May 31, 2025.

FAQs

If your question isn't answered below, please get in touch with us at [email protected].

Who is this training for?

MCTL is geared toward past or present members, leaders, or instructors of mission critical teams (small, integrated groups that adapt to complex problems in time-sensitive situations where failure can result in catastrophic loss). This includes but is not limited to: directors, managers, leadership, training cadres, type 1 or type 2 incident commanders and section chiefs.

While Canada Wildfire is in service to wildfire and emergency management agencies, we welcome and encourage participation from all emergency and critical response groups, including structural fire, armed forces, aviation contractors, law enforcement, and adjacent agencies.

Can I cancel my registration?

Registrations cannot be cancelled or refunded as this event requires a minimum number of participants. Substitution of another member of your organization is permitted up to the course start date for no additional fee. Due to the limited availability of spaces and planning involved, we regrettably cannot offer refunds or transfers to future dates for no-shows. While we're confident in this opportunity, in the unlikely event the session is cancelled, we will notify you and issue full refunds.

What do you mean by residence-style accommodations? Will I need to share a room?

To deliver the best value possible and encourage informal relationship-building opportunities, accommodations are provided on-site at the Hinton Training Centre (HTC).

Your stay at the HTC residence-style accommodations includes:

▸Private bedroom (twin bed, desk, bed linens).

▸Common washrooms

▸Meals in the dining hall (dietary needs accommodated upon request).

▸Parking in well-lit outdoor lots with power outlets.

▸Fitness room including treadmills, exercise machines, and free weights (bring clean white-soled shoes).

▸Wireless internet

What do I need to bring?

Rooms are cleaned to hotel standards, but HTC does not provide room service. Plan to bring towels and toiletries (shampoo, soap, etc.). We also recommend bringing a refillable water/coffee container.

.

For more information, check our list of on-site amenities or download the HTC facilities guide.

Is there financial assistance available?

A limited number of scholarships are available by application for Albertans, thanks to the generous support of the Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders grant from the Government of Alberta.