KITCHENER -- The Ontario Fire College in Gravenhurst is shutting down as the province prepares to move to a new training model.

The site has been training the province's firefighters for decades.

"I've been telling people it's a dark day in Ontario fire training history with that announcement, so pretty disappointing," Perth East Fire Chief Bill Hunter said.

Waterloo Fire Chief Richard Hepditch said staff will miss the culture, setting, learning and camaraderie from the training school.

The school has been around since 1949, training both professional and volunteer firefighters. The Ontario Fire Marshal announced its permanent closure on Wednesday.

"From the nostalgia standpoint, a very tough decision," Fire Marshal Jon Pegg said. "But, one when you look at the numbers and training across the province, it's a decision that had to be made."

The program usually means firefighters take a week off to travel to Gravenhurst for training. Since the start of the pandemic, all training has moved online. There are 20 regional training hubs across Ontario, including one at Conestoga College.

The plan is to transition to this model full-time to allow for more flexible and accessible training.

"We have been offering courses at our Doon campus to our local fire services for a number of years," said Gorana Vukelich, executive dean of community services at Conestoga College, in an emailed statement. "This change will continue to support our fire fighters to stay in their local communities in order to meet their fire training needs."

Hunter said he's concerned about increased costs for departments further away from regional hubs.

"I have to get them a hotel room overnight and pay them mileage to drive back and forth during the week," he said. "So, I respectfully disagree that it's going to save the municipalities money."

Pegg said the province plans to create more hubs to address this issue.

"We do know there's little pockets where we don't have the ideal training centre close by," he said. "So, the plan is to enhance that. By no means are we stuck at 20, I'd be happy if we had 220."

The school will officially close its doors on March 31.