In 2012 FOMA partnered with the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association (ORFA) to create the FOMA Level I and Level II educational courses exclusively for our members.
The FOMA I & II courses were offered for the first time at the 12th Annual FOMA Conference in Las Vegas, NV.
The FOMA I & II courses have been replaced with the Professional Ice Maker course and this course was held for the first time the 15th Annual FOMA Conference in Columbus, OH.
The Professional Ice Maker (PIM) course is an exclusive continuing education opportunity for FOMA members who seek to improve their quality of work within the field of hockey and facility operations. Backed by the National Hockey League, this course has an advanced focus on making and maintaining hockey ice and the variables that affect it throughout the season.
In the first part of the course, participants will learn about practices mostly commonly used in larger facilities to maintain a quality sheet of ice and will then discuss SOPs for converting the building to non-hockey events. With focus around the importance of creating good working relationships, the instructors will discuss the role of a PIM and how it relates to working with each of the different groups within a building.
The second part will cover in detail the expectations set by the National Hockey League for each of its facilities and how each building is able to achieve those standards. Specifics in the Field of Play, Game Day Operations and In-Game Procedures are just a few of the topics that will be covered in the second part of the course. Once participants have completed the classroom portion of the course, they will be given an examination which they must pass in order to earn their PIM certificate.