Calgary Fire Department

How long have you been in business?

Since August 25th, 1885

How many locations do you have in Calgary and nationally/internationally? What locations are hiring locally in Calgary and area?

The Calgary fire department is comprised of 43 fire stations across Calgary. We have been doing an annual intake in Dec/Jan for the past couple of years and we will hire approximately 132 firefighters annually for the next couple of years from these intakes. Applicants can only apply when these intakes are open.

How many people does your organization employ? How many locally?

The Calgary Fire Department employs over 1500 firefighters in these 43 stations within Calgary

What type of positions do you offer? (ex. Full time, part time, seasonal, contract etc.)

We solely offer full-time firefighter positions to applicants that are successful through our 10-step application process

What are the benefits of working for your company? Staff discounts, incentive programs, scholarships etc.

We offer paid training and a competitive salary starting at $33.26 per hour while in training, Local Authorities Pension Plan as well as the Calgary Firefighter’s Supplementary Pension Plan, yearly wellness assessments, work-life balance.

Describe opportunities for advancement.

After the probationary year and 4 years of service members are welcome to apply for day staff positions such as community safety, inspections, recruitment, training officer as well as on shift specialty teams such as our dive rescue, technical rescue and hazardous materials teams.

How would someone find out about opportunities at your company? How can a candidate apply?

The best way to find out if this is the job for you is to visit our website @ https://www.calgary.ca/careers/fire.html when we have an intake open for accepting applications, typically Dec or Jan, there will be an apply now button on the page for applicants to apply.

Describe your hiring and interview process?

We have a 10-step application process that includes:

• Online application
• Fire service Aptitute test
• Documentation submission
• Pre-screen interview
• Panel interview
• Pre-employment polygraph test
• Candidate Physical Ability Test
• Reference Check
• Selection Committee
• Conditional job offer

Further information on what is expected and required at each step can be found on our webpage.

What do you look for in an employee?

Our minimum qualifications are:

• Be 18 years of age or older.
• Eligibility to work in Canada.
• Have a high school diploma or equivalency.
• Have a valid Class 5 driver's license or provincial/territorial equivalent without a Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) status and with less than 7 demerit points.
• No criminal activity in the past 3 years.
• Have been granted a pardon or record suspension for any criminal convictions.
• Before receiving a job offer they must complete the following pre-hires:
• The minimum medical certificate required is Advanced First Aid (AFA).
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification at the Health Care Provider (HCP) level or a Basic Life Support (BLS). All pre-hire qualifications must be current and valid at time of hire.
• Alberta Class 1, 2, or 3 driver's license with Air Brake (Q) endorsement, or provincial equivalent. All pre-hire qualifications must be current and valid at time of hire.
• Meet all our immunization requirements.

Other desirable qualifications include the following:

• Post-secondary degree (if you went to school outside of North America, you must provide an assessment from the (Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada), or a journeyman certificate.
• Firefighter training.
• Experience as a full-time firefighter; including military, seasonal, forestry, paid on-call, or volunteer.
• Experience in Emergency Services or uniformed Public Servant roles (Law Enforcement, EMS, Military, Corrections, Park Ranger, Peace Officer).
• Cadet Program experience (Fire, Police, Sea, Air, Army, etc).
• Recent volunteering and/or community involvement (unpaid positions not including firefighting).

What type of education/training/equipment do you require?

As above, the minimum pre-hire qualifications are required prior to receiving a job offer. The desirable qualifications listed above will help the applicant be more successful.

What is the minimum age required to work for your company? Are there different age requirements for different positions?

18 years old is the minimum age and we have a mandatory retirement age of 60

Provide a wage range for entry level positions.

$33.26 per hour for first year which is 65% of full-time wage with a yearly incremental increase of 10%.  By year 5 the firefighter is at 100% or $51.16/hr

What are the hours of the business and general shift times? Are there a minimum number of hours someone needs to work per week? Is there flexibility regarding school schedules?

We work on a 24 hr on, 48hr off, 24 hr on 96 hr off rotation.  Shift work is mandatory and no flexibility with school schedules. 

Is a uniform provided or do employees have to pay for it?

Uniform is provided