Recruitment

Requirements

• live and/or work within 19 km of a Leduc County Fire Services station (Calmar, New Sarepta, Nisku or Thorsby)
• minimum 18 years of age
• have a valid Class 5 driver’s license and their own transportation
• provide a clean criminal record check (vulnerable sector)
• provide driver’s abstract satisfactory to Leduc County (seven or fewer demerits)
• obtain employer consent, if responding during work hours
• meet the physical agility requirements
• be able to attend training sessions one evening per week
• be able to attend weekend courses and other training, as required, to maintain skills

Shift workers are welcome to apply, if they meet the above requirements.

 Duties and responsibilities

As a firefighter with Leduc County Fire Services, you must perform your duties and responsibilities at a high level of consistency and in accordance with the policies and standard operating guidelines of the department. Duties and responsibilities include the following:

• respond to emergencies involving fire
• respond to rescue incidents/motor vehicle collisions
• respond to dangerous goods incidents
• perform first aid medical response and assist emergency medical services (EMS) personnel
• perform housekeeping duties of the fire station
• perform standby duties as required
• maintain fire department apparatus in a clean, serviceable condition
• participate in required training
• participate in fire prevention education
• adhere to fire department policies and procedures
• commit to maintaining a lifestyle of safety, health and physical fitness
• other duties as required

Working conditions

Working as a paid on-call firefighter will expose you to a variety of conditions; some situations you should expect to encounter as part of normal routine are as follows:

• Being called on to respond to emergencies at any time of day, including holidays and weekends.
• Being called on to respond to emergencies in any kind of weather.
• Performing required tasks while wearing full personal protective equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus.
• Working quickly to extinguish fires in extreme heat and when visibility is poor or non-existent.
• Experiencing physically-demanding tasks during extreme fluctuations in temperature.
• Lifting, carrying, butting, extending and climbing ladders to extreme heights while maintaining balance and performing maneuvers.
• Working in hazardous areas that could be hot, wet, slippery, muddy, icy, dirty and cramped.
• Working on and around moving machinery, vehicles and equipment.
• Being exposed to and protecting against burns and other injuries, sharp objects, inhalation, injection, ingestion and absorption of hazardous substances, high noise levels, infectious agents/biological hazards, radiation hazards, smoke, dust, noxious odours and contaminants and uninstalled or unshielded electrical equipment.
• Dealing with critically-injured and/or sick patients.
• Dealing with distraught family members.

Physical and mental demands

Leduc County Fire Services views fitness and mental health and wellness as an important part of firefighting due to the physical and mental strain experienced on the job. Paid on-call firefighters are required to report fit for duty, both mentally and physically.

The risk of injury in firefighting results mainly from the following:

• using various heavy machines and apparatus
• entering and maneuvering in dangerous and/or awkward places
• performing work from heights
• lifting and carrying patients on stretchers
• dealing with and treating critically-injured and/or sick patients
• extreme heat exposures
• rapidly-changing environmental conditions

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

Paid on-call firefighters are compensated on an hourly basis for:

• responding to emergency calls (at least two hours pay for each call responded to); an average emergency call lasts 75 minutes
• attending weekly training and maintenance nights (at least three hours pay for each attended)

The starting hourly pay for probationary firefighters is $15.23. Learn more about compensation.

Paid on-call firefighters are not compensated for attending the basic recruit course or other training courses.

Benefits

We recognize that firefighting is a dangerous job, and continue to expand our programs to mitigate this risk and protect our firefighters. Below are some of the benefits paid on-call firefighters receive:

• all required personal protective equipment, including bunker gear and uniforms
• access to training courses
• discounts at numerous facilities and retailers 
• coverage under the Workers' Compensation Board
• 24-hour accidental death and dismemberment insurance
• access to Member and Family Assistance Program
• access to peer support team

Submit application

The application provides Leduc County Fire Services with information on the applicant’s education, relevant training, work experience and current references. If the applicant intends to respond to calls from their workplace, employer consent is required.

It is recommended that the applicant include a current driver’s abstract alongside their application; if not provided at this stage, the applicant must bring their driver’s abstract to the interview. A driver’s abstract is available from any vehicle registry office; the driver’s abstract must detail seven or less demerits.

Applications will be reviewed by Leduc County Fire Services and a pool of candidates will be selected to proceed.

Note: If you are found to have falsified or intentionally misrepresented your credentials, your application file will be permanently closed and no future applications will be accepted from you.

Information session and station tour

Applicants who have been contacted and advised that their application is being considered are required to attend a station tour and/or information session coordinated through Erica Hussey, human relations coordinator at erica@leduc-county.com.

Interview

We will contact applicants that are chosen for an interview. You must bring the following items to your interview:

• driver's abstract (if not submitted with your application)
• criminal record check (vulnerable sector check)
• current copy of your resume (if not submitted with your application)
• any certificates or licences mentioned in your application

Note: if you don't bring these items to the interview, it may result in the cancellation of the interview.

Medical evaluation

Applicants who are successful in reaching an interview will be required to attend a medical evaluation with a specified physician; all discussions with the physician are confidential.

Fitness is extremely important throughout a firefighter’s career. Our medical and fitness requirements have been set to enable firefighters to do their job safely, for themselves and others. Our requirements are based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582 Standard; learn more at nfpa.org.

The NFPA standard also lists ​disqualifying medical conditions which deem you not fit to do the job safely. If you have or think you may have any of the disqualifying medical conditions in the standard, bring the NFPA information to your medical evaluation for assessment.

At your evaluation, you must provide your up-to-date immunization records, which include Hepatitis B, tetanus/diphtheria, MMR (measles, mumps rubella), polio and varicella (chicken pox). Depending upon where you received your immunizations, records may be obtained through the following:

• contacting Health Link at 780-408-5465 or 811
• through registration with myhealth.alberta.ca/myhealthrecords
• your family physician
• a travel clinic
• your previous or current employer 
• your pharmacy 

The above list is not exhaustive and you are encouraged to contact other sources to obtain your immunization records. If you are from out-of-province or out-of-country, contact the appropriate authorities in your home province/country for your immunization records. Failure to provide your immunization records will delay completion of your medical evaluation.

Practical physical agility test

Applicants are required to participate in and successfully complete a practical physical agility test administered by Leduc County Fire Services.

To meet the intense physical demands of recruit training and a firefighting career, you will need to have and demonstrate the following:

• flexibility
• muscle endurance
• muscle strength and power
• cardiovascular endurance
• healthy body composition
• fundamental movement techniques (pushing, pulling, lifting, squatting, lunging, carrying and dragging)

The practical physical agility test evaluates an applicants’ ability to perform basic firefighting tasks. Applicants must complete the following tasks while wearing standard gear (to be provided):

1. High rise pack/equipment raise; target time 120 seconds: the candidate in full gear shall safely carry a high-rise pack up a flight of stairs. At the top, they will lay the pack on the floor, raise a 65-millimetre hose with a rope and then lower it back down. The candidate will then pick up their high-rise pack and descend the stairs.
2. Bucket carry; target time 45 seconds: the candidate in full gear shall safely carry two foam pails from one designated location for an approximate 10-metre walk and return the foam pails to the starting location.
3. Rescue drag; target time 40 seconds: the candidate in full gear shall safely drag/carry the rescue doll (175 pounds) approximately 15 metres.
4. Charged hoseline advance; target time 35 seconds: the candidate in full gear shall safely advance three lengths of charged 45-millimetre hose over their preferred shoulder and quickly walk forward stretching the line out fully, approximately 35 metres.
5. Charged hoseline drag; target time 60 seconds: the candidate in full gear shall safely relocate a 65-millimetre charged hoseline and extend it from the engine laying on the ground to a new position seven metres from its original location.
6. Ladder raise; no maximum time required: the candidate in full gear shall safely raise a ladder from the ground to a vertical position, then safely lower it back to the ground. The candidate will then safely raise a second 24-foot ladder to the vertical position and extend the fly to the designate height (as per the direction of the evaluator), then lower the fly section and lower the ladder to the ground.

Note: Failure to meet the minimum physical requirements can result in the withdrawal of your application file.

Disclaimer

Before beginning any exercise routine or aerobic fitness evaluation, you must have an awareness of your ability to partake in physical activity. You are encouraged to review the Get Active Questionnaire developed by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, which will help you decide whether or not to talk to a doctor before becoming more physically active; the form can be found at csep.ca/en/publications/get-active-questionnaire. Further, Leduc County Fire Services encourages you to consult your physician to determine if you are physically able to perform essential, entry-level firefighter job tasks.

To aid your physician in understanding the job tasks, a copy of the NFPA 1582 standard from the National Fire Protection Association can be found at nfpa.org.

Note: No medical information supporting fitness levels is to be submitted with your application. All medical information is assessed in step three – medical evaluation. 

Reference checks

Applicants must provide the names and contact information for three references, including one recent employment reference (current employer preferred), on their application. At this stage of the process, the human relations coordinator contacts references for feedback.

Invitation to enroll in recruit training

Following a successful interview, medical evaluation, practical physical agility test and reference checks, successful applicants are invited to enroll in recruit training.

Orientation

Recruits and their partners, if applicable, must attend an orientation session to ensure understanding of and expectations for the training program. The following topics and activities are discussed:

• Leduc County Fire Services introduction and background
• Leduc County and Leduc County Fire Services policies and performance standards
• Occupational Health and Safety requirements
• sizing for personal protective equipment

Recruit training and graduation

You will complete a 14-week, 120-hour training program, which includes both theory and practical learning. At the end of the 14-week program, there is a theory-based exam and a physical agility reassessment. Candidates failing to meet training standards are not considered for paid on-call duties.

Potential job offer

Following the successful completion of the recruit course, Leduc County will offer casual employment as a firefighter with Leduc County Fire Services. The date of the job offer is the official start of the one-year probationary and ongoing training and evaluation period with Leduc County Fire Services. Upon the successful completion of the probationary period, the probationary firefighter will achieve full status as a firefighter.

Are paid on-call firefighters compensated?

Once the recruit course and testing is completed and offers of probationary employment are accepted, paid on-call firefighters are compensated on an hourly basis for attending weekly training, attending maintenance nights and responding to emergency calls. Paid on-call firefighters receive a minimum of three hours’ compensation for each weekly training session and maintenance night attended and a minimum of two hours’ compensation for each emergency call attended. Supplementary and advanced training and workshops are at the discretion of the firefighters to enhance their skills beyond the basic requirement and attendees are not paid for their time.

What is the cost of the required training?

Required training for paid on-call firefighters is provided at no personal financial cost.

How much will I have to pay for my protective gear, equipment and uniforms?

Leduc County provides all gear, equipment and uniforms at no charge to the paid on-call firefighter. It is expected that all gear, equipment and uniforms are cared for in a standardized fashion. Upon resignation as a paid on-call firefighter, staff are required to return all issued gear, equipment and uniforms.

In addition to responding to emergency calls, each member is expected to attend training sessions one evening per week. Advanced training opportunities are also available to each member.

I have prior fire/rescue training and experience. Will this count towards Leduc County’s training requirements?

In most cases, prior training can be used to meet Leduc County’s training requirements. Credit for past training depends on how current the training is, if it is a recognized certification and if the applicant can pass the training challenge examinations.

How can I determine if a medical condition I have makes me ineligible for hire?

Our requirements are based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582 Standard. The NFPA standard also lists ​disqualifying medical conditions which deem you not fit to do the job safely. If you have or think you may have any of the disqualifying medical conditions in the standard, bring the NFPA information to your medical evaluation for assessment.