Education · 1 of 5
The path
There is no school for this. You get hired, then trained.
- 1
Finish high school and get fit
Grade 12
You need to be legal to work in Canada and old enough for full-time work. Fitness is the real gate.
- 2
Pass the fitness test
Train for months
A timed pack carry and hose drag (called WFX-FIT in Alberta, WFPAT1 in BC). Alberta suggests training for it for 4 to 6 weeks first. You also pass a medical screen.
- 3
Apply in the fall
October to January
BC opened applications for the 2026 season on October 3 and closed them January 31. Alberta posts crew jobs from about November. Miss the window and you wait a year.
- 4
Interview over the winter
Winter
BC runs virtual interviews from November through March. There are roughly 200 crew member openings across the province each year.
- 5
Boot camp, then the season
1 week, then 6 months
BC's New Recruit Boot Camp runs 6 to 8 days between mid-April and mid-May after online coursework. Alberta trains at the Hinton Training Centre. Then you work to the end of October.