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 Ontario hires from age 18. Fitness is the real gate.
- 2
Pass the fitness test
Train for months
A timed circuit carrying pumps and hose. BC (British Columbia) and Alberta crews use the WFPAT (wildland firefighter physical assessment), Ontario and Quebec the WFX-FIT (wildland firefighter fitness test). You also pass a medical screen.
- 3
Apply in the fall
October to January
BC takes applications from October 1 to January 31. Alberta and Ontario open crew jobs in November. Miss the window and you wait a year.
- 4
Interview over the winter
Winter
BC runs interviews from November through March. There are roughly 200 crew member openings across the province each season.
- 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. Alberta trains at its Hinton Training Centre. In BC a first-year crew member then works to the end of October.