Firemen in the interior question

[BangFlop]

Just wondering how much competition there is for full time paid firemen positions throughout the interior (not for fighting forest fires) im sure it varies but are there lots of places where there are voids to be filled or do they pretty much just promote vultenteers from within?
I have two years as volunteer firemen (never a paid position) as well as a degree and have been thinking for awhile now I would like to do firefighting as a career.
I currently live on the island and have never lived in the interior however I have been planning on a move the last couple years as long as I can convince the girl friend lol. Location for me would be pretty open, anywhere from Prince George to Cranbrook minus Kelowna or Kamloops as long as the population is at least 10,000. Williams Lake area would be ideal.

[fireguy]

Good luck, I have been a paid on call firefighter for 20 years, in reality the smaller departments tend to promote from within the ranks and the larger ones will take people from outside their ranks. Competition is very fierce and lots of it whenever there is a posting for a career spot. In my department we train to NFPA 1001 firefighter level 2 and our goal is to have 100% completion by the end of this year and we are only a small paid-on-call department that runs an average of 360 to 380 calls per year. Our neighboring department has both paid and volunteer members but they have not hired for a few years and won't this year.

Municipal budgets dictate staffing levels and unless there is hires through retirement spots there ususally isn't much expansion in paid staff.

[bighornbob]

Just wondering how much competition there is for full time paid firemen positions throughout the interior (not for fighting forest fires) im sure it varies but are there lots of places where there are voids to be filled or do they pretty much just promote vultenteers from within?
I have two years as volunteer firemen (never a paid position) as well as a degree and have been thinking for awhile now I would like to do firefighting as a career.
I currently live on the island and have never lived in the interior however I have been planning on a move the last couple years as long as I can convince the girl friend lol. Location for me would be pretty open, anywhere from Prince George to Cranbrook minus Kelowna or Kamloops as long as the population is at least 10,000. Williams Lake area would be ideal.

Whats wrong with Kamloops???

[CanuckShooter]

Good luck, I have been a paid on call firefighter for 20 years, in reality the smaller departments tend to promote from within the ranks and the larger ones will take people from outside their ranks. Competition is very fierce and lots of it whenever there is a posting for a career spot. In my department we train to NFPA 1001 firefighter level 2 and our goal is to have 100% completion by the end of this year and we are only a small paid-on-call department that runs an average of 360 to 380 calls per year. Our neighboring department has both paid and volunteer members but they have not hired for a few years and won't this year.

Municipal budgets dictate staffing levels and unless there is hires through retirement spots there ususally isn't much expansion in paid staff.

Sure makes you wonder why someone would aspire to be a profession fire fighter??? I know a fellow that tried for years and years and years to get hired, and never did make it in.

[Brambles]

Competition is stiff, there are a few departments that hire within and give preference to their auxillary members provided they meet the qualifications.

Most other departments require your Certified Proboard or IFSAC firefighter 1 + 2 and other minimums before applying.

[fireguy]

Competition is stiff, there are a few departments that hire within and give preference to their auxillary members provided they meet the qualifications.

Most other departments require your Certified Proboard or IFSAC firefighter 1 + 2 and other minimums before applying.

Like I mentioned above, it's getting to be that the "volunteer" departments are requiring you have your IFSAC Firefighter 1 & 2 as well, or at the bare minimum get it within a specific time frame, the difference is the volunteer departments will pay for you to get courses, a paid firefighter has to have them before being hired. We have gone the route of training all out members to that level knowing we will loose some of them to career departments, we have lost 7 or 8 in the last few years alone.

[Gateholio]

Wrong forum, try open chat