Working with the Fire Department

Career Firefighter

Career firefighters serve the community by responding to a wide variety of emergencies. They perform first response or support duties in the following categories:

• Activities at emergency incidents
• Emergency pre-hospital medical aid
• Hazardous material incidents
• Technical rope rescue
• Vehicle rescue
• Water rescue

Career firefighters also provide public community education and community support activities.

Job overview

Being a career firefighter requires a significant commitment to both train and respond to emergency incidents. Your safety and that of your fellow firefighters and the public depend on the skills you will learn, maintain and improve.

Career firefighters work on a 24-hour shift rotation among a four-platoon system. Firefighter crews respond from eight strategically placed fire stations 24-hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

Skills and qualifications

Career Firefighters must be certified in compliance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards and the Canadian Heart and Stroke Emergency Medical Responder Standards for BLS and First Aid. These are skill requisites which career firefighters will achieve during their recruit training.

To qualify to be a career firefighter, you must:

• Be capable of handling intense and sustained physical effort (CPAT testing will be undertaken during the recruitment process)
• Be currently certified in CPR and first aid
• Be legally entitled to work in Canada and have obtained (and passed) a current vulnerable sector and criminal record check
• Have at least a Grade 12 education or equivalent
• Hold and produce a valid DZ Ontario driver's licence with a good driver abstract
• Pass a health and medical evaluation and a fitness assessment provided by the contracted City of Burlington parties at the time of application
• Possess the prescribed visual requirements of 20/30 in each eye without corrective lenses and satisfactorily complete a colour vision test.
• Understand and be able to communicate in English

Additional preferred qualifications include:

• Pre-service firefighter education and training program
• Previous firefighting experience (volunteer or career)
• Trades or Medical profession experience or certification

You may also be given other tests designed to measure your:

• Ability to understand and follow written and verbal information and instructions
• Reading, reasoning and mathematical skills
• Technical and mechanical skills
• Physical fitness and swimming abilities

Volunteer Firefighter

Volunteer Firefighters serve the community by responding to a wide variety of emergency situations in conjunction with our career staff. They perform first response or support duties in the following categories:

• Activities at emergency incidents
• Emergency pre-hospital medical aid
• Hazardous material incidents
• Vehicle rescue

The Burlington Fire Department consists of both career and volunteer firefighters. New recruits will be assigned to Fire Headquarters or Fire Station No. 5, based on where they live and if they meet the response criteria for the corresponding station.

Job overview

Being a volunteer firefighter requires a significant commitment of time to both training and responding to emergency incidents. Your safety and that of your fellow firefighters and the public depends on the skills you will learn, maintain and improve. Volunteer Firefighters are on call 365 days a year including holidays, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Skills and qualifications

Volunteer Firefighters must be certified in compliance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards and the Canadian Heart and Stroke Emergency Medical Responder Standards. These are skill requisites which volunteer firefighters will achieve during their recruit training.

To qualify to be a volunteer firefighter, you must:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be legally entitled to work in Canada
• Pass a health and medical evaluation and a fitness assessment
• Have a permanent residence within six minutes travel time to the district boundaries of their assigned station
• Be able to respond to a variety of calls requiring flexible availability during all times of the day including daytime, evenings, overnight and weekends. And attend a minimum of incident response in accordance with the current operating guidelines.
• Achieve fire-ground training (every Wednesday evening and mandatory training as required): attend a minimum of 70 per cent of the training sessions and complete 100 per cent of the mandatory training within a calendar year

Additional preferred qualifications include:

• DZ license
• Previous Firefighting experience
• Formal first aid training
• Trades experience

Fire Mechanic (EVT)

A fire mechanic ensures that all equipment is fully operational and ready to be used in an emergency.

Job overview

A fire mechanic is responsible for the maintenance and repairs of all fire department vehicles and equipment, including pumpers, aerials tankers and support vehicles. They are also responsible for the inspection and maintenance of all support equipment, which includes rotary saws, chain saws, extrication equipment and appliances used to support emergency incidents. The fire mechanic documents all work and inspections in the corporate maintenance software as well as issue parts inventory to work orders. 

Skills and qualifications

Skilled Trades Ontario ensures that all mechanics have the legally required training and certifications to practice in Ontario. The Emergency Vehicle Technician Certification Program is an excellent resource to develop the skills required to become an emergency vehicle mechanic. NFPA 1071 identifies the minimum job performance requirements for emergency vehicle technicians.

To become a fire mechanic with the City of Burlington Fire department, you must:

• Hold a valid 310T Certificate
• Hold a valid 310S Certificate
• Hold a valid DZ license
• Have a secondary school diploma
• Have a practical and theoretical knowledge of all major components found on response apparatus, including fire pumps and aerial

Fire Prevention Inspector

The fire prevention inspector is responsible for promoting fire safety in the community through fire prevention inspections and fire code enforcement. They also heighten public awareness by giving educational presentations to various public and business groups.

Job overview

A fire prevention inspector conducts comprehensive fire prevention inspections to ensure compliance with the Ontario Fire Code and other relevant standards, regulations and bylaws. The fire prevention inspector is responsible for preparing reports, reviewing fire safety plans, initiating prosecutions and giving evidence in court.

Skills and qualifications

To become a fire prevention inspector with the City of Burlington, you must have:

• A degree or diploma from a university or college in fire prevention and protection technology or a related discipline, or successfully completed equivalent related courses
• A demonstrated knowledge of the Ontario Fire Code and Ontario Building Code and other fire protection standards, codes and regulations
• A valid class G licence
• An understanding of the technical aspects of sprinkler, standpipe, fire alarm and voice communication systems, hazardous materials and processes, and other factors related to fire protection

Valuable assets include:

• A background in conducting inspections
• Experience delivering educational programs
• Having completed the following National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) courses: NFPA 1031 – Fire Inspector, Level 1 and/or NFPA 1035, Level 1.
• Strong interpersonal skills to establish effective working relationships and provide quality customer service
• The ability to interpret building construction design drawings

Public Education Officer (PEO)

The Public Education Officer (PEO) is responsible for promoting fire and life safety and prevention to the community. They heighten public awareness through the design and delivery of educational presentations to various public and business groups.

Job overview

The roles of a PEO include:

• Preparing and delivering presentations, and monitoring and reviewing feedback from presentations
• Working with educators from other fields and maintain accurate records and statistics related to the education programs delivered
• Supporting fire crews in the delivery of annual programs
• Providing fire and life safety training and support to members of business, community groups, health and long-term care facilities and people of all ages

Skills and qualifications

To become a PEO with the City of Burlington fire department, you must have:

• A background in developing and delivering varied educational programs to a wide range of audiences or experience in adult education
• A degree or diploma from a university or college in communications or a fire-prevention related discipline
• A demonstrated knowledge of the Ontario Fire Code and Ontario Building Code and other fire protection standards, codes and regulations
• A valid class G licence
• The ability to interpret statistical data and identify trends to strategically craft, deliver and measure fire prevention and life safety campaigns

Valuable assets include:

• A background in communications, public relations and education program development
• Completed fire prevention courses as part of the Provincial Fire Prevention Certification process
• Experience delivering educational programs

Telecommunicator (Dispatcher)

Public Safety Telecommunicators (dispatchers) are the first of the first responders.  A telecommunicator is typically the initial point of contact when someone calls for fire emergency assistance.

Job overview

The telecommunicator operates a variety of communications equipment, including radio consoles, telephones and a computer aided dispatch and records management system. They prioritize, initiate and coordinate the response of fire protection resources. They also manage the flow of incident-related information to and from field units and community resources. They are responsible for monitoring the status of field units and assigning additional resources as requested or required.

Skills and qualifications

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for Public Safety Telecommunications Personnel outline the qualifications for becoming a public safety telecommunicator. To become a public safety telecommunicator with the City of Burlington fire department, you must have:

• A certificate in public safety emergency telecommunications as a call taker and dispatcher
• A secondary school diploma or equivalent
• A valid standard first aid certificate and CPR
• Grade 12 English or proven proficiency in the English language
• Well-developed keyboarding skills with a minimum speed of 50 words per minute), combined with 75 per cent proficiency.
• Work up to 12-hours per shift, including weekdays and weekends

Training Officer

The Fire Department's training division prepares crews for any one of the challenges they may encounter while in response or assistance roles.

Job overview

The Training Officer is responsible for:

• Developing and delivering training programs for both volunteer and career staff compliant with all industry standards
• Evaluating all discipline training programs and learner performance
• Incorporating technology into the training environment at a firefighter and officer level
• Organizing and conducting career development and class examinations and activities for fire department personnel
• Performing administrative duties
• Performing public relations
• Researching and evaluating Fire department policies, operating guidelines, techniques and equipment
• Development and implementation of all volunteer and career recruit classes

Skills and qualifications

Those applying to be a training officer must have:

• Postsecondary education
• NFPA certification, teaching and technical experience in all NFPA 1006 and other applicable technical rescue disciplines such as: rope rescue, ice/static and swift water rescue, hazardous materials and vehicle rescue
• Training Officer Certification
• NFPA Instructor I/II
• Heart and Stroke Emergency Medical Responder Instructor
• Hold and produce a valid DZ Ontario driver's licence with a good driver abstract
• Pass a health and medical evaluation and a fitness assessment provided by the contracted City of Burlington parties at the time of application
• Possess the prescribed visual requirements of 20/30 in each eye without corrective lenses and satisfactorily complete a colour vision test.
• Understand and be able to communicate in English