Airdrie firefighter recruitment guide

Where Airdrie hiring stands

Applications to the Airdrie Fire Department are closed as of 15 October 2026. The City says it is processing applications from its recent intake and will contact the people invited to the next step. For the next window, it points candidates to its careers page and to career alerts.

The City's job posting for the role says the competition may also be used to create an eligibility list for future firefighter positions. The length of a place on that list is unpublished.

The City says Airdrie Fire Department runs three fire halls, with a fourth coming online in 2026, and that it answered over 3,000 calls in 2025, 52 percent of them medical emergencies. Its firefighters provide medical co-response at the Primary Care Paramedic level, alongside fire suppression, motor vehicle collisions, rope and ice rescue, hazardous materials and public education.

Who can apply

The City lists these minimum requirements:

• Over 18 years of age and legally eligible to work in Canada.
• A high school diploma or GED.
• A valid Class 1, 2 or 3 driver's licence with a Q air brake endorsement, with fewer than 7 demerit points.
• NFPA 1001 Firefighter Level I and II, with IFSAC or Pro Board certification.
• NFPA 472/1072 Hazmat Awareness and Operations, with IFSAC or Pro Board certification.
• A Primary Care or Advanced Care Paramedic practice permit with the Alberta College of Paramedics.
• The ability to pass a criminal record and vulnerable sector check.

Applicants currently enrolled in a Primary Care Paramedic program are eligible. Applicants from a municipal fire service whose in house training meets NFPA 1001 can apply for equivalency. Paramedics registered outside Alberta are pointed to the Alberta College of Paramedics labour mobility guidelines.

The paramedic requirement sets Airdrie apart from departments that hire at the Emergency Medical Responder level. If you still need a PCP permit or a place in a PCP program, plan for that training before you plan for Airdrie.

Firefighter Resume Guide

The Airdrie process, step by step

The City numbers seven steps. Earlier postings ran them in other orders, so check the City page again when a window opens.

Step 1: Apply online

You create an account on the City's careers site, apply with a resume and a cover letter, and answer screening questions that check you meet the minimum certifications. Only applicants who meet the requirements move on, so have every certificate ready to upload before the window opens.

Step 2: Online aptitude test

Airdrie uses the Firefighter Aptitude and Character Test (FACT) and the Comprehensive Examination Battery (CEB). The City says the tests cover reading, writing, math and interpersonal skills, are delivered virtually through Fire & Police Selection Inc (FPSI), and cost the applicant $35 USD. FPSI sells optional preparation material at extra cost.

FPSI describes FACT as measuring reading ability, mathematical reasoning, map reading, writing ability and human relations. Practise all five areas before you sit it.

Airdrie Aptitude Test Preparation

Step 3: Panel interview

The interview is an in person Behavioural Descriptive Interview, and the City names the format: STAR, for Situation, Task, Actions, Result. The panel is an Airdrie Fire Department firefighter or officer, an Airdrie Fire Department chief officer and a member of City of Airdrie Human Resources. Applicants who live outside Alberta may ask for a virtual interview.

With STAR named as the format, expect the panel to listen for a result at the end of every answer. Build stories from fire, medical and everyday work, and make each one say what you personally did.

Firefighter Interview Preparation

Northline Interview preparation options

Step 4: Firefighting and medical skills assessment

The City names four fire evolutions, based on IFSTA Essentials 8th Edition:

• Ground ladder evolution
• Hydrant evolution
• Firefighter lift and carries
• Ladder climb evolution

The same step includes individual medical skill stations in the department's Sim Lab, at Primary Care Paramedic scope. Prepare for them the way you would for an OSCE: one skill or patient per station, assessed against your scope of practice.

Medical stage preparation

Step 5: Fitness evaluation

Airdrie accepts any one of three tests, taken at your own expense: the University of Alberta Physical Fitness Test, the Red Deer Polytechnic Firefighter Applicant Physical Aptitude Test or the CPAT. The City puts the cost at roughly $200 to $400 CAD and treats results as valid for 12 months.

Airdrie is the only Alberta department Northline has found that accepts all three. Pick the one you can book and train for, and time it so the result is still inside the 12 month window when you need it.

Firefighter Physical Testing in Alberta

Firefighter Physical Preparation Guide

Step 6: Reference and credential checks

The City checks references and verifies education, certifications, employment history, your Alberta College of Paramedics practice permit and a criminal record check with a vulnerable sector search. Tell your references before the City calls them.

Step 7: Medical and treadmill assessment

Candidates have a medical assessment with the City's contracted provider in accordance with NFPA 1582, and a treadmill VO2 max assessment with a minimum of 12 minutes 30 seconds. That treadmill test is separate from the fitness test in step 5, so keep your aerobic base up after you pass it.

The City's posting for the role on the Alberta Municipalities job board, with a tentative 2026 start date, adds that candidates must meet immunization requirements.

What the process costs

The City lists two fees: $35 USD for the FPSI aptitude test, and roughly $200 to $400 CAD for whichever fitness test you choose. FPSI's preparation material is optional and costs extra.

What Airdrie says about the job

The City describes the people it wants as experienced in firefighting and emergency response, registered paramedics, physically and mentally resilient, team oriented and dedicated to community service. Its crews, in the City's words, are educators, protectors and leaders as well as emergency responders.

Use that list when you plan your interview stories. With a chief officer and Human Resources on the panel, expect questions about teamwork, community service and how you hold up under pressure, as well as your fire and medical experience.

Airdrie preparation priorities

• Get your PCP practice permit in place, or confirm your enrolment, before the window opens.
• Assemble NFPA 1001, NFPA 472/1072, licence and paramedic documents in one folder, with clear file names.
• Practise all five FACT areas, including human relations.
• Build a STAR story bank with fire, medical and community examples.
• Drill the four named evolutions and PCP skills one station at a time.
• Book a fitness test that will still be valid when the City asks for it, and keep your aerobic base for the treadmill.