County of Grande Prairie firefighter recruitment guide

Where County of Grande Prairie hiring stands

As of 15 October 2026:

• The County's part time firefighter intake is closed.
• The open firefighter posting on the County's careers site is for paid responders at rural and town stations, until suitable candidates are found.
• The most recent full time competition Northline found was a posting for one vacancy that closed on 9 October 2024, seen on a job board copy of the County's posting.

The County takes online applications only, through its careers site.

The County runs nine stations: La Glace, Teepee Creek, Beaverlodge, Hythe, Sexsmith, Wembley, Bezanson, Clairmont and Dunes. Clairmont and Dunes are the full time stations in the County's regional model. Its station pages describe fire, rescue and medical first response.

The City of Grande Prairie Fire Department is a separate employer with its own process and requirements. City of Grande Prairie Recruitment Guide

The part time route to full time

The County's part time page says part time members of the Regional Fire Service get the first opportunity to apply for full time positions. Its recruitment pages cover part time firefighters and paid responders, so the part time intake at Clairmont and Dunes is the route to full time the County itself describes.

The current page lists what the part time role asks of you:

• A commitment of at least 48 hours a month, as four 12 hour shifts.
• Two 40 hour weeks, Monday to Friday, of mandatory recruit training.

Plan your other work around that before you apply. The two weeks of recruit training are full time weekdays, and the monthly shifts continue after it. The County's page links a recorded virtual information session; watch it before the next window opens.

Who can apply

Part time firefighters, Clairmont and Dunes

The County's current part time page lists:

• At least 18 years old.
• A current Alberta Class 3 driver's licence with an air brake endorsement.
• A driver's abstract showing a safe driving record.
• Emergency Medical Responder, Medical First Responder or higher, with at least 80 hours of training.
• Grade 12.
• An RCMP criminal record check and vulnerable sector check.
• ICS 100.
• NFPA 1001 Level 1 and Level 2, IFSAC and/or ProBoard certified.
• NFPA 472 Awareness and Operations, IFSAC and/or ProBoard certified.
• Passing medical and psychological assessments.

The undated part time manual adds more: CPR Level C Health Care Provider with AED, a maximum of six demerits in five years, a licence past the probationary and graduated stages, and fluent English. Have both lists covered before you apply.

Full time firefighters

The full time posting that closed in October 2024, copied on a job board, listed NFPA 1001 Levels 1 and 2 and NFPA 472/1072 Dangerous Goods Operations, both IFSAC or ProBoard certified; a Class 3 licence with air brakes and a safe driving record; EMR, MFR, Advanced First Aid or higher (each at least an 80 hour program) with Level C CPR; ICS 100; Grade 12; an RCMP criminal record and vulnerable sector check; and medical and psychological assessments with County approved providers. It asked applicants to attach every certification, the criminal record check and a current driver's abstract, and said only applications with all attachments would be considered.

Paid responders, rural and town stations

The open paid responder posting asks for: at least 18 years old, a current Alberta licence and a driver's abstract showing a safe driving record, Grade 12, an RCMP criminal record check with vulnerable sector, and a doctor's letter of medical fitness. You must live within 15 km of one of the listed stations and outside the City of Grande Prairie. The County says pre-service training is optional, and paid responders attend additional 2.5 hour training sessions each week, with some weekend training.

This is a separate role from the part time and full time firefighter positions.

Firefighter Resume Guide

The part time process, step by step

The current part time page points to the hiring steps in its information package. The steps below come from the County's undated part time manual. Read the package linked from the County page again when the next window opens, because the order may have changed.

Application and prescreen

The manual says you apply online with your documents and a physician's medical release form.

Open house or information session

The manual recommends attending one when the County hosts it.

Document review

The manual says the County reviews your credentials, your references and your criminal record and vulnerable sector check, which is at the applicant's expense.

Ergometrics FireTEAM testing

The manual describes a video based written test covering teamwork, customer service, interpersonal skills, mechanical aptitude, math and reading. It is graded by a third party, the pass score is 70 percent, and the applicant pays for it.

Firefighter Aptitude Test Preparation

Fire service aptitude test

The manual describes a 50 question test on basic firefighting knowledge pertaining to NFPA 1001, with a 70 percent pass score. The manual's summary also lists NFPA 472/1072, 1002, 1051, ICS 100, math and mechanical content. This test checks fire knowledge directly, so review your NFPA 1001 and hazmat material before you sit it.

Physical Demands Test

The County runs its own test. The manual describes a treadmill aerobic test, then timed tasks in roughly 22 to 23 kg of gear. Its 2022 edition lists six, and the 2023 edition lists the last five:

• Equipment carry and vehicle extrication
• Charged hose advance
• Weighted sled pull
• Forcible entry
• Victim rescue, with a 185 lb mannequin over 100 ft
• Ladder climb

The manual says candidates get two attempts, within 14 days, at the cardio endurance test, and that a physician's clearance letter is required. Both editions place testing at the Dunes Fire Station. Train these events in gear, straight after a hard aerobic effort.

Firefighter Physical Testing in Alberta

Firefighter Physical Preparation Guide

Interview

The manual describes behavioural questions, with the interviewer rating your answers. Bring your driver's licence for identification, your certificates and an original driver's abstract from every jurisdiction you have been licensed in over the past five years, at your expense. The manual warns that missing items can cancel the interview.

Firefighter Interview Preparation

Selection committee, eligibility list and conditional offer

The manual lists a selection committee, then an eligibility list, then a conditional job offer.

Psychological evaluation and medical clearance

In the manual, the offer depends on a psychological evaluation with the County's fire psychologist and medical clearance with the County's fire physician. The manual says the applicant pays for the medical assessment.

The 2024 full time process

The full time posting that closed in October 2024, copied on a job board, listed eight stages in this order:

1. Application and qualification review, pass or fail
2. Zoom interview
3. Written firefighter knowledge test
4. Ergometrics team testing exam
5. Physical Demands Test, with an exam fee of $50 to $100 CAD
6. Panel interview
7. Station assessment
8. Medical and psychological assessments

Compared with the part time manual, it has two interviews, puts the knowledge test before Ergometrics and adds a station assessment. The County may run the next full time competition differently, and part time members get the first opportunity to apply.

What the process costs

The County's documents put several costs on the applicant: the criminal record check, Ergometrics testing, driver's abstracts and the medical assessment, according to the undated manual, and a Physical Demands Test fee of $50 to $100 CAD on the 2024 full time posting.

Pay

The County's part time page lists undated hourly rates for training and after training. The County and IAFF Local 5108 ratified an agreement in June 2026 covering January 2024 to December 2025, with wage increases of 3.85% in 2024 and 3.5% in 2025. Because the rates on the page also appear in the older manual, they may predate those increases. Check the current figure with the County before you rely on it.

What the County says about the job

Two older County documents describe what it values. The part time manual asks candidates whether their lifestyle aligns with the Fire Rescue Service values of respect, pride, professionalism and teamwork. The 2024 full time posting asked for candidates with a high level of integrity and a desire to serve the community.

Use those four values to plan your interview stories, with a true example for each.

County of Grande Prairie preparation priorities

• Decide which stream you are applying for, and work from that stream's requirements.
• If full time is the goal, plan for part time first: 48 hours a month and two weeks of weekday recruit training.
• Get your Class 3 with air brakes, ICS 100 and an 80 hour medical course in place before the window opens.
• Review your NFPA 1001 and hazmat material for the 50 question knowledge test.
• Practise mechanical aptitude, math, reading and teamwork scenarios for Ergometrics.
• Train for the timed tasks in gear that follow the treadmill test.
• Order driver's abstracts from every jurisdiction you have held a licence in during the past five years.