How to practise with these
Say each answer out loud and time it. Most questions fall into three kinds, and each wants a different answer.
- “Tell us about a time” questions are behavioural. Answer with one real example, told in order, ending with what you did and how it turned out.
- “What would you do” questions are situational. Say what you would do first, then why, then what you would do if it went wrong.
- “Why this department” questions test your research. Name something specific about the department and the community it serves.
Edmonton’s stations give you two minutes to think and five to answer, so practise a few of its questions against a clock.
Calgary Fire Department
Calgary interviews firefighter candidates in person, and the City asks for every answer in STAR format.
- Tell us about a time you disagreed with a decision made by someone you reported to. What did you do?
- Describe a mistake you made that affected other people. How did you handle it?
- Tell us about a time you worked closely with someone you found difficult.
- Describe a time you kept to a standard when cutting a corner would have been easier.
- Tell us about a time you stepped in to help someone in your community on your own initiative.
- Describe a time you had to stay calm and act while the people around you were under stress.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services
Edmonton interviews firefighter candidates through Multiple Mini Interviews: short timed stations, one question each, worth half of your overall score.
- A member of the public stops your crew at a grocery store and says the engine took too long to reach their neighbour’s house. How do you respond?
- You are a probationary firefighter and see a senior crew member speak rudely to a patient’s family. What do you do?
- Someone in your recruit class is leaving their share of a marked group assignment to the rest of you. What do you do?
- A friend asks you to share the aptitude test questions you remember. What do you say?
- Tell us about a time you had to give someone bad news.
- Tell us about a time you helped someone whose background or language was different from yours.
- Describe a time you changed your mind after hearing another person’s view.
Grande Prairie Fire Department
Grande Prairie interviews firefighter candidates twice: an online interview after the aptitude test, then a panel interview after fitness testing.
- Tell us about a time you followed an instruction you disagreed with. What did you do afterwards?
- Describe a time you saw something that needed doing and acted on it before anyone asked you to.
- Tell us about a time you learned a new skill quickly and then taught it to someone else.
- Describe a time you helped someone who was hurt, frightened or in pain. What did you do for them?
- Tell us about a time you kept going on a hard, physical task long after you were tired.
- On your station assessment day, a crew member asks you to help with a task you have yet to learn. What do you do?
- Why Grande Prairie? What do you know about the work this department does?
Medicine Hat Fire and Emergency Services
Medicine Hat interviews firefighter candidates after the aptitude test, documentation review and job skill assessment, with interviewers from Fire and Emergency Services and the City’s People Services staff.
- Tell us about a time you made a mistake that affected other people. What did you do next?
- Describe a time someone asked you to do something you believed was wrong. What did you do?
- Tell us about a time you treated someone with respect while you strongly disagreed with them.
- Describe a time you helped a member of the public who was upset or frightened.
- Tell us about a time you had to learn a new skill quickly. How did you go about it?
- Describe a time your team fell behind on a task and you helped bring it back on track.
- Why do you want to be a firefighter in Medicine Hat?
How the Medicine Hat Fire and Emergency Services interview works
Red Deer Emergency Services
Red Deer Emergency Services hires FireMedics, cross-trained in firefighting and emergency medical services, and its interview stage has two parts: an oral pre-screening interview and a final interview.
- On a medical call, a patient’s family member is angry about how long the ambulance took and starts filming your crew. What would you do?
- Your crew is back from a long call and the station duties are still waiting. A newer crew member says they are too tired to help. How would you handle it?
- A crew member posts something off duty that reflects badly on the department. What would you do?
- Tell us about a time you shared close quarters with people very different from you. How did you keep the relationships working?
- Describe a time you gave your own time to a community cause. What did you do, and what came of it?
- Tell us about a time you had to admit a mistake at work. What happened next?
- Describe a time you stayed respectful with someone who was treating you badly.
St. Albert Fire Services
St. Albert interviews Firefighter/Paramedic candidates in front of a panel from the Fire & EMS Department and Human Resources, after a full day station assessment.
- Tell us about a time you kept your word when it cost you something.
- Describe a time you looked after someone’s family as well as the person who needed help.
- Tell us about a time you followed an instruction quickly under pressure, then raised a concern about it afterwards.
- Describe a time you owned a mistake in front of your team. What did you do next?
- A senior crew member tells you a station tradition you find uncomfortable. How do you respond?
- You finish a long night shift on the ambulance and a crewmate wants to skip the equipment check. What do you do?
- Tell us how you look after your own fitness and wellness during a demanding stretch of work or study.
Strathcona County Emergency Services
Strathcona County interviews firefighter/paramedic candidates in person, in front of a panel from the department and HR, with competency and behaviour based questions.
- Tell us about a time you had to rely on a team member you had only just met to get a job done.
- Describe a time you owned up to a mistake of your own before anyone else had spotted it.
- Walk us through how you have prepared for this recruitment, and what you have learned about this department along the way.
- Tell us about a time you carried out an instruction you disagreed with. What did you do, and what did you say afterwards?
- Describe a long shift or a long day when you had to keep performing well while you were tired.
- Tell us about a time you explained something complicated to a patient or family member who was upset.
- Describe something you have done for a community you belong to, on your own time.
How the Strathcona County Emergency Services interview works
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Regional Emergency Services
Wood Buffalo interviews firefighter-paramedic candidates in person, in front of a panel from Regional Emergency Services and Human Resources.
- What draws you to a firefighter-paramedic career in Fort McMurray, and what have you done to prepare for it?
- Explain to a worried family member, in plain words, what your crew is doing for their relative and what happens next.
- Tell us about a time you followed through on a commitment after it became harder than you expected.
- You are a new firefighter-paramedic and see a senior crew member skip part of the morning apparatus check. What do you do?
- Describe a time you worked through a disagreement with a teammate and kept the working relationship strong.
- Tell us about a time you kept your judgment steady through a long, stressful stretch of work.
- Describe a time you shared information early with your team and it changed how the work got done.
How the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Regional Emergency Services interview works