Fort Saskatchewan firefighter recruitment guide

Where Fort Saskatchewan hiring stands

On 25 October 2026 the three postings on the City of Fort Saskatchewan job board were all outside the fire department. The City's 2023 Fire Services Master Plan says firefighter postings, with their minimum requirements and process, are listed on the City website, so the job board is where an intake will appear. The board offers a Career Alert sign up.

The City is building a second fire station, the Helmuth Ritter Fire Station, at 151 Southridge Boulevard, with detailed design from September 2026 to April 2027 and construction starting in spring 2027. The City says today's firefighters and apparatus will be split between the two stations, at the current staffing level.

About the department

The Fort Saskatchewan Fire Department provides emergency and non emergency services around the clock. The City lists its emergency responses as fires, motor vehicle collisions, emergency medical incidents, hazardous material spills or releases, and water, ice and river incidents. It has served Fort Saskatchewan since 1906, and the City's service levels record 628 incidents in 2023.

The 2023 master plan describes a composite service: career full time firefighters supported by casual and paid on call firefighters, responding from one station at 10099 93 Avenue. The plan listed funding for six full time firefighters, increased to eight in 2023, alongside four full time captains and 28 paid on call firefighters, and noted that paid on call numbers vary with recruitment and retention.

The City's service levels, updated April 2024, set the medical response at Standard First Aid and Health Care Provider CPR.

The paid on call route to full time

The 2023 master plan says full time firefighter positions are typically filled by current paid on call firefighters, that full time positions are highly sought after, and that full time firefighters seldom leave. It also says paid on call firefighters are typically seeking a fire service career and usually apply to full time departments elsewhere while they serve.

On the plan's account, the usual way into a full time Fort Saskatchewan position is paid on call service first. The job description requires firefighters to live within a defined area around the station, so check where you would live before you apply.

Who can apply

The 2023 master plan lists the minimum qualifications for Fort Saskatchewan firefighters:

• NFPA 1001 Level I and II certification.
• CPR C and AED.
• NFPA 1072 hazardous materials awareness.

The firefighter job description in the plan's appendix of department job descriptions adds more. It asks for a high school diploma and, at the recruit level, an Alberta Class 5 licence with five demerits or fewer. Firefighters must live within a defined geographic area shown on a department map, so they can reach the station quickly in an emergency or on standby. Clearances are a health evaluation covering physical ability, a medical evaluation and a mental health review, plus a criminal record check with a vulnerable sector check.

The job description then sets a progression by certification, with IFSAC seals: NFPA 1001 Level I and NFPA 1072 hazardous materials awareness and operations, with Standard First Aid and CPR C with AED, at the first operational level; NFPA 1001 Level II and ICS 100 at the next; and NFPA 1006 technical rescue awareness and ICS 200 at the top level, after three years of service.

The two lists differ. The minimum qualifications ask for NFPA 1001 Level I and II, while the job description lets a recruit start with a Class 5 licence and earn certifications in service. The plan leaves open which applies at hiring, so arrive with NFPA 1001 Level I and II and read the next posting for the rest, including the residence map.

Firefighter Resume Guide

The Fort Saskatchewan process in the 2023 master plan

The plan describes four steps after the minimum qualifications, in this order. Treat it as the order the department used in 2023, and check the next posting for the current one.

Step 1: Written firefighter test

Candidates sat a firefighter written test based on IFSTA Essentials 7, the seventh edition of IFSTA's Essentials of Fire Fighting. Study that textbook, since it is the one the plan names.

Firefighter Aptitude Test Guide

Step 2: Physical test

The plan names the physical as the "University of Alberta Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)". That wording joins two different tests: the University of Alberta Physical Fitness Test and the CPAT. Ask the department which one it accepts, and whether a recent result from elsewhere counts, before you book or pay for either.

Firefighter Physical Testing in Alberta

Firefighter Physical Preparation Guide

Step 3: Fire department interview

The plan lists a fire department interview after the physical. Confirm its format with the department.

Firefighter Interview Preparation

Northline Interview preparation options

Step 4: Full medical

A full medical followed the interview. Once hired, the plan says a new firefighter rides in the fourth seat on the Squad for one on shift tour to learn the department's systems.

Fort Saskatchewan preparation priorities

• Hold NFPA 1001 Level I and II, NFPA 1072 hazardous materials awareness, and CPR C with AED.
• Study IFSTA Essentials of Fire Fighting, seventh edition, for the written test.
• Ask which physical test the department accepts before you book one.
• Plan on paid on call service as the way into a full time position, and check the residence area first.
• Turn on the City's Career Alert so you see the posting when it opens.