Lloydminster firefighter recruitment guide

Where Lloydminster hiring stands

The City says its firefighter hiring takes place as needed, based on operational requirements, and applications go to the current active posting on the City website. Watch the City's careers page.

Lloydminster Fire Rescue is a composite department with full time and paid on call firefighters. The City says it has 60 front line members and two full time stations operating around the clock. Its stations page lists four staff on duty at Station 1 around the clock, and a 24 hour shift at Station 2 of a Duty Captain and three firefighters. Fire Station 1, the headquarters, is on the Saskatchewan side of the city, and the D.E. Gustavson Fire Station, Station 2, is on the Alberta side. Its calls include fires, motor vehicle collisions, medical co-response, hazardous materials, ice and water rescue, alarms, service calls and mutual aid.

The firefighter role works seven days a week on a schedule that includes days, evenings, weekends and holidays, and station crews work 24 hour shifts.

Who can apply

The City's Firefighter Recruitment Manual (2024) lists these qualifications:

• At least 18 years of age, with a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Certification in NFPA 1001.
• Certification in Medical First Responder.
• A Class 3 driver's licence with air endorsement.
• The ability to pass a medical examination, a physical capacity assessment and possibly aptitude testing.
• Good health and physical and mental condition, with the strength and stamina for arduous, prolonged work.

It also asks for confidentiality, trustworthiness and integrity; good verbal and written communication; a client focus and the ability to work in a team; mechanical aptitude; good judgement in an emotionally challenging environment; and the ability to communicate clearly under stress. Post-secondary fire services or medical education is an asset.

The manual also encourages anyone interested in the Lloydminster fire service to apply, including candidates who hold only some of the qualifications, and says the department provides NFPA 1001, Medical First Responder and all required training to those selected for firefighter positions.

The City sits on the Alberta and Saskatchewan border, and the manual names the credential only as Medical First Responder. Ask the City which province's credential it expects before you pay for a course.

Firefighter Resume Guide

The Lloydminster process, step by step

The manual linked from the department page sets out seven stages, in this order.

Stage 1: Position advertisement and application

You apply to the active posting on the City of Lloydminster website with a cover letter, a resume and any other documents the posting asks for. The City turns away walk in applications at the fire stations. Questions go to hr@lloydminster.ca.

Stage 2: Application screening

After the closing date the hiring manager reviews the applications, and a set number of the top scoring applicants are invited to interview, based on the department's operational need. The City scores applications, so make your cover letter and resume answer the qualifications in the posting point by point.

Stage 3: Interview

Selected applicants interview during regular office hours with representatives of the Lloydminster Fire Department and Human Resources. The City says the interview will include questions and conversation about your education, experience, knowledge, abilities, communication, decision making, innovation and personal suitability as it relates to the job description.

Prepare from that list. Read the job description closely, and have an example ready for each item, including one where you made a decision under pressure and one where you improved how something was done.

Firefighter Interview Preparation

Northline Interview preparation options

Stage 4: Job Related Physical Capacity Assessment

The City gives you the assessment dates, a waiver form and a copy of the program. The linked manual and the 2025 program both allow one attempt.

Stage 5: Reference checks

You provide two supervisory, work related references, and the City's Human Resources team checks them.

Stage 6: Offer of employment

The offer is conditional on a driver's abstract, a criminal record check with vulnerable sector, and proof of qualifications. The abstract must be from within one month, at your cost. The City covers the cost of the criminal record check.

Stage 7: Orientation

Successful applicants attend the City of Lloydminster orientation. New firefighters are then placed on probation and move into the department's training and onboarding program based on their qualifications and certifications.

The physical capacity assessment

The City's 2025 program describes its own test, held at Lloydminster Fire Station 1, 3752 47 Street, in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. The City says the test exists to keep the candidate and future teammates safe and to replicate the physical and functional demands of the job. You wear a vest of an estimated 50 pounds, supplied by the department, for every station, and you must complete stations 1 to 6 within 15 minutes:

1. Equipment carry: pick up two 45 pound dumbbells and walk a 100 foot pylon serpentine and back. Walking only.
2. Forcible entry: use a sledgehammer to move a weighted block 60 cm (24 inches).
3. Hose advancement: drag two lengths of charged 45 mm (1¾ inch) hose about 30 m (100 feet), in two stages.
4. Ladder climb: climb nine rungs up and down as directed, five times.
5. Victim drag: drag a mannequin of an estimated 185 pounds 30 m (100 feet) around a pylon and back, walking backward.
6. Stair climb with hose pack and rope pull: carry a high rise pack of an estimated 50 pounds up and down the training tower stairs twice, then hoist a 65 mm (2½ inch) hose of an estimated 50 pounds hand over hand to the top landing.

You must pass all six. Failing any part ends the test, and a failure or a missed assessment uses your one attempt.

On the day you check in with City Human Resources and sign a waiver, staff monitor your vitals, and you get about 15 minutes to warm up. During the walkthrough you may ask questions, and the equipment is used only in the test itself. Plan for at least four hours on site, and stay at least 15 minutes after you finish for monitoring. A long sleeve cotton shirt and running shoes are required, long pants are preferred, and leather work gloves are available.

With one attempt, rehearse the full sequence in a weighted vest against the clock before the date. Practise the stair and hoist finish when you are already tired, since it comes last. If you live on the Alberta side, plan your travel to Station 1.

Firefighter Physical Preparation Guide

Firefighter Physical Testing in Alberta

What the process costs

The City names one cost you carry, the driver's abstract. It pays for the criminal record check itself.

What Lloydminster says about the job

The City describes the department as a dynamic and competent team dedicated to the safety of Lloydminster's residents, and the manual's qualifications ask for integrity, confidentiality, teamwork, a client focus and good judgement in emotionally challenging situations. Expect the interview's personal suitability questions to test those, and prepare examples from work or volunteering that show each one.

Lloydminster preparation priorities

• Get a Class 3 licence with air endorsement, and keep your abstract clean.
• Apply with the qualifications you hold, since the department trains NFPA 1001 and Medical First Responder for those it selects, and ask the City which medical credential it expects before you take a course.
• Write a cover letter and resume that match the posting's qualifications one by one.
• Prepare interview examples for each topic the City lists.
• Train the six station physical in a weighted vest, to time, for a single attempt.
• Line up two supervisory references before the interview.