Medicine Hat firefighter recruitment guide

Where Medicine Hat hiring stands

As of 15 October 2026 the City's firefighter recruitment page says applications to Medicine Hat Fire and Emergency Services (MHFES) are closed. The City takes applications only through its online application system, for advertised positions. Watch the City's careers site for the next firefighter competition.

The latest recruit intake Northline found in the City's reports is in its 2023 Year in Review, which says the service had recently recruited ten firefighters, eight of them to bolster platoon strength. The department's recruitment FAQ was written for the 2021 competition, which closed on 29 October 2021, and it says candidates from a previous recruitment who have yet to be contacted must apply again for upcoming opportunities.

MHFES is a career fire department. Its 2025 Year in Review describes a medical first responder role, co-responding in support of Emergency Health Services, and reports 5,128 total incidents in 2025, 507 of them medical first response. The 2023 report describes 80 firefighters in four platoons of 20, across three stations, one of them at the airport. The service also runs 911 communications and aquatics rescue, hazardous materials and technical rescue teams.

Who can apply

The City lists these firefighter qualifications:

• At least 18 years of age.
• A Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• At least a grade 12 diploma or equivalency.
• NFPA 1001 Level 1 and 2 certificates with an IFSAC or ProBoard seal.
• NFPA 472/1072 Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations certificates with an IFSAC or ProBoard seal.
• Current Standard First Aid with CPR Level C/AED as a minimum.
• A valid Alberta Class 3 driver's licence with air brake endorsement or equivalent, and a current driver's abstract with six or fewer demerits.
• A current police information check with vulnerable sector, required on a conditional job offer.

The City counts other NFPA electives, such as NFPA 1002 Apparatus Driver/Operator and NFPA 1006 Technical Rescue Personnel, and EMR or EMT training as relevant assets.

The 2021 FAQ added detail for that competition. Recent NFPA 1001 graduates could apply with proof of graduation and proof that they had applied for their seals. Licensed EMRs, EMTs, PCPs and ACPs could use current CPR Level C with AED in place of Standard First Aid. A licence from outside Alberta needed documented equivalency to a Class 3 with air brakes. The FAQ also said every IFSAC and ProBoard seal and number must be legible for an application to be processed, so scan your certificates cleanly.

Firefighter Resume Guide

The Medicine Hat process, step by step

The City lists ten stages in this order. It also says the process grades applicants on a pro rated scoring system, with weighted performance grades for each segment. The weights are unpublished.

Step 1: Application and processing

You apply online, and candidates who meet the minimum qualifications are invited to the next stage. Have every certificate, your licence and your abstract ready before the competition opens.

Step 2: Aptitude test

The City lists five areas:

• Understanding spoken information
• Reading and understanding written information
• Numerical skills
• Mapping, diagrams and mechanical reasoning
• Teamwork and public relations

The City publishes only these five areas. Practise all five, including listening to spoken information and answering questions on it afterwards.

Firefighter Aptitude Test Preparation

Step 3: Documentation review

The City says test results and resume scores are calculated, and only the highest ranked applicants advance. Your resume is scored at this stage, alongside your aptitude result, so write it to show your certifications, assets and experience clearly.

Step 4: Job skill assessment

This stage measures physical ability, and the City says the test is completed at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation. Only candidates who reach this stage take it. The 2021 FAQ said MHFES notifies candidates of available testing dates, that the candidate books and pays for the test, and that earlier U of A results were accepted if dated within 12 months of the application closing date. The University of Alberta lists the test at $399 plus GST, payable in full at booking, and says results are typically valid for six months.

Because MHFES gives the dates after the documentation review, start training for the University of Alberta Physical Fitness Test before the competition opens.

Firefighter Physical Testing in Alberta

Firefighter Physical Preparation Guide

Step 5: Interview

Interviews are conducted by representatives from Fire and Emergency Services and by People Services staff. The 2021 FAQ said the interview consists of descriptive and behavioural based questions. The City's careers page, which covers every City job, says it uses behavioural based interviews and recommends practising answers with the STAR method.

Medicine Hat Firefighter Interview Preparation

Northline Interview preparation options

Step 6: Psychometric testing

The City describes a multiple choice scientific test of personality attributes and cognitive capabilities, completed through an interview with a psychologist.

Step 7: Station assessment

Qualified candidates work alongside crews for one day as a stage of the assessment, so treat the whole day as part of it.

Step 8: Eligibility list

The City creates an eligibility list for future openings. The length of a place on the list is unpublished.

Step 9: Medical, police information check and references

As vacancies occur, candidates are asked to complete a medical assessment and a police information check, and the City completes reference checks at the same stage. The 2021 FAQ encouraged candidates to supply 3 to 4 references, preferably previous supervisors, and said school references were also accepted. Tell your references early, because this stage can come long after your interview.

Step 10: Job offer

Qualified candidates are contacted with an offer.

What the process costs

The one published cost is the U of A test, at $399 plus GST, which the City's recruitment page says is the candidate's responsibility.

What Medicine Hat says about the service

MHFES gives its mission as "to provide optimum protection and prevention for our residents, businesses, and visitors." Its values are accountability, integrity, respect, professionalism, caring and teamwork.

The station day and the interview both test how you work with people, so hold a true story for each of those six values. With People Services on the interview panel, tell each one so someone outside the fire service can follow it.

Medicine Hat preparation priorities

• Hold NFPA 1001 Level 1 and 2 and NFPA 472/1072 with seals before the competition opens, with clean, readable scans.
• Keep your Class 3 with air brakes current and your abstract at six demerits or fewer.
• Write a resume that can be scored: certifications, NFPA electives, EMR or EMT training and relevant experience, easy to find.
• Practise all five aptitude areas, including listening to spoken information.
• Train for the U of A test now, since the dates come after the documentation review.
• Build a behavioural story bank around the six MHFES values, and line up 3 to 4 references who have supervised you.