How to become a firefighter in Brandon

Required at application

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1. 1Application packageOnline application with cover letter, resume, and all required forms and documents. Incomplete applications are rejected.

   Read the Competition #179 applicant handbook front to back before you start. You apply online through the city's candidate portal and submit a cover letter, resume, and every form on the handbook's Appendix 1 checklist. Incomplete applications are rejected, and the city does not take responsibility for documents that arrive late.

   Several documents carry expiry clocks, so time your paperwork to your submission date. The driver's abstract must be dated within 3 months, the criminal record check with vulnerable sector within 1 year, the Child and Adult Abuse Registry check within 6 months, and the optometrist and audiologist forms within 1 year. You pay for the abstract and the vision and hearing exams, and both exam forms need the provider's signature, address, and phone number.

   Include proof of grade 12, GED, or mature student standing, a photocopy of your Class 4 licence with air endorsement (or proof you are in the process of getting the endorsement), and your College of Paramedics of Manitoba PCP Certificate of Practice or proof of a registered COPR test date. A transcript only counts as proof of grade 12 if it carries a signed statement from the principal attesting graduation requirements were met.

   There is no fee to apply and applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Check the driving criteria in the handbook's Appendix 2 before you spend money on tests: listed Highway Traffic Act convictions within 3 or 5 years, roadside breathalyzer suspensions within 3 years, and listed Criminal Code convictions within 10 years all rule you ineligible. If you have applied to three or more previous Firefighter/Paramedic competitions, the city may choose not to advance you.

   Department source for this stage

   Read roadmap step 7Review your Gap ListCertification tracker
2. 2Physical fitness testingOffered by BFES at no cost to the candidate; a similar physical test already completed may be evaluated as an equivalent case by case. The application checklist asks applicants who already hold a valid University of Manitoba CFFM FPFE certification to supply it and indicate it is current as of the closing date.

   BFES runs the physical test itself at no cost to you. If you have already completed a similar physical test elsewhere, the department will evaluate it as a possible equivalent on a case by case basis, and the application checklist lets you declare a current University of Manitoba CFFM FPFE certification that is valid as of the closing date.

   The handbook does not publish the stations or pass standards for this test, so confirm the format with a Competition Administrator when you are scheduled. Treat it as a hard gate: candidates who do not pass the physical testing are not scheduled for psychological testing later in the process.

   Until the department tells you the format, train for general firefighter job tasks: stair climbs and carries under load, grip endurance, and steady aerobic work. Arrive rested and hydrated rather than testing on tired legs.

   Department source for this stage

   Read roadmap step 13Start a fitness program
3. 3Skills Assessment ExaminationTwo parts: 100 multiple-choice questions on primary care paramedic knowledge (about 3 hours, 70 percent pass mark) and a video-based Emergency Services Testing battery covering human relations, mechanical reasoning, reading, and math (about 2.5 hours).

   This is a two-part exam held in Brandon at no cost to candidates. Section 1 is 100 multiple-choice questions on primary care paramedic knowledge, about 3 hours long with a 70 percent pass mark. Section 2 is the video-based Emergency Services Testing battery, about 2.5 hours covering human relations, mechanical reasoning, reading, and math, and the two sections may run in either order.

   Bring photo identification and arrive with time to spare, because candidates who arrive late may be dismissed from the competition at the proctors' discretion. Pencils are provided and the handbook says to dress comfortably; you are not graded on appearance.

   Answer every question. Unanswered questions are marked wrong, so guessing beats a blank, and the machine-scored sheet only accepts one filled answer per question. The video items play without stopping and give roughly 10 seconds each, so keep pace and do not dwell.

   Prepare for Section 1 with a serious PCP knowledge review, since 70 percent is a hard floor. Section 2 needs no fire experience; the handbook says common sense is your best guide, the reading test is 6 minutes of fill-in-the-blank, and the math is done in your head with no paper or pencil. You will sign a test security agreement, so never share test content afterwards.

   Department source for this stage

   Read roadmap step 13Start a fitness program
4. 4Selection interviewBehavioural interview with a selection panel at Fire Hall 1; candidates are ranked.

   Candidates who pass the Skills Assessment Exam face a behavioural interview with a selection panel at Fire Hall #1, 120 19th Street North. The panel examines job dimensions related to the Firefighter/Paramedic role and ranks every candidate. That ranking follows you, because shortlist hires are made in ranking order.

   Prepare specific stories from work, calls, or training that show teamwork, judgment under pressure, integrity, and communication with the public. Structure each answer around the situation, what you did, and the result.

   Brandon is a dual fire and ambulance service, so be ready to speak to patient care as comfortably as fire work. Candidates who place high in behavioural panels are the ones with concrete, first-person examples rather than general statements.

   Department source for this stage

   Read roadmap step 11Run a mock panel interviewInterview playbook
5. 5Psychological assessmentAbout 3 hours plus a short interview with the psychologist. Candidates who advance beyond the interview also complete a handwritten psychological questionnaire, returned sealed to the psychologist. Candidates are not eliminated at this stage unless they do not complete the test.

   Psychological testing is scheduled after the interview and takes about 3 hours, followed by a short interview with the psychologist. Candidates who did not pass the physical testing are not scheduled for it.

   You are not eliminated at this stage unless you fail to complete the test, and candidates are expected to meet with the psychologist to review their results. The only way to lose ground here is to skip it, rush it, or leave it unfinished.

   Candidates who advance beyond the interview also complete a questionnaire in their own handwriting, returned in a sealed envelope to the psychologist. The handbook's instruction is simple: answer honestly. Trying to guess a preferred profile creates inconsistencies, and honest answers cost you nothing at a stage that does not screen people out.

   Department source for this stage

   Read roadmap step 12Polygraph guideReview your PHS answers
6. 6Reference checks

   References are checked for candidates who are successful through the selection interviews, during the competition process and at no cost to you. The handbook is blunt about the standard: a firefighter/paramedic must be of good character with no criminal record.

   Choose references who have seen your work recently, ideally supervisors and instructors, and tell them to expect a call. Brief them on the role so their comments speak to reliability, teamwork, and patient care rather than generic praise.

   If your driving record changes at any point during the competition, the handbook requires you to report it to a Competition Administrator. Volunteering it early reads as integrity; having it surface on its own reads as concealment.

   Department source for this stage

   Read roadmap step 10Draft your PHSBuild your experience logbook
7. 7ShortlistSuccessful candidates are placed on a short list for future vacancies.

   Both successful and unsuccessful candidates are contacted once psychological testing and reference checks are complete. If there are no immediate openings, successful candidates are placed on a short list for future vacancies.

   The city's recruitment page confirms shortlist candidates are hired in the order of their ranking as required, so the interview ranking you earned decides when your offer comes. The department does not publish how long the list stays active, so confirm the shortlist's lifespan with a Competition Administrator.

   Keep everything current while you wait: your PCP Certificate of Practice, your Class 4 licence with air endorsement, and a clean driving record. Tell the department if your contact details change so an offer never misses you.

   Department source for this stage

   Read roadmap step 7Review your Gap ListCertification tracker