How to become a firefighter in Gatineau

Verified GuideModel B: Come pre-certified

Working language

You need working French. Entry to a Quebec fire service runs through the DEP Intervention en sécurité incendie or the DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie, both delivered in French at Quebec institutions, and the recruitment process, the postings and the job itself run in French. Coming from outside Quebec, the French is not a formality to clear at the end: it gates the schooling you need before you can apply at all. Gatineau sits across the river from Ottawa and draws candidates from both sides, which makes the language question worth asking them directly. We have not mapped Gatineau's own published requirements yet.

This department does not publish a language requirement we could find, so the above describes the practical reality rather than a stated rule. Ask them directly before you rule yourself in or out.

Where are you starting from?

What you need

The credentials and documents Gatineau requires before you can apply.

How hiring works here

Every stage Gatineau publishes, and how to do each one well.

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At a glance

Entry model: Model B: Come pre-certified
Fire certification before applying: DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie
Medical requirement: CPR and first aid certificate
Driver requirement: Class 3 truck licence (Québec) or Ontario licence with F and DZ mentions (required before hire); Pleasure craft operator competency card
Written test: None published
Physical test: None published
Last verified: July 2026 · sources monitored daily for changes

A summary of this record. The full detail is below, and the official posting governs.

Gatineau recruits temporary firefighters through eligibility-list competitions. The city's most recent verified posting (2023) requires the DEC en techniques de sécurité incendie, a valid CPR and first aid certificate, and the pleasure craft operator competency card, with a Class 3 truck licence (Québec) or an Ontario licence with the F and DZ mentions required at hiring. Medical standards are explicit: NFPA 1582 hearing norms and uncorrected vision of at least 20/40 in both eyes, with glasses and contact lenses not permitted. Candidates must also pass a security screening and any qualification tests.

NFPA 1001 Firefighter I and II plus HazMat Operations are required before applying. Budget for fire school before you can compete.

Requirements

Required at application

DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie
Stated on the posting: Détenir un diplôme d'études collégiales (DEC) en techniques de sécurité incendie.
Prepare with roadmap step 5
CPR and first aid certificate
Stated as: Détenir un certificat du cours de réanimation cardiorespiratoire (RCR) et premiers soins, valid through the competition period.
Prepare with roadmap step 3
Pleasure craft operator competency card
Stated as: Détenir la carte de compétence de conducteur d'embarcation de plaisance.
Prepare with roadmap step 4
Medical standards: NFPA 1582 hearing norms and 20/40 vision in both eyes
The posting requires the physical capacity and health compatible with the position, hearing that meets NFPA 1582, and minimum uncorrected vision of 20/40 in both eyes with no ocular pathology. Glasses and contact lenses are not permitted.

Required before hire

Class 3 truck licence (Québec) or Ontario licence with F and DZ mentions
Required at hiring: À l'embauche être détenteur d'un permis de conduire valide de camion porteur de classe 3 (Québec) ou avec la mention F et DZ (Ontario).
Prepare with roadmap step 4

Preferred assets

Heavy vehicle driving experiencePreferred asset
Listed on the posting as an asset.
ENPQ Profil 2 / Officier 1Preferred asset
Listed on the posting as an asset.

The hiring process

Gatineau hires temporary firefighters through eligibility-list competitions, and no pompier posting is open right now. Watch the Sécurité publique job offers page on gatineau.ca and the RIMQ municipal job network at rimq.qc.ca, where the last competition ran. That competition closed June 25, 2023, so build your file now and be ready to move quickly when a new posting opens.
The 2023 posting required applying online at gatineau.ca/emploi with a CV and a copy of both sides of your driver's licence. Applications sent by email, fax, or mail were rejected, so use the portal only.
Have your documents ready before a window opens: the DEC en techniques de sécurité incendie, a valid RCR et premiers soins certificate, and the carte de compétence de conducteur d'embarcation de plaisance. The posting also set firm medical standards, hearing that meets NFPA 1582 norms and uncorrected vision of at least 20/40 in both eyes, with glasses and contact lenses not permitted, so get an eye exam before you apply. A Class 3 truck licence (Québec) or an Ontario licence with the F and DZ mentions is required at hiring rather than at application, but licence training takes time, so start early.
The posting and the process run in French, so submit your CV in French. Hiring priority went to candidates living in Gatineau or within 15 km of city limits, and heavy vehicle driving experience and ENPQ Profil 2 or Officier 1 were listed as assets, so state them plainly if you have them. If French is your second language, ask the department directly about language expectations, since Gatineau draws candidates from both sides of the Ottawa River.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 7 Review your Gap List Certification tracker
The 2023 posting says only that candidates must pass the qualification tests where applicable, in French "réussir les épreuves de qualification, le cas échéant." Gatineau publishes no test family and no named physical test, so confirm the format with the department when a competition opens.
Until Gatineau says more, prepare on fundamentals rather than a rumoured format. Review your DEC coursework, fire behaviour, hose and ladder operations, pump basics, and emergency medical content, since written and practical evaluations in firefighter hiring draw on that training.
Train for a physical evaluation the same way: work capacity under load, stair climbs, hose drags, and grip strength cover most firefighter test circuits. Arrive rested, eat and hydrate normally, and treat any practice session or orientation the department offers as part of the evaluation.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 8 Drill the question banks Sit a timed mock
The posting requires candidates to clear a security screening, the "tri sécuritaire," and publishes nothing about what it covers or what disqualifies a candidate. If you have anything on your record, ask the department what the screening includes, since only they can answer for their own criteria.
Fill out every screening form completely and honestly. An omission the check uncovers is worse than a disclosed problem, so declare anything relevant and let the city assess it.
Keep your driving record clean through the whole competition. The job requires a Class 3 licence (Québec) or an Ontario licence with the F and DZ mentions at hiring, so your driving history matters beyond the screening itself.
If you have a criminal record, look into a record suspension well before you apply, and confirm with the department how a record affects eligibility, since the posting does not say.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 7 Review your Gap List Certification tracker

Worth knowing

Requirements come from the 2023 temporary firefighter eligibility-list competition posted by the city on the RIMQ municipal job network; it closed June 25, 2023, and no pompier posting was open on gatineau.ca as of July 2026. Confirm the current competition when one opens.
The 2023 posting listed an hourly rate of $24.40 to $44.36 on the 2023 salary scale.
For operational reasons, hiring priority goes to candidates residing in Gatineau or within 15 km of city limits, and temporary firefighters have no guaranteed hours and no minimum weekly commitment.

Official sources

Last verified July 2026. Requirements change: the official posting always governs.

Semparo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Service de sécurité incendie de Gatineau (SSIG) or any testing vendor. This guide is independent preparation content.

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