How to become a firefighter in Montreal

Verified GuideModel B: Come pre-certifiedDepartment-specificDepartment-specific

Opens by posting

The SIM careers page states that all SIM jobs are posted through the city's online application system, and that "When the SIM recruits, that's where its job descriptions are posted. Check this section frequently to stay abreast of new opportunities." Postings are in French.

Checked August 10, 2026 against the department's own page. Intake dates change without notice, so confirm there before you plan around this.

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. Montreal publishes its firefighter postings in French, and requires the full three-year DEP plus DEC.

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 Montreal requires before you can apply.

How hiring works here

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

Build your plan

Two minutes: see which requirements you already meet, and what to start first.

At a glance

Entry model: Model B: Come pre-certified
Fire certification before applying: DEP Intervention en sécurité incendie; DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie
Medical requirement: None listed
Driver requirement: Valid Class 4A licence (emergency vehicles)
Written test: Department-specific
Physical test: Department-specific
Last verified: July 2026 · sources monitored daily for changes

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

Montreal sets the highest education bar in Quebec: candidates need the full three-year integrated fire training, meaning the one-year DEP Intervention en sécurité incendie plus the two-year DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie, along with a valid Class 4A emergency vehicle licence whose validation is a preliminary hiring step. Hiring happens only during open competitions, and selection includes a psychometric personality inventory, a skills interview with situational and role-playing exercises, and a two-part physical test in which both parts are eliminatory. There is no residency requirement.

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

How their intake usually runs

Hiring only during open competitions

Requirements

Required at application

DEP Intervention en sécurité incendie
The one-year DEP is delivered by only a few institutions: IPIQ (Laval and Québec campuses), Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy, and the Académie des pompiers in Mirabel.
Prepare with roadmap step 5
DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie
SIM requires the full three-year integrated fire training: the DEP plus the two-year DEC.
Prepare with roadmap step 5
Valid Class 4A licence (emergency vehicles)
Licence validation is a preliminary hiring step.
Prepare with roadmap step 4
Comparative evaluation for foreign credentials
Foreign credentials require a comparative evaluation to determine equivalency.
Prepare with roadmap step 7

The hiring process

The SIM hires only during posted competitions, and applications are accepted only while a hiring notice is up. Postings appear on the Ville de Montréal careers site in French, under the stage SIM calls "Affichage du concours et traitement de l'admissibilité des candidatures".
You must meet every requirement before you apply: the DEP Intervention en sécurité incendie, the DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie, and a valid Class 4A licence for emergency vehicles. Submit your CV plus copies of your diplomas and licence with the application. An incomplete file does not pass the eligibility check.
If your training comes from another province or country, obtain a comparative evaluation of your credentials through Quebec's immigration ministry and complete the required Quebec training before a competition opens. There is no way to apply between competitions, so this work has to be done ahead of time.
SIM does not confirm competition dates in advance, so check the city's careers site regularly and sign up for job alerts. The postings and the whole process run in French, so working French is part of being ready to apply.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 14 Academy preparation guide Start a fitness program
This is a personality inventory, listed in French as the "Test psychométrique (inventaire de personnalité)". It measures fit with the SIM firefighter profile, and it is eliminatory: only candidates whose results match the profile move on.
SIM states there are no right or wrong answers and asks you to answer truthfully. Trying to guess an ideal answer tends to produce an inconsistent profile, so answer as you actually are.
Expect the test in French. Rest well beforehand, read each item fully, and keep a steady pace rather than overthinking individual questions.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 12 Polygraph guide Review your PHS answers
The "Entrevue d'évaluation des compétences reliées à l'emploi" combines general questions with situational and role-playing exercises, and it is conducted in French.
SIM publishes the competencies it scores: interpersonal communication and teamwork, commitment and responsibility, managing stress and emotions, and a client-centred approach to the public. Prepare one or two real examples for each, drawn from work, sport, volunteering, or your fire training.
In the role-playing exercises, behave the way you would on the job: stay calm, communicate clearly, and put the person in front of you first. The board is assessing how you act under pressure, not whether you find a perfect answer.
This stage is eliminatory and SIM screens against its recruitment needs, so treat it as a full exam rather than a conversation. Practise answering out loud in French before the day.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 11 Run a mock panel interview Interview playbook
The "Test d'aptitudes physiques nécessaires à l'emploi" has two parts and both are eliminatory. Part one measures cardiovascular capacity, and part two is a timed circuit of firefighting tasks.
SIM asks you to complete the circuit as quickly as possible within the time limit, safely, and with maximum technical efficiency. Sloppy technique costs you as much as slow times, so rehearse the movements, not just your conditioning.
SIM posts a preparatory document describing the physical test on its steps-before-hiring page. Download it and build your training plan around the actual tasks it lists.
Third-party preparatory sessions for this test exist, for example through OPTIMUM Consultants; they are external to SIM and paid. Whichever route you take, give yourself months of aerobic and strength preparation, not weeks.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 13 Start a fitness program
The "Vérifications pré-emploi" stage covers a criminal background check, a medical exam, validation of your Class 4A licence, and verification of your DEP and DEC diplomas. Reference checks may also form part of this stage; confirm the current list with the department when you reach it.
You will complete a consent form for the background check. Medical results go directly and only to a city physician, who analyses them against NFPA standard 1582.
Have your original diplomas ready and be truthful about your history. SIM states that fraudulent credentials mean immediate disqualification.
Keep your Class 4A licence valid and your driving record clean through the entire process, since licence validation happens at this point.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 10 Draft your PHS Build your experience logbook
The "Analyse globale" is SIM's final review of your complete file across every stage. There is no separate task for you to perform; the department weighs everything you have done so far.
SIM is explicit that completing the entire process successfully does not guarantee a job offer. Hiring follows the department's needs, and successful candidates are contacted as positions open.
Keep your phone number, email, and mailing address current with the recruitment team, and keep your licence and certifications valid while you wait. SIM also warns that the order and nature of the stages can change without notice between competitions, so stay ready for the next opening if this one does not convert.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 14 Academy preparation guide Start a fitness program

Worth knowing

The order of process steps may change between competitions.
No residency requirement.
Quebec regulation: cities over 200,000 population require the DEP or equivalent, and full-time firefighters must be trained before hire.
Third-party prep sessions for the SIM physical test exist (for example, OPTIMUM Consultants).

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 Montréal (SIM) or any testing vendor. This guide is independent preparation content.

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