How to become a firefighter in Prince George

Verified GuideModel B: Come pre-certifiedDepartment-specificCPAT

Accepting applications

Closes October 30, 2026.

The City's "Firefighters" (Regular Full-Time) posting asks candidates to forward their application package "by 5:00 pm on October 30, 2026" and states: "We are establishing an eligibility list, with a potential start date for our first group of recruits in the Spring of 2027."

Checked October 15, 2026 against the department's own page. Intake dates change without notice, so confirm there before you plan around this.

Where are you starting from?

What you need

The credentials and documents Prince George requires before you can apply.

How hiring works here

Every stage Prince George 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: NFPA 1001 Levels 1 and 2 (IFSAC accredited)
Medical requirement: Current OFA Level 3 or First Responder Level 3
Driver requirement: BC Class 3 with air brake (required before hire)
Written test: Department-specific
Physical test: CPAT
Last verified: October 2026 · sources monitored daily for changes

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

Prince George hires pre-certified candidates: IFSAC-accredited NFPA 1001 Levels 1 and 2, a current OFA Level 3 or First Responder Level 3, and a BC Class 3 licence with air brake (which may be completed by the interview stage). An EMR licence or PCP is preferred. The City's minimum requirements include high school graduation and a driving record that demonstrates responsible and safe driving behaviour: more than six points within the last three years may eliminate a candidate. What sets this process apart is that the CPAT must be completed before the interview stage (a certificate counts only if it was issued within 12 months of the interview date), and some qualifications may be finished by the time of offer, giving candidates flexibility on sequencing.

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

NFPA 1001 Levels 1 and 2 (IFSAC accredited)
Qualifications may be completed by time of offer.
Prepare with roadmap step 5: Get fire-certified where required What NFPA 1001 certification covers
Current OFA Level 3 or First Responder Level 3
The application checklist also accepts an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) or Primary Care Paramedic certificate or licence in its place.
Prepare with roadmap step 3: Build the medical-response foundation What this medical certification involves
Three references
Names and contact information for three references go on your resume when you apply. The application form says at least two should be former supervisors, at a previous employer or volunteer organization, and the application checklist asks for work supervisor references with current phone numbers.
Prepare with roadmap step 7: Application package
Official application form with every marked document attached
All submissions must include the City's official application form. The form marks each document you must attach with an asterisk and bold type, and the application checklist sets the order the copies go in.
Prepare with roadmap step 7: Application package
Criminal record check with vulnerable sector
The application form requires a criminal record check, a vulnerable sector check, and a search and disclosure consent and liability release form, completed with the RCMP or, where applicable, the equivalent municipal police force. The application checklist lists the Police Information Check form as already completed and submitted to the police when you apply. When the completed form comes back to you, forward it directly to Human Resources at the City of Prince George.
Prepare with roadmap step 7: Application package
Legally entitled to work in Canada
Prepare with roadmap step 2: Lock the minimums
High school graduation
Prepare with roadmap step 2: Lock the minimums
A proven history of satisfactory job performance
Prepare with roadmap step 6: Stack experience and character evidence
Driver's abstract showing responsible and safe driving
Prince George asks for a driving record that demonstrates responsible and safe driving behaviour. More than six points within the last three years may eliminate a candidate from further consideration. A copy of your current licence and abstract goes in the application package.
Prepare with roadmap step 7: Application package
No summary conviction for a criminal offence related to the job of firefighter
Prepare with roadmap step 2: Lock the minimums

Required before hire

BC Class 3 with air brake
May be obtained by the interview stage. With a licence from outside BC, include proof of BC equivalency in the application package.
Prepare with roadmap step 4: Upgrade the driver's licence
CPAT
Required before the interview stage. A CPAT certificate counts only if it was issued within 12 months of the interview date.
Prepare with roadmap step 13: Physical testing Physical test training programs
Every competition cost is the candidate's own, including a CPAT re-test
Prince George states that all costs of the competition fall to the candidate, testing fees and travel included. The one that catches people is the eligibility list: if more than 12 months have passed since you passed the CPAT, you re-test at your own expense before you can be hired.
Prepare with roadmap step 13: Physical testing

Required at conditional job offer

NFPA 1582 firefighter medical
At offer.
Prepare with roadmap step 14: CJO to academy day one

Preferred assets

EMR licence or PCPPreferred asset
Certified outside BC? Prince George asks you to show, at the time of application, that you have already started the equivalency process with the EMA Licensing Board of British Columbia. Starting it late is what strands out-of-province candidates.
Prepare with roadmap step 3: Build the medical-response foundation What this medical certification involves
One year of post-secondary education (30 credits) or two years of a recognized apprenticeshipPreferred asset
Prepare with roadmap step 2: Lock the minimums
Current technician-level specialty certificationPreferred asset
In any of hazardous materials, high angle rescue, swift water rescue, ice rescue, or confined space entry.
Prepare with roadmap step 5: Get fire-certified where required
Other fire-service related trainingPreferred asset
Such as Fire Service Instructor, Fire & Safety Educator, Fire Inspector, NFPA 1006 Technical Rescue Awareness or equivalent, Incident Command System (ICS) courses, or wildland firefighting (S100, SPP-WFF Wildland Firefighter or equivalent).
Prepare with roadmap step 5: Get fire-certified where required
Previous firefighting experience (paid or volunteer)Preferred asset
Prepare with roadmap step 6: Stack experience and character evidence

The hiring process

Prince George posts firefighter competitions and status updates on its recruitment page and asks candidates to check there rather than phone the City. Every submission must include the City's official Firefighter Application Form, linked from that page, plus copies of your documents. The posting asks you to send the package to Human Resources by email (humanresources@princegeorge.ca), by fax (250-561-7719) or by mail to 1100 Patricia Boulevard, Prince George, BC V2L 3V9.
The form marks every document you must attach with an asterisk and bold type, and the application checklist sets the order: the form, your resume, proof you are legally entitled to work in Canada, your high school diploma, NFPA 1001 Levels 1 and 2 with IFSAC or Pro Board seals, your current driver's licence and abstract, your OFA Level 3, First Responder 3, EMR or PCP credential, any post-secondary, apprenticeship and specialty training, and at least three work supervisor references with current phone numbers. The checklist asks for the documents in one PDF attachment, so scan everything early and check the order before you send.
You can apply without every qualification. The City accepts applications without the full qualifications and may consider them in shortlisting, but you must hold everything by the time of an official job offer, and the checklist asks you to give an estimated completion date for NFPA 1001, the Class 3 licence or first aid if still in progress. Out-of-province candidates should include proof of BC driver's licence equivalency, and evidence that they have started the equivalency process with the EMA Licensing Board of BC.
Start the Police Information Check now: the checklist expects the form completed and submitted to the RCMP or equivalent municipal police when you apply, and you forward the completed form to Human Resources when it comes back. Applications are reviewed for qualifications and completeness, a driving record with more than six points in the last three years may eliminate a candidate, and submissions received after the closing date may not be considered, so submit early.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 7 Review your Gap List Certification tracker
Prince George runs this stage online and it combines aptitude testing with psychometric testing. The city states that testing dates are not flexible, so once you receive a test window, protect it, because your scores feed directly into the interview shortlist alongside your qualifications.
The city does not publish the test vendor or content, so prepare broadly: timed practice in reading comprehension, basic math, mechanical reasoning, and following written directions covers the ground most fire aptitude tests draw from. Confirm any format details with the department when you receive your invitation.
For the psychometric portion, answer honestly and consistently rather than trying to guess an ideal profile. These instruments flag contradictory answers, and a straight self-report reads better than a coached one.
Treat the online format seriously: a quiet room, a reliable connection, and a careful read of every instruction before you start. Small setup problems cost time you cannot get back on a timed test.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 12 Polygraph guide Review your PHS answers
Prince George requires the Candidate Physical Ability Test before the interview stage, and only CPAT certificates issued within 12 months of the interview date count as valid. Book your test with that window in mind: early enough to allow a re-test if you fail, but recent enough to stay valid through the interview.
All competition costs are yours. The city states that testing fees and travel costs, if applicable, are the candidate's own responsibility, so budget for the test and for getting to a testing site. The recruitment page does not name a test provider or location, so confirm with the department which CPAT certificates it accepts.
The CPAT itself is a standardized, timed circuit of eight firefighting job tasks performed in a weighted vest, so train specifically for it: stair climbing under load, hose and dummy drags, and grip endurance. General gym fitness alone leaves most first-time candidates short on the stair event.
Where a formal practice session is available from your test provider, take it. Candidates who have walked the circuit once pace the real test far better than those seeing the equipment for the first time.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 13 Start the 12-week CPAT program Start a fitness program
Shortlisting for the interview is based on your qualifications and your written test scores, and the city states that interview dates are not flexible. Treat the date you are given as fixed and plan travel around it, at your own cost.
If you applied without the BC Class 3 licence with air brake endorsement, it must be in hand by this stage. The posting allows candidates to obtain it prior to the interview, so arriving without it undercuts an otherwise strong file.
Prepare structured examples from work, volunteer, or training settings that show teamwork, judgment under pressure, and reliability, and practise delivering them in a situation, action, result shape. This is general interview craft, but it is what separates prepared candidates in any fire panel.
Know why Prince George specifically. Read up on Prince George Fire Rescue and the community it serves, and be ready to speak honestly about relocating to and staying in northern BC, because retention matters to a department that trains every hire from entry level.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 11 Run a mock panel interview Interview playbook
Prince George requires three references from each candidate. Line them up before you reach this stage so the check does not stall your file while others move ahead.
The city screens for a satisfactory job performance history, so choose references who supervised your actual work: employers, officers from a volunteer or paid-on-call hall, or instructors who saw you perform under standards. Character references from friends carry little weight here.
Tell each reference to expect the call, remind them of the dates you worked together, and let them know the role you are applying for. A prompt, specific reference reads far better than one who has to be chased or cannot recall your work.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 10 Draft your PHS Build your experience logbook
The firefighter medical examination is a condition of employment at the offer stage, and Prince George requires you to be able to pass it to the NFPA 1582 standard. The posting warns candidates up front that they must be physically fit enough to pass both the CPAT and this medical.
NFPA 1582 is an occupational medical standard for firefighters covering areas such as cardiovascular health, vision, and hearing. If you know of a condition in one of those areas, see your own physician early in the process rather than discovering a problem at offer, and confirm any specific medical questions with the department.
Come organized: bring corrective lens prescriptions, a current medication list, and records of any past conditions the examining physician may ask about. The city's blanket statement that all competition costs are the candidate's responsibility is worth keeping in mind when you budget for this stage; confirm with the department how the medical is arranged and billed.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 9 Drill the question banks
Candidates who pass every stage are placed on an eligibility list used to fill anticipated vacancies. The city states that the number of candidates on the list and how long it lasts are at the City's discretion, so do not treat a list placement as a guaranteed job or a fixed timeline.
Your job on the list is maintenance. The city requires listed candidates to keep all certificates and licences current, and the one that catches people is the CPAT: if more than 12 months pass since you passed it, you must complete another test at your own expense before you can be hired.
Start dates vary with the city's staffing needs, so stay reachable and keep your contact details current with Human Resources. If your circumstances change, tell them rather than going quiet.
Know what an offer means here: every hire starts as an entry-level firefighter with a 12-month probationary period, including experienced firefighters from other municipalities, and the city does not accept municipal transfers.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 14 Academy preparation guide Start a fitness program

Worth knowing

Qualifications may be completed by time of offer.

Official sources

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

Semparo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Prince George Fire Rescue or any testing vendor. This guide is independent preparation content.

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