How to become a firefighter in Québec City

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

Not accepting applications

The Pompière ou pompier posting on the city's careers site now reads "Ce poste n'est plus ouvert", meaning the position is no longer open. The posting was competition POMPT-013-2025, which took applications "du 10 septembre au 1er octobre 2025".

Checked October 15, 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. Québec City recruits through posted competitions on the Ville de Québec portal, in French.

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 Québec City requires before you can apply.

How hiring works here

Every stage Québec City 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: DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie
Medical requirement: None listed
Driver requirement: Class 4A licence (emergency vehicles); Class 3 licence with F mention (air brakes)
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.

Québec City hires firefighters through posted competitions on the Ville de Québec recruitment portal. The 2025 competition (POMPT-013-2025) recruited for temporary full-time positions and set the education bar at the DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie, alongside both a Class 4A licence and a Class 3 licence with the F (air brake) mention. Selection runs through eliminatory psychometric and cognitive tests, interviews, then physical tests, a medical examination, and a criminal background check. The 2025 posting listed a salary of $49,632 to $96,750 depending on experience.

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

Posted competitions; the 2025 competition ran September 10 to October 1, 2025, and no competition was open as of July 2026

Requirements

Required at application

DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie
The 2025 competition posting states: Détenir un DEC en techniques de sécurité incendie.
Prepare with roadmap step 5: Get fire-certified where required
Class 4A licence (emergency vehicles)
The posting requires un permis de conduire de classe 4A et de classe 3F.
Prepare with roadmap step 4: Upgrade the driver's licence
Class 3 licence with F mention (air brakes)
Stated together with the Class 4A requirement as classe 3F.
Prepare with roadmap step 4: Upgrade the driver's licence

Preferred assets

Experience in manual workPreferred asset
Listed on the posting as an asset, not a hard requirement.

The hiring process

Québec City hires only through posted competitions on the Ville de Québec recruitment portal at ville.quebec.qc.ca/emplois, and the whole process runs in French. The 2025 competition (POMPT-013-2025) accepted applications from September 10 to October 1, 2025 and is now marked "Cette offre d'emploi n'est plus disponible". No pompier competition was open as of this check, so create your portal profile now and watch for the next posting rather than waiting until one opens.
Check the hard requirements before you apply. The 2025 posting required a DEC en techniques de sécurité incendie plus Class 4A and Class 3F driver's licences valid at hiring, and it listed manual work experience as an asset. The posting names the Quebec DEC only, not certificates from other provinces, so if you trained outside Quebec confirm with the department whether your credential counts before you build plans around it.
On the portal, click "Créer ou mettre à jour mon profil", complete every field marked with a red asterisk, and confirm your email with the verification code the system sends. Then open the posting, click "Postuler", and complete the application steps.
The city recommends a short letter expressing your motivation alongside an updated resumé, even though the letter is not mandatory. Add ressources.humaines@ville.quebec.qc.ca to your safe senders list so invitations to the next stages do not land in spam.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 7 Review your Gap List Certification tracker
The 2025 posting made these the first screen after the eligibility review, and both tests are eliminatory. Failing either one ends your file for that competition, so treat this stage as seriously as the physical tests that come later.
The department does not publish the test format, provider, or pass marks, so confirm the details in your invitation and do not trust third-party claims about what is on the test. Expect to write in French, since the competition and the job run in French.
For the cognitive portion, timed practice on reasoning, reading comprehension, and basic math in French is the preparation that transfers, especially if French is your second language. For the psychometric portion, answer consistently and honestly. These inventories check for consistency, and coached answers tend to contradict themselves.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 12 Polygraph guide Review your PHS answers
Only candidates who pass the psychometric and cognitive tests are invited, and the interview is conducted in French. The city's selection process page calls this the "Entrevue de sélection" and warns that "une évaluation pratique, un test technique, ou d'autres étapes pourraient s'ajouter" depending on the position, so be ready for more than a sit-down conversation.
Prepare concrete examples from your own work and training: a time you followed a procedure under pressure, worked in a team, or handled conflict. Answer with the situation, what you did, and the result, and practise saying these out loud in French before the day.
Know the job you are asking for. The 2025 competition hired temporary full-time firefighters on a 42-hour week using the 12-24-36 platoon schedule, and the posting required availability for the different platoon schedules. Expect availability questions and answer them without hedging.
The city also states that employment reference checks and criminal background verification may be required as the process advances, so line up references who can speak to your reliability and tell them a call may come.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 11 Run a mock panel interview Interview playbook
Physical tests come after the interviews, and the department runs its own tests rather than a published standard test. The format is not published, so confirm the details in your invitation and train broadly: work capacity under load, grip and carry strength, stair climbing, and cardiovascular endurance are the common demands of firefighter testing.
The posting requires excellent health and physical condition, and it is explicit that candidates must maintain very good health and physical condition on the job. Do not arrive at test day at the minimum. Strong candidates train for months beforehand and treat the medical examination as something they have already prepared for.
The checks at this stage cover the criminal record, the medical examination, and driving record and employment verifications, and the results feed a global evaluation of your file. Your Class 4A and Class 3F licences must be valid at hiring, so renew anything close to expiry and keep your driving record clean throughout the competition.
Have your documents ready before you are asked: diplomas, licences, and reference contacts. The posting also requires passing the department's qualification tests and signing a letter of engagement on workplace health and safety, so expect paperwork at this stage and read it before you sign.
Department source for this stage
Read roadmap step 10 Draft your PHS Build your experience logbook

Worth knowing

The 2025 competition hired temporary full-time firefighters on a 42-hour week using the 12-24-36 platoon model, implemented by May 2026.
The 2024-2028 collective agreement publishes a seven-class salary ladder for the 42-hour pompier role; the 2026 scale runs $52,114 (7e classe) to $101,587 (1re classe).
Candidates must be available for the different platoon schedules and must maintain very good health and physical condition.
The posting requires passing and complying with the department's qualification tests, and signing a letter of engagement toward workplace health and safety.

Official sources

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

Semparo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Service de protection contre l'incendie de Québec (SPCIQ) or any testing vendor. This guide is independent preparation content.

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