SEMPARO

City Guides / Quebec

How to become a firefighter in Sherbrooke

Pattern-mapped
Model B: Come pre-certified
Department-specific
Department-specific

The requirements below were researched against the official sources linked at the bottom of this page and are pending final verification. Always confirm against the current official posting.

Sherbrooke publishes an unusually complete recruitment page for the SPCIS. Candidates must have completed the two-to-three-year integrated fire training, meaning the DEP plus the DEC, hold a valid Class 4A licence with a commitment to obtain a Class 3 licence after starting employment, and be fluent in French. The seven-stage process runs from posting and eligibility through an eliminatory written knowledge exam, an interview with situational assessment (APS), a physical aptitude test that also evaluates swimming, then criminal record verification, a medical examination, and licence verification. New employees must live within 35 kilometres of the city's geographic centre as a condition of continued employment.

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

Application window

Posted competitions; a candidate bank accepts applications between competitions

Requirements

Required at application

  • DEP Intervention en sécurité incendie

    The city states: Pour devenir pompier à Sherbrooke, vous devez avoir complété une formation intégrée en sécurité incendie de deux à trois ans (DEP et DEC).

    Prepare with roadmap step 5
  • DEC Techniques de sécurité incendie

    Required as part of the integrated two-to-three-year fire training (DEP et DEC).

    Prepare with roadmap step 5
  • Valid Class 4A licence, with a commitment to obtain Class 3

    Stated as: Détenir un permis de conduire de classe 4A valide et vous engager à obtenir un permis de conduire de classe 3 suivant votre intégration en emploi.

    Prepare with roadmap step 4
  • Fluent French, spoken and written
    Prepare with roadmap step 2

Required at conditional job offer

  • Principal residence within 35 km of the city's geographic centre

    A condition of keeping the job for every new hire: the principal residence must be no more than 35 kilometres by road from the city's geographic centre.

The hiring process

  1. 1

    Competition posting and eligibility screening

  2. 2

    Written knowledge exam

    Covers theoretical fire knowledge; eliminatory.

  3. 3

    Interview and situational assessment (APS)

    Evaluates job-related competencies; eliminatory.

  4. 4

    Physical aptitude and swimming test

    Cardiovascular capacity and a timed task circuit; swimming ability is also evaluated. Eliminatory.

  5. 5

    Criminal record verification

  6. 6

    Medical examination

  7. 7

    Driver's licence verification

Worth knowing

  • When no competition is open, candidates can apply to the candidate bank on the Ville de Sherbrooke website.
  • The physical test includes a swimming evaluation, which is uncommon among Quebec departments.

Official sources

Last verified 2026-07. Requirements change: the official posting always governs.

Semparo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Service de protection contre les incendies de la Ville de Sherbrooke (SPCIS) or any testing vendor. This guide is independent preparation content.

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