How to become a firefighter in Winnipeg

Verified GuideModel B: Come pre-certifiedDepartment-specificU of M

Not accepting applications

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service careers page says "The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service will be advertising all the positions on winnipeg.ca/fps/careers" and lists no firefighter competition; its January 2025 firefighter application manual says applications are accepted only during an open recruitment process. The city careers system shows 26 open jobs and none is a firefighter posting; the only Fire Paramedic Service entry is the Primary Care Paramedic eligibility list for 2026 (job 126919).

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 Winnipeg requires before you can apply.

How hiring works here

Every stage Winnipeg 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: IFSAC/ProBoard NFPA 1001 I and II; IFSAC/ProBoard NFPA 472 or 1072 HazMat Awareness and Operations; ICS 100
Medical requirement: Standard First Aid; CPR/BLS; Manitoba College of Paramedics PCP licence (FF-PCP stream); Healthcare-worker immunization requirements (required at conditional job offer)
Driver requirement: None listed
Written test: Department-specific
Physical test: U of M
Last verified: August 2026 · sources monitored daily for changes

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

Winnipeg recruits into two streams, Firefighter and Firefighter-Paramedic (PCP), both requiring full pre-certification: NFPA 1001 I and II, HazMat Awareness and Operations, ICS 100, Standard First Aid, and CPR/BLS. The PCP stream adds a Manitoba College of Paramedics licence and a 12-year commitment to maintaining it. The process is unforgiving on fitness: the University of Manitoba assessment allows exactly one attempt, followed by a WFPS practical with an aerial ladder climb and a confined space confidence maze. Conditional-offer checks include a chest X-ray and Manitoba abuse registry checks.

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

Grade 12
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Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residency
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IFSAC/ProBoard NFPA 1001 I and II
Prepare with roadmap step 5: Get fire-certified where required What NFPA 1001 certification covers
IFSAC/ProBoard NFPA 472 or 1072 HazMat Awareness and Operations
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ICS 100
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Standard First Aid
Prepare with roadmap step 3: Build the medical-response foundation What this medical certification involves
CPR/BLS
Prepare with roadmap step 3: Build the medical-response foundation What this medical certification involves
Manitoba College of Paramedics PCP licence (FF-PCP stream)
Required for the Firefighter-Paramedic stream only. Out-of-province licences must transfer before recruit training. Members commit to maintaining PCP for 12 years per the collective agreement.
Prepare with roadmap step 3: Build the medical-response foundation What this medical certification involves

Required at conditional job offer

Police Information Check with vulnerable sector, Manitoba Child Abuse Registry check, and Adult Abuse Registry check
All within 30 days of start.
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Chest X-ray
Chest X-ray is standard at the Occupational Health medical.
Prepare with roadmap step 14: CJO to academy day one
Healthcare-worker immunization requirements
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Preferred assets

NFPA 1002 (pump operations, EV driving, hydraulics)Preferred asset
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NFPA 1006 surface water rescuePreferred asset
Prepare with roadmap step 5: Get fire-certified where required
NFPA 1035Preferred asset
Prepare with roadmap step 5: Get fire-certified where required
NFPA 1031Preferred asset
Prepare with roadmap step 5: Get fire-certified where required
Vehicle extrication trainingPreferred asset
Post-secondary educationPreferred asset
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French or additional languagesPreferred asset

The hiring process

Winnipeg hires into two streams, Firefighter and Firefighter-Paramedic (PCP), and both expect you to arrive fully certified. At application you need IFSAC or ProBoard NFPA 1001 Level I and II, HazMat Awareness and Operations (NFPA 472 or 1072), ICS 100, Standard First Aid, and CPR at the BLS level. The PCP stream also requires a Manitoba College of Paramedics licence, with a 12-year commitment to keep it.
Apply online during an open competition and upload proof of every certification, along with Grade 12 and proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residency. Incomplete files are screened out, so match your uploads to the department's Section A checklist item by item before you submit.
Extras that strengthen a file include NFPA 1002, NFPA 1006 surface water rescue, NFPA 1031, NFPA 1035, vehicle extrication training, post-secondary education, and French or other languages. List them clearly, since they are scored as assets.
No current firefighter competition could be confirmed as of August 2026, and the department's careers pages could not be re-checked. Watch careers.winnipeg.ca and the WFPS careers page, and confirm window dates with the department before you plan around them.
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Candidates who clear the application screen are invited to written assessments. In recent competitions WFPS invoiced advancing candidates an administrative processing fee of $121 plus GST covering written testing and related costs; confirm the current amount with the department.
Winnipeg runs its own testing rather than a national third-party exam, so prepare broadly. Practise reading comprehension, basic math, mechanical reasoning, and situational judgement under a clock, the same skills every fire aptitude battery leans on.
Treat test day like a shift. Confirm what your invitation asks you to bring, arrive early with government photo ID, and answer every question unless the instructions penalize guessing.
Read roadmap step 13 Start a fitness program
This is the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal's Firefighter Pre-Entry Fitness Evaluation (CFFM FPFE), run by University of Manitoba Recreation Services at 145 Frank Kennedy Centre on the Fort Garry campus. You complete a treadmill aerobic test plus six job-related tasks in full firefighting protective equipment weighing about 50 pounds. WFPS allows exactly one attempt, so do not step onto the treadmill until you can pass with room to spare.
Plan for at least three hours on site. The U of M page lists the evaluation fee at $360 plus GST and requires a completed PAR-Q and physician's release sent to occupational.testing@umanitoba.ca at least four days before your date; confirm with WFPS how scheduling and payment work inside a competition.
The published CFFM protocol is a five-minute warm-up at 3.5 mph and 10 percent grade, then eight minutes as the grade climbs to 15 percent, with 13 minutes as the minimum pass. The six tasks carry published time standards, including a 27-second charged hose advance, a 57-second victim drag, and a five-climb ladder sequence under 1:37; confirm the exact standards applied to your intake.
Bring government photo ID, plain leather unlined work gloves, two full changes of workout clothing, water, and recovery snacks. Follow the pre-test rules: no strenuous exercise or alcohol beforehand, and no food, caffeine, or nicotine in the two hours before you test.
Department source for this stage
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The practical assessment checks whether you can function at height and in tight spaces: an aerial ladder climb plus a confined space confidence maze. It is a confidence check more than a fitness test, and hesitation or refusal ends a candidacy.
Train exposure before test day. Climb ladders and stairs under load, practise slow controlled breathing, and get time in dark or confined spaces, with SCBA if you can arrange it through a fire course.
On the ladder, move deliberately and keep three points of contact; in the maze, keep a hand on a reference surface and keep moving. Confirm the current format and any equipment provided with the department, since the recruitment package could not be re-checked.
Read roadmap step 13 Start a fitness program
After the assessments, a City Occupational Health medical confirms you are fit for the job. A chest X-ray is standard, and because WFPS delivers EMS you must meet healthcare-worker immunization requirements.
Gather your complete immunization history now, since tracking down childhood records or updating missing vaccines can take weeks. Bring corrective lenses and any prescription details so the examiner has the full picture.
Answer every medical question honestly. A managed condition is rarely a barrier on its own, but an omission discovered later can end an offer. Confirm the specific medical standards with the department.
Read roadmap step 3 Track your certifications Medical terms study sheet
The final screen is three checks: a Police Information Check with vulnerable sector search, a Manitoba Child Abuse Registry check, and an Adult Abuse Registry check. All three must be dated within 30 days of your start, so wait for the department's instruction before ordering them.
The registry checks are provincial applications with their own processing times, so submit them promptly once WFPS tells you to. Keep copies of everything you send and receive.
Be upfront about anything that could appear on a check. Departments weigh honesty heavily, and a mismatch between your application and your file does more damage than most records themselves.
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Worth knowing

The University of Manitoba fitness assessment allows one attempt only, no exceptions.
The U of M assessment is the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal's Firefighter Pre-Entry Fitness Evaluation (CFFM FPFE), administered by U of M Recreation Services at the Frank Kennedy Centre: a loaded treadmill walk plus six job stations in roughly 22 kg of gear.
An 80% pass standard applies to each WFPS written exam during recruit orientation.
Salary bands (December 2025): Firefighter $66,836 to $111,393; Firefighter-Paramedic $71,292 to $118,077.
FF-PCP members commit to maintaining their PCP licence for 12 years per the collective agreement.

Official sources

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

Semparo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) or any testing vendor. This guide is independent preparation content.

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