How to become a firefighter in Winnipeg

Required at application

Required at conditional job offer

Preferred assets

1. 1Application

   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.

   Read roadmap step 7Review your Gap ListCertification tracker
2. 2Step 2 assessments($121 + GST)Written assessments.

   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 13Start a fitness program
3. 3University of Manitoba Firefighter Physical Fitness AssessmentPass/fail, ONE attempt, no exceptions.

   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

   Read roadmap step 13Start a fitness program
4. 4WFPS practical assessmentAerial ladder climb plus confined space confidence maze.

   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 13Start a fitness program
5. 5Occupational Health medicalChest X-ray standard; healthcare-worker immunization requirements.

   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 3Track your certificationsMedical terms study sheet
6. 6Background checksPolice Information Check with vulnerable sector, Manitoba Child Abuse Registry check, and Adult Abuse Registry check, all within 30 days of start.

   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.

   Read roadmap step 10Draft your PHSBuild your experience logbook