2018 Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment Guide

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2018 Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment Guide The City of Burlington Fire Department will be accepting volunteer applications online from the public from March 1-March 16, 2018.

1 2018 Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment Guide The City of Burlington Fire Department will be accepting volunteer applications online from the public from March 1-March 16, Mission Statement "Who We Are Today" The Fire Department The Burlington Fire Department is a team of highly trained and caring professionals who provide vital emergency response, prevention and education services that increase community safety and quality of life. Vision Statement "Who We Want To Be" The Burlington Fire Department will be the leader in our profession in service excellence, advanced training, employee development, use of technology and ongoing department evaluation to ensure community safety and quality of life. Our Values Public safety Firefighter safety Customer service Our three key values are at the forefront of everything we do. These values guide us every day as we integrate the three lines of defense - public education, inspection and code enforcement and emergency response - to prevent fires and reduce losses, injuries and deaths.

2 General Information The Position The Burlington Fire Department (BFD) Volunteer Firefighting Division is comprised of 2 volunteer divisions. A Division of volunteer firefighters operate from Station 1, located at 1255 Fairview Street; and from Station 5, located at 2241 Kilbride Street, in Burlington. The Burlington Fire Department is actively seeking volunteers for Station 1 and Station 5. Volunteer Firefighters serve the community by responding to a wide variety of situations, ranging from emergencies that immediately threaten life or property to large-scale community emergencies. Volunteer Firefighters may perform first response or support duties including but not limited to: activities at emergency incidents large or small; emergency pre-hospital medical aid, and hazardous material incident support activities. Being a volunteer firefighter requires a significant commitment of your time to both train and respond to emergency incidents. Your safety and that of your fellow firefighters, and the public, depends on the skills you will learn and more importantly maintain and improve. Volunteer Firefighters must have a life/work balance that allows the flexibility to respond to emergency incidents in accordance with the attendance requirements outlined below. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter with the BFD you must determine both your eligibility for becoming a volunteer firefighter and your ability to maintain an active status with regards to availability and residency requirements. Volunteer firefighter must: For Station 1- Have a permanent residence in the City of Burlington within 20 minutes travel time to Station No. 1 at 1255 Fairview St. Station No. 5 Have a permanent residence within 6 a minute travel time to Station 5 District boundaries. #2 Side Rd, Milborough Town Line, Derry Road and Bell School Line. Emergency response attendance must be achieved and maintained at a minimum of 30% of the total emergency responses dispatched to the station they are assigned within a calendar year. Training attendance (every Wednesday evening and mandatory training as required) must be achieved and maintained at a minimum of 70% of the training sessions and/or completion of 100% of the mandatory training within a calendar year. In order to qualify for selection as a Volunteer Firefighter the following requirements must be met: Apply on line and submit a resume at A volunteer firefighter must be 18 years of age or older. Legally entitled to work in Canada Pass a health, medical evaluation, and fitness assessment Must meet vision requirement: o 20/30 uncorrected or 20/40 corrected o Satisfactory completion of a colour vision test

3 Ability to respond to a variety of calls requiring flexible availability during all times of the day including daytime, evenings, overnight and weekends Proof of a valid unrestricted Ontario Class G drivers licence prior to being offered a Volunteer Firefighter position. Provide a criminal record check including a vulnerable sector search at your own expense (proof of this is not required until volunteer opportunity is confirmed) Successful completion of a formal interview. Additional preferred but not required qualifications are: DZ License Previous Fire Fighting Experience Formal First Aid Training An information session will be held on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 7 p.m. at Burlington Fire Headquarters, Station No. 1, 1255 Fairview St. Fire training staff will share information about requirements, preferred qualifications and how to apply online. Selection Process The selection process consists of the following steps: Step One Step Two Apply online at Ensure resume is submitted online and meet eligibility criteria: A volunteer firefighter must be 18 years of age or older. Legally entitled to work in Canada Ability to respond to a variety of calls requiring flexible availability during all times of the day including daytime, evenings, overnight and weekends Proof of a valid unrestricted Ontario Class G drivers licence (proof of this is not required until volunteer opportunity is confirmed) Provide a criminal record check including a vulnerable sector search at your own expense (proof of this is not required until volunteer opportunity is confirmed) Interviews: Station 5- successful applicants to attend an interview (to be contacted by the Burlington Fire Department by March 21) Station 1- successful applicants to attend an interview (to be contacted by the Burlington Fire Department by March 27) Station 5- March 27/29 Station 1- April 3/4/5 Between 6pm-9pm

4 Step Three Successful candidates attend Candidate April 10, 2018 (TBC) Physical Abilities Test Orientation and Phobia Testing Step Four Successful applicants of the Phobia testing April 21, 2018 (TBC) attend the CPAT assessment at Firefighter Services of Ontario Step Five Pre-Volunteer Medical 1 week to complete Step Six Conditional Offer of Volunteer employment Step Seven First day of Training May 2, 2018 Administration & Orientation Night 7pm Step Eight Training will consist of 11 weekly Saturdays and 14 Wednesday evening training sessions. Saturdays hrs. to 1630 hrs. and Wednesdays 1830 hrs. to 2100hrs. Graduation August 1 st, 2018 Expectation Of Each Selection Step Step One: Apply Online to the City of Burlington Candidates must register as an applicant (if you have not already done so) including a resume submission as well as apply to this specific vacancy at you will receive an thanking you for your registration as well as an acknowledging your application to this vacancy. If you do not receive an acknowledging your application please contact Human Resources at To be considered as a candidate in this process you must meet the following mandatory qualifications: A volunteer firefighter must be 18 years of age or older. Legally entitled to work in Canada Ability to respond to a variety of calls requiring flexible availability during all times of the day including daytime, evenings, overnight and weekends Proof of a valid unrestricted Ontario Class G drivers licence (proof of this is not required until volunteer opportunity is confirmed) Provide a criminal record check including a vulnerable sector search at your own expense (proof of this is not required until volunteer opportunity is confirmed) Step Two: Interview If you have been invited to an interview, you will be contacted by March 21 (Station 5) or March 27(Station 1) The interview will assist us in assessing your skill sets. The interview panel will consist of Fire Department Representatives. The questions are behavioural based and will convey your professional experiences in areas related to the core competencies of a Volunteer Burlington Firefighter and our Corporate Values.

5 Core Competencies Initiative Performance Under Stress Actively seeks out challenge and opportunities to grow and advance; has pursued self-improvement; volunteers to help others; displays selfdiscipline in completing task and projects, and often goes beyond what was asked for demonstrates punctuality and reliability Remains clear-headed and takes effective, purposeful action when confronted with dangerous and/or stressful circumstances; remains outwardly calm and composed under pressure Leadership/Integrity Ensures assigned tasks are completed correctly; provides leadership by setting an example that others tend to follow; does a proper job, not taking short-cuts or the easy path; owns up to mistakes; speaks up on matters of principle Effective Relationships Communications Problem Solving Actively participates in team activities, both on and off the job; motivated to do his/her best so as not to let the team down; able to offer and accept constructive criticism in a mature and objective manner; willing to share knowledge, and to help coach and develop others; puts team interests before own interests; demonstrates tact and respect for others feelings. Listens well; avoids interrupting; asks clarifying questions; provides direct, non-evasive answers; responds to the question that was asked; speaks in a clear, coherent fashion; provides responses that are organized, and that offers an appropriate level of detail; maintains appropriate eye contact Approaches problem in logical manner; gathers facts and examines situation systematically; seeks assistance from appropriate sources; demonstrates openness to others ideas and suggested solutions; willing to alter plans in light of changed circumstances; follows through on implementation and evaluates results. Step Three: Candidate Physical Abilities Test Orientation and Phobia Testing Acrophobia Test: The acrophobia test requires candidates to climb a 100 foot ladder, wearing a harness for safety purposes. Once at the top of the ladder candidates will be asked to anchor themselves using a ladder belt. Before returning to the ground, candidates will be asked to lean backwards on the ladder and look down at the operator then communicate via radio, prior to decent. The purpose of this drill is to verify the firefighter s ability to work safely at heights, with no fear. Claustrophobia Test: The claustrophobia test requires candidates to don a SCBA with a blacked out face piece, then proceed through the confidence maze while following a life line. The purpose of this drill is to verify the firefighter s ability to work in the dark, as well as, closed areas, without fear.

6 Step Four: CPAT assessment at Firefighter Services of Ontario Candidate testing will be completed in one day at Firefighter Services of Ontario. Transportation and Firefighter Services of Ontario Screening costs will be the responsibility of the candidate. The City of Burlington will reimburse the cost of the CPAT Assessment taken as part of this recruitment process, if you are successful. Firefighter Services of Ontario will forward all provided documents and test results to the City of Burlington. Candidates who have successfully completed the CPAT assessment at Firefighter Services of Ontario on or before April 21 st may apply. Please to confirm eligibility. Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) As a volunteer firefighter you must perform extremely demanding job tasks that require high levels of flexibility, cardiopulmonary endurance, muscular strength, and muscular endurance. The CPAT consists of eight critical physical tasks that simulate real on the-job duties. The test is physically demanding so you need to be physically fit to succeed. For more information contact Firefighter Services of Ontario by at info@fireontario.com and through their website at This website also contains a virtual orientation so you can become familiar with the CPAT course and physically prepare for it. Step Five: Pre-Volunteer Medical Occupational Health Care-A-Van Inc (Occupational Health Medical Services) will conduct a pre-employment medical. Testing will reference NFPA 1582 and other occupational related tests. Vision and hearing tests will be included in this step of the process. The Burlington Fire Department will cover the cost of the pre-employment medical. Step Six: Conditional Offer of Volunteer employment Step Seven: First day of Training Administration Night May 2, pm- 9pm. Step Eight: Training Course commences May 5, 2018 Contacts To obtain clarification on this process, please contact: Mike James ext Fire Department Due to the high volume of interest in this position, please do not call regarding the status of your application.

THE CITY OF NIAGARA FALLS FIRE DEPARTMENT VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTER RECRUITMENT GUIDE

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