Firefighters
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Job description
These individuals carry out fire prevention and firefighting activities. They also assist in other emergency situations. They work for:
- Municipal governments
- The federal and provincial governments
- Industrial complexes with their own fire protection service
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
- Climatic conditions
- Equipment, machinery, tools
- Hazardous chemical
- Odours
- Nontoxic dust
- Humidity
- Uncontrolled ambient temperature
- Hazardous workplaces
- Noise
- Fire, steam, hot surfaces
- Electricity
- Falling objects
Main tasks
- Respond to fire alarms and other calls for help (traffic or work accidents, bomb threats, etc.).
- Rescue victims from burning buildings and accident sites.
- Control and extinguish fires.
- Provide first aid and any other assistance required.
- Operate and maintain firefighting equipment.
- Draft reports on fire incidents.
- Inform and educate the public about fire prevention.
- Inspect fire detection equipment in private homes, organizations, and businesses.
- Participate in fire drills in various institutions.
- Assist the public, police, and emergency response organizations in the event of a disaster.
Advancement and mobility
- Additional training and several years of experience can lead to senior positions.
Hourly wage
The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.- Minimum
- $24.00
- Median
- $40.17
- Maximum
- $50.10
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Limited
All of Québec
Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
7,000
All of Québec
na
Gender distribution
All of Québec
Not available.
- 4.3% Female
- 95.7% Male
Not available.
- 4.3% Female
- 95.7% Male
Job types
All of Québec
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
$97,000
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- Non traditional for women
- None
All of Québec
- Non traditional for women
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 9194% of jobs
-
NAICS 48, 491% of jobs
-
NAICS 55, 561% of jobs
-
NAICS 611% of jobs
-
NAICS 231% of jobs
-
Others2% of jobs
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 9194% of jobs
-
NAICS 48, 491% of jobs
-
NAICS 55, 561% of jobs
-
NAICS 611% of jobs
-
NAICS 231% of jobs
-
Others2% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Most training programs are offered in French only.
Secondary
DVS in intervention en sécurité incendie
Code : 5322
Placement rate: 25%
74.5% of graduates pursue further studies
College
DCS in techniques de sécurité incendie
Code : 311A0
Placement rate: 89%
6.8% of graduates pursue further studies
Also required
- Meet the requirements of physical fitness, agility, strength, and vision.
Sometimes required
- Experience as a volunteer firefighter may be an asset.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Active listening
- Critical thought
- Result evaluation
- Operations and control
- Information processing
- Monitoring operations
- Coordination
- Service oriented
- Oral expression
- Judgment and decision-making
- Active learning
- Reading comprehension
- Teaching
- Learning strategies
- Social perception
- Written expression
- Time management
- Persuasion
- Solving complex problems
Abilities
- Static muscle power
- Awareness of issues
- Oral comprehension
- Limb coordination
- Hand-arm stability
- Reaction time
- Deductive reasoning
- Manual dexterity
- Verbal skills
- Speech recognition
- Response orientation
- Endurance
- Near vision
- Processing flexibility
- Control accuracy
- Speed control
- Depth perception
- Dynamic strength
- Physical flexibility in extension
- Auditory attention
- Selective attention
- Speech clarity
- Core strength
- Distance vision
- Overall balance of the body
- Inductive reasoning
- Information organization
- Spatial orientation
- Time sharing
- Perception speed
- Visualization
- Colour perception and distinction
- Written comprehension
- Overall coordination of the body
- Digital dexterity
- Written expression
- Classification
- Idea generation
- Hearing sensitivity
- Information processing speed
- Limb movement speed
- Originality
- Tolerance to bright light
Knowledge and attributes
- Capacity to establish and maintain interpersonal relations
- Capacity to work under pressure
- Perseverance
- Capacity to adapt
- Capacity to work in a team
- Commitment
- Respect standards and regulations
- Sense of observation
- Tolerance to frequent temperature variations
- Timeliness
Interests
- Watch, defend, and secure
- Exercer une activité sportive ou physique
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Realistic
- People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
- Enterprising
- People with this profile prefer having responsibilities, influencing others and responding to challenges.
- Social
- People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
Official name of the NOC 42101
Firefighters
Job titles
- Firefighter
- Firefighter apprentice
- Fire captain
- Fire department platoon chief
- Fire prevention officer
- Firefighter-inspector
- Fire inspector
- Fire lieutenant
- Training firefighter
- Airport firefighter
- Industrial firefighter
- Structural firefighter
- Industrial complex firefighter
- Shipboard firefighter
- Communication service firefighter
- Crash firefighter
Skill type
Education, law and social, community and government services
Related occupations
Last update: January 29, 2026
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