40041 Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers

What this occupation covers

Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate firefighting operations and fire prevention activities in fire departments. They are employed by municipal and federal governments and by industrial establishments with firefighting services.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 9 main duties for this code.

• Develop, implement and evaluate policies and procedures for the operation of a municipal fire department, a district fire region or an industrial firefighting service
• Plan, direct and coordinate firefighting strategies for fire departments
• Evaluate the type of fire, the extent of damage to buildings and the danger to nearby establishments
• Direct activities at the scene of a fire
• Determine damage estimates and investigate the potential causes of a fire after extinguished
• Develop and oversee the implementation of security and fire prevention campaigns
• Represent the fire department in communications with government, the media and the public
• Direct the training of personnel in firefighting methods
• Coordinate and monitor budget and departmental resources.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 9 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 42101 Firefighters

Excluded from this code

• Firefighters (See 42101 Firefighters)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

airport fire department chief · deputy fire chief · district fire chief · division chief - fire department · fire chief · fire department assistant deputy chief · fire department assistant manager · fire department chief · fire department division chief · fire department duty officer · firefighters executive officer · industrial fire chief · refinery fire chief · sawmill fire chief · senior firefighting officer

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is required.
• Completion of a college program in fire protection technology, fire science or a related field is usually required.
• Completion of a provincial or municipal firefighters training course is required.
• A minimum of ten years of experience as a firefighter is usually required before becoming eligible for a senior officer position.