42101 Firefighters

What this occupation covers

Firefighters carry out firefighting and fire prevention activities, and assist in other emergencies. They are employed by municipal, provincial and federal governments and by large industrial establishments that have internal firefighting services. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 12 main duties for this code.

• Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents, bomb threats and other emergencies
• Rescue victims from burning buildings and accident sites
• Control and extinguish fires using manual and power equipment, such as axes, water hoses, aerial ladders and hydraulic equipment and various firefighting chemicals
• Administer first aid and other assistance
• Ensure proper operation and maintenance of firefighting equipment
• Prepare written reports on fire incidents
• Inform and educate the public on fire prevention
• Train to maintain high level of physical fitness
• Assist the public, the police and emergency organizations during times of major disasters
• May participate as members of a trauma or emergency response team and provide paramedical aid to accident victims or ill persons
• May supervise and coordinate the work of other firefighters
• May conduct building inspections to ensure compliance with fire code.

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 12 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.

• 40041 Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers
• 84111 Silviculture and forestry workers
• 32102 Paramedical occupations

Excluded from this code

• Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers (See 40041 Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers)
• Forest firefighter (See 84111 Silviculture and forestry workers)
• Paramedic (See 32102 Paramedical occupations)

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 firefighter · communication service firefighter · crash firefighter · fire captain · fire department platoon chief · fire inspector · fire lieutenant · fire prevention officer · fire safety inspection firefighter · firefighter · firefighter apprentice · firefighter lieutenant · firefighter-inspector · industrial complex firefighter · industrial firefighter · shipboard firefighter · structural firefighter · training firefighter

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Completion of a college program in fire protection technology, fire science or a related field and a period of supervised practical training is usually required.
• Firefighting and emergency medical care training courses are provided and vary in length depending on the requirements of different fire departments or services.
• Certification for firefighters is compulsory in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
• Experience as a volunteer firefighter may be an advantage.
• Physical agility, strength, fitness and vision requirements must be met.
• Several years of experience are required for senior firefighters, such as lieutenants and captains.