Aspiring firefighters, male or female, have to meet stringent requirements to get serious consideration for the city's shortlist for employment.
They must have successfully completed a training program accredited by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
The three-month entry-level course costs between $10,000 and $15,000.
Fitness is also a consideration. Recruits have to pass a Canadian Physical Ability test. In addition to strength testing, the test subjects are required to perform drills and go through obstacle courses while wearing firefighter equipment. They must also must score at least 1,582 points on a medical fitness test.
A Class 3 commercial driver's licence with air-brake
endorsement is required.
Industrial first aid training is also a requirement. Although it is not a mandatory for recruits, Prince George firefighters are now required to have their Emergency Medical Responder emergency patient care ticket and training of that standard or above is preferred.
It also helps to have some firefighting experience as part of a volunteer force. Recruits have a better chance of getting hired if they have a preferred trade, like that of an
electrician, plumber of carpenter.
"It used to be, 30 years ago, guys could come to the firehall and apply and could get accepted," said James Sweet, chief training officer for the Prince George Fire Rescue Service. "Now, these guys come in the door with so much behind them and it's tough to get into."
The starting annual salary is $53,520. New recruits are assessed every three months and they're on probation for a full year after they start working. Job availability on the 120-person force depends on the number of retirements each year. The age of mandatory retirement is 60.
Firefighters who have 30 years of service can retire with full pension benefits.
Firefighters work shift work constantly, four days on, four days off, alternating with two day shifts followed by two night shifts. Day shifts are 10 hours, night shifts last 14 hours. Four platoons cover the city every hour of every day working out of four halls. New recruits are put into place as needed, meaning they could work up to eight days in a row.
"You spend more time with those guys than you do with your own family and it's a tight group," Sweet said. "But you have to be a tight group because you depend on each other so much."
