Fire Crew Leader

Fire Crew Leader - Anticipatory

Important messages

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please use the Contact information below to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

PLEASE NOTE: For this selection process, our intention is to communicate with applicants by e-mail for screening/assessment purposes (including issuing screening results, and sending invitations for written tests and interviews).

Applicants who apply to this selection process must include in their application a valid e-mail address and make sure this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users.

Duties

As one of the largest protected swaths of boreal forest and the largest national park in the country, you can bet theres a lot to the fire management program at Wood Buffalo National Park.

As a Fire Crew Leader for the park, youll support the team by supervising a small fire crew. Working together, youll respond to wildfires, carry out fuel management work, and play a role in prescribed fires as needed.

Additionally, youll assist in various projects as part of the resource conservation team related to natural and cultural resource management, vegetation management, incident response and management, including compliance.

Youll work alongside and support, as needed, other areas within the Wood Buffalo National Park team.

Work environment

This is a place of opportunity to learn new skills, to try things youve maybe never done before, and to experience surreal landscapes.

Youll be working for Wood Buffalo National Park, which is the largest national park in Canada, the worlds largest dark-sky preserve, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The park is a cultural landscape for Cree, Dene, and Métis peoples of the region. The park works with eleven Indigenous communities, who continue to use the land for activities like hunting, trapping, fishing, and medicinal plant and berry picking.

Youll be part of a 20+ person Fire Management team that works together to advance fire science, carry out wildfire risk reduction work, respond to wildfires as necessary, collaborate with other governments and stakeholders, support the national fire program, and more.

Youll work primarily outdoors, based out of the parks operations compound or firebase. You can expect to travel into the park frequently, sometimes in helicopters or other small aircraft.

The work can be physically demanding and require you to work in remote locations of the park, sometimes in not great weather conditions and with little access to communications.

You will do work that matters and have tangible examples of the differences you and your team are making. There are many chances and possibilities for career growth within Parks Canada that will extend to you in this role.

Youll be based in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, a community of 2, people. Fort Smith is connected to southern Canada by a year-round paved highway and is nestled on the eastern Alberta-NWT border. Major cities like Edmonton are a 13-hour drive away, while Yellowknife is a seven-hour drive north. Flights are available into and out of the community via Fort Smiths local airline, Northwestern Air Lease.

Fort Smith is in Treaty 8 territory and the traditional territory of the Indigenous peoples of Salt River First Nation, Smith's Landing First Nation, and the Northwest Territory Métis Nation.

Parks Canada is a federal government agency responsible for protecting and presenting the outstanding natural and cultural resources found throughout Canada. We do this through a system of national parks, national marine conservation areas, and national historic sites across Canada.

Intent of the process

A qualifying list will be established, and may be used to fill similar positions of various tenures (temporary, full-time, part-time).

A pool of qualified candidates will be established and may be used to staff similar term and/or permanent positions.

The results from this competition may be used to staff similar positions in the future on an indeterminate, term, seasonal or acting assignment basis.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

Contact information for 3 references.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

EDUCATION
A secondary school diploma or acceptable combination of education, training, experience in a field related to the position and completion of the CIFFC S Crew Leader Course or equivalent.

Preference may be given to candidates with post-secondary education in natural resource management and CIFFC S Crew Leader course or higher level of fire training.

*Proof of education must be submitted with application. Failure to provide a copy of the certificate with your application will result in your application not being assessed further.

EXPERIENCE
Experience in fire management operations related to fuel management, prescribed fire and/or fire suppression;
Experience working on the fireline;
Experience in using and maintaining fire equipment;
Experience working in remote areas for extended periods;
Experience working in the forestry environment;
Experience in supervision.

Preference may be given to candidates with experience in fire suppression, including mop-up and patrol on multiple fires of various sizes and complexities; experience in fireline construction using hand tools, power tools and water delivery systems and experience with aircraft use (both fixed and rotary-wing) in fire management operations.

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

English essential

KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other related Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) issues;
Knowledge of fire management strategies and tactics for both wildland and prescribed fires;
Knowledge of key techniques and practices related to weather prediction, map and photo interpretation and fire behaviour prediction.

ABILITIES
Ability to maintain equipment in a state of readiness;
Ability to deliver training to fire crew members;
Ability to supervise staff while working under high stress;
Ability to use a computer for recording and reporting incidents and/or accidents.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY / LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES
Personally connects with others;
Makes things happen;
Communicates effectively;
Takes responsibility.

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Willingness to wear a Parks Canada uniform and prescribed protective equipment;
Willingness to work and/or travel under challenging conditions (including varied terrain, weather conditions, isolated locations and by various means of transportation) for extended periods of time;
Willingness to work extensive and/or irregular hours including evenings, weekends and/or statutory holidays and overtime, when required;
Willingness to travel extensively and to fly in small aircraft and helicopters;
Willingness to obtain certification in the Intermediate Wildland Fire Behaviour course.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Obtain and maintain a Reliability level security clearance;
Valid Class 5 Drivers License;
Required to undergo and pass pre-placement and periodic medical checks, including Occupational Health Assessment for firefighters;
Pass the WFX FIT wildland firefighter fitness test to the Parks Canada National Standard time of 14:30;
When position is located in area classed as isolated and remote, a pre-employment medical examination of an individual and his/her dependants may be required;
Possession and maintenance of St. Johns Ambulance Standard First Aid Certificate (or equivalent) and CPR certificate;
Eligible to be hover exit certified in a helicopter;
Certification for chain saw use;
Completion of the CIFFC S Crew Leader Course or equivalent.

Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.

Communication for this process will be sent via email. Applicants MUST check their e-mail accounts frequently as there may be a deadline for responses. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). Please note that we will have to consider that you are no longer interested in participating in the selection process and that you have withdrawn your candidacy should you not provide us with an up-to-date email address or respond to our communications. If you need to communicate with us during any stage of this process, please indicate the selection process number in the subject field of your email.

In accordance with paragraph 8(a) of the Privacy Act, information or material, whether provided directly by the candidate or otherwise obtained by the selection board, used during the selection process for the purpose of assessing a candidate may be used as part of the selection review and recourse processes. Such relevant information may be provided to third parties, such as other candidates or their representatives, who have a legitimate reason to be aware of that information.

Parks Canada is committed to the principles of diversity and employment equity under the Employment Equity Act, and strives to ensure that our workforce reflects the diverse nature of Canadian society. We encourage women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of a visible minority group to self-identify in their cover letter.

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.

The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, you should advise the Public Service Commission or the departmental official in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

Parks Canada Agency considers applications from all individuals who have legal status to work in Canada. Please indicate in your application the reason for which you are entitled to work in Canada: Canadian citizenship, permanent resident status or work permit.

Persons who have a priority entitlement as defined by the Parks Canada Agency Priority Policy and Guidelines will be considered first.

Persons with a lay-off priority due to Parks Canada Agency Work Force Adjustment will be considered eligible candidates for the purpose of this selection process.

Travel cost for individuals who are not Federal Public Servants will not be covered.

The Parks Canada Agency is established as a separate employer in the Federal Public Service under the Financial Administration Act. Persons appointed to the Agency continue to be part of the Public Service. The Parks Canada Agency operates under its own human resources framework outside of the Public Service Employment Act and in line with values of fairness, competence and respect, and its operating principles.

Persons who have received pay in lieu of unfulfilled surplus period, a Transition Support Measure (TSM) or an Educational Allowance and are re-appointed to the Parks Canada Agency are required to reimburse an amount corresponding to the period from the effective date of such reappointment or hiring, to the end of the original period for which the TSM and education allowance was paid. Please contact Vina Turner, A/Human Resources Manager if you are one of these individuals to find out how this applies to your particular situation.

Persons who are in receipt of a Canadian Government Public Service pension and are considering this employment opportunity with the Parks Canada Agency, should contact the PWGSC Public Service Pension Centre (1---) in order to determine the impact of an appointment on their pension benefit entitlements.

️Tips for applicants:
Please provide complete and thorough details of your education and experience.
Do not assume that the screening board has any previous knowledge of your background, qualifications, or work history. You must be specific and provide concrete examples/details for each Experience element, as applications will be screened only on the information provided.
Failure to provide sufficient information may result in your application being screened out of the competition.

Proof of education must be submitted with application to Failure to provide a copy of the certificate with your application will result in your application not being assessed further.

You must clearly demonstrate in writing, with concrete examples, how you meet each essential experience requirement. Failure to do so may result in your application being rejected.

You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Other qualifications may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected

PLEASE NOTE: For this selection process, our intention is to communicate with applicants by e-mail for screening/assessment purposes (including issuing screening results, and sending invitations for written tests and interviews).

Applicants who apply to this selection process must include in their application a valid e-mail address and make sure this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users.

Reference checks may be sought.

An interview may be administered.

A test may be administered.

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Contact information