Now’s the Time to Get Trained as The Demand for Firefighters Will Rise

Police officer and fire-fighter jobs will outnumber the available bodies to fill them by 2018.

The demand for trained firefighters in Canada is expected to heat up.

Canada, has roughly 3,500 fire departments and 108,000 firefighters currently working. Like in other sectors, their human capital is top-heavy with baby-boomers who will be hanging up their hats in a few years, which will create a demand for trained firemen from the younger generation.

“We’re hiring people continuously. We know that with our grey wave [demand] is going to be even bigger,” said Brian McAsey of the Calgary Fire Department, in a recent interview with the Financial Post.

Working In Canada reports that police officer and fire-fighter jobs will outnumber the available bodies to fill them by 2018. Job openings are expected to total 34,242, whereas it is expected that 30,486 job seekers will be available to fill these job openings.

They also report that there will be a large demand for women in those fields. The Labour Force Survey (2009) revealed that women represented 17% of workers in this group, compared to the average of 48% for all occupations.

In Canada, you can study programs such as Firefighter or Fire Science Technology at schools such as Confederation College or Lambton College in Ontario, Lakeland College in Saskatchewan, or Lakeland College’s Alberta campus.

Schools mentioned: Confederation College, Lambton College, Lakeland College