Patrol Person

Role Responsibilities

If you enjoy working in a dynamic team environment, meeting new people, educating the public, and gaining an in-depth knowledge of the Forest Protection areas in Alberta, then this is the ideal seasonal position for you!

Patrol Staff are an integral part of the Alberta Wildfire Team. Sharing knowledge with and educating the public regarding safe burn practices is a significant role you will fill. Conducting site visits of rural, urban, agricultural, and industrial areas will help you build strong relationships with our community partners and stakeholders throughout each Forest Area.

Utilizing our online fire permit portal, you will plan out your site inspections each day and relay wildfire hazard information relevant to each location. You will have a wide range of job responsibilities that enable you to gain diverse experiences throughout the fire season, including assisting the Forest Area with Wildfire Prevention activities and wildfire response.

Responsibilities included within this role:

• Working remotely, you will patrol the front and backcountry of the Forest Protection Area, completing random camping inspections of safe campfires, and ensuring compliance under the Forest and Prairie Protection Act.
• Using mobile technology platforms such as the online permit portal to issue permits and deliver prevention messaging.
• Issuing fire permits in the Forest Area and ensuring the fire site will be safe and not escape the fire permit's legal land location.
• Inspecting permit request sites and approving burning only under safe conditions.
• Passing fire permit locations to the lookout observers.
• Participating in public engagement events and educating rural residents about safe burning practices and changing hazard conditions through friendly and courteous contact.
• Other duties as assigned (i.e. assisting with Forest Health projects, fulfilling rostered Response Officer shifts, etc.)

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies: https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

About Your Competencies:

• Agility: The capacity to anticipate, evaluate, and swiftly adapt to shifting priorities, maintain resilience during uncertain times, and excel in a dynamic work environment.   
• Building Collaborative Environments: Taking the lead in creating conditions and atmospheres that foster effective collaboration, enabling individuals to work together productively to achieve shared objectives. Demonstrates respect for others’ input and expertise and is willing to learn from others by encouraging open and considerate discussion of issues.  
• Systems Thinking: Recognizing that tasks performed within the Alberta Public Service (APS) are part of a broader, interconnected environment. It is essential to comprehend that activities within one segment of the APS can have far-reaching impacts on other groups and projects, both within and outside the organization. Systems thinking helps us consider these wider consequences and connections.   
• Creative Problem Solving: The ability to evaluate options and consequences in novel ways to develop innovative solutions and achieve desired outcomes.   
• Drive for Results: Effectively sets goals to prioritize work, and proactively seeks advice or guidance when needed. Recognizes program objectives and ones’ own contributions through service delivery, performance, and interpersonal interactions to ensure future success. 
• Develop Self and Others: Takes initiative to stay current on skills, approaches, and technologies in their field of work. Reflects on own performance to understand success, participates in developmental activities, and contributes to team learning by sharing information, knowledge, and experiences.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• High school diploma,
• Plus, some related experience (i.e., up to 12 months),
• Ability to perform physical duties to act in the role of a Patrol Person.

*All candidates must be 18 years of age or older as of March 1, 2026, or prior to their start date. 

• Position start date range from March 1 to April 30, 2026.

Equivalencies will be considered and candidates with lesser qualifications may be considered at a lower classification and salary.

Directly related experience or education may be considered on the basis of:

• one year of experience for one year of education or 
• one year of education for one year of experience.

Assets:

• Forest technology or natural resources diploma or degree.
• Previous experience in wildfire activities.

Additional Requirements:

The following conditions are not required at time of application, but must be provided prior to start date:

• A valid, unrestricted Alberta Class 5 Driver’s License, or equivalent.
  • See the following links for more information on exchanging a non-Alberta license or licensed driver training.
• A minimum 3-year Driver's Abstract, showing a record of seven (7) demerits or less (obtained within 30 days of your commencement date and presented to management prior to commencement).
• A current Defensive Driving certificate.
• A valid Intermediate First Aid certificate with CPR certification.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. 

Notes

This competition is recruiting seasonal wage Patrol Person positions for all Alberta Forest Areas, with weekly hours up to 36.25.

The Patrol Person role resides within all ten of our Forest Area Offices in Alberta:

• Calgary Forest Area 
• Edson Forest Area
• Fort McMurray Forest Area
• Grande Prairie Forest Area
• High Level Forest Area
• Lac La Biche Forest Area 
• Peace River Forest Area
• Rocky Mountain House Forest Area 
• Slave Lake Forest Area
• Whitecourt Forest Area 

This position could require availability for export (travel outside of home area).

Estimated term of employment is from 3 to 8 months during the wildfire season, anticipated between April 1 and October 31.

Extended hours could be required at little to no notice, depending on the wildfire situation. Hours are accumulated based on work schedule

What We Offer:

• Wage employees receive 11.6% in addition to regular wage earnings in lieu of paid holidays and vacation leave:
  • 5.6 percent of regular wage earnings instead of paid holidays.
  • 6 percent of regular wage earnings instead of annual vacation pay.
• Shift differential and opportunity to work overtime, evening, and weekend shifts.
• Premium Pay Allowances:
  • Wage employees residing above the 57th Parallel (i.e., High Level Forest Area) are eligible for a biweekly Northern allowance of $241.38.
  • Wage employees residing within the Fort McMurray Forest Area receive a biweekly allowance of $478.17 (pro-rated for part-time employees).

About Your Application:

• Your resume should indicate date ranges (month and year) for all education and work experience, specifying if the experience was casual, part-time (PT), or full-time (FT), while highlighting applicable duties or achievements.
  • For example, Wildland Firefighter: Apr 2019 – Aug 2019 (PT, 20 hours per week).
• Those selected for an interview are requested to bring three (3) work-related references.
• Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate.
  • Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.