Wildfire Communication Technician

Role Responsibilities

Are you ready to take on a vital role supporting Alberta’s emergency and operational communication systems?

As a Wildfire Communication Technician, you provide frontline support, operations and maintenance for area and provincial telecommunication networks and sub systems. As a member of a very highly skilled, motivated, technical team within Alberta, you will work in a cohesive group to provide critical support and response for the planning, construction, operations, and preventative maintenance of many remote sites.

Your expertise with technical and essential communication systems, telemetry networks, and other electronic systems is crucial. These systems ensure that Forestry staff, as well as other ministry and municipal government personnel, have reliable communication platforms during wildfires, natural disasters, local emergencies, and daily operations.

These communication systems often serve as the sole means of critical communication during emergency operations. Maintaining a high state of readiness and response is essential to ensure advanced, seamless communication capabilities when they are needed most.

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 - Ability to anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, maintain resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment. 
• Creative Problem Solving - Ability to assess options and implications in new ways to achieve outcomes and solutions.  
• Develop Self and Others - A commitment to lifelong learning and the desire to invest in the development of the long-term capability of yourself and others.  
• Build Collaborative Environments - Leads and contributes to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.  
• Develop Networks - Proactively building networks, connecting, and building trust in relationships with different stakeholders. 

Qualifications

A two-year technical diploma or journeymen ticket in a related field (Land Mobile Radio) plus two years of related experience in wireless technology, telecommunications, or instrumentation is required.
Directly related education or experience considered on the basis of: 1 year of education for 1 year of experience; or 1 year of experience for 1 year of education.

Experience with technical and vital telecommunication systems, telemetry networks and other electronic systems is required.

*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.   
  
  

Assets:

• Hands on experience with Radio Frequency and Electronic theory, best practices, and industry standards
• Experience in operating, analyzing and interpreting data obtained from specialized electronic test equipment, such as Antenna Analyzers, and RF Watt Meters.

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 Standard First Aid certificate with CPR certification.       
• Must be able to obtain a federal security clearance at a minimum of RCMP Enhanced Reliability Status with the RCMP within 10-months of employment.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. 
Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards

Notes

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

The Communication Technician 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   
• Edmonton  

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.