Wildfire Crew Leader/Sub-Leader

Role Responsibilities

As a Wildfire Crew Leader, you will direct either a Unit Crew or a Helitack Crew on the front lines of wildfire response. Your role is essential in facilitating operations and ensuring your team’s safety and effectiveness. Here is a glimpse into a day on the job: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-2B6wz5mSg 

The Unit Crew (UNIT) program provides a distinct opportunity to join a 20-person crew. These Unit Crews are dedicated teams committed to containing and fully extinguishing larger fires in remote areas of the province.

As a leader within this team, you will drive collaborative success through our shared mission to safeguard Alberta's precious natural resources and extensive landscapes. While this role is physically and mentally demanding, you will also foster a powerful sense of personal satisfaction and growth among your team members. You will play a key role in developing effective teamwork and communication skills, enhancing analytical thinking, and sharpening situational awareness. This is your chance to guide your crew through outdoor challenges, where each conquered obstacle becomes a testament to their resilience, adaptability, and meaningful contributions to the environment.

The Helitack (HAC) program offers a unique opportunity to lead a 4- or 8-person crew, often the first to respond to wildfires. Your leadership will be vital as the team is transported by helicopter or deployed on the ground to attack wildfires, sometimes with the assistance of air tankers or heavy equipment. This role provides a challenging experience, allowing you to assess your team's physical and mental strengths as they engage in initial wildfire response.

As a leader, you will provide insights into aviation operations and foster personal growth among crew members. You will help them enhance their analytical skills, refine decision-making abilities, and improve communication and teamwork, all while working in the great outdoors. Embrace this opportunity to lead with purpose and make a meaningful impact on wildfire response efforts.

As a Wildfire Unit / Helitack Crew Leader, you will:
 

• Lead and supervise sub-leaders and or crew members in pre-suppression and fire suppression activities.
• Determine the best strategy and tactic to suppress wildfire and evaluate if more resources are required to assist.
• Identify hazards to the crew and mitigation strategies.
• Ensure crew fire readiness is maintained through Fireline equipment and truck maintenance, inventory, and crew physical standards.
• Plan, coordinate, track and administer proficiency train to meet certification standards.   
• Complete Performance Agreements with Wildfire Crew Sub-Leaders. 
• Complete administrative work promptly, such as timesheets, safety briefings, fire reports.
• Conduct preliminary investigations into fire cause and know the procedure on how to protect a scene for in depth investigation by an experienced investigator.
• Work longer hours, including being required to work through the overnight period on occasion.

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

Requirements:
Natural Resources 3: Unit Crew Sub Leader, 4-Person Helitack Crew Leader, 8-Person Helitack Crew Sub Leader

• A high school diploma 
• One (1) season of related experience. Experience in wildland firefighting is required.

Natural Resources 4: Unit Crew Leader and 8-Person Helitack Crew Leader

• A high school diploma 
• One (1) season of related experience. Experience in wildland firefighting is required
• Supervisory or leadership experience is an asset

Additional Requirements:
The following conditions are not required at the time of application but must be provided prior to your start date.

• Passing results of the WFX-Fit test to endure rigorous training and, at times, arduous working conditions. 
• 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 valid Standard First Aid certificate with CPR certification.
• A current Defensive Driving certificate.

*All candidates must be 18 years of age or older as of March 1, 2025, or prior to their start date. Position start dates range from March 1 to April 30, 2025.

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

Notes

This competition is recruiting for:

• Unit Crew Sub Leader (Natural Resources 3)
• Unit Crew Leader (Natural Resources 4)
• Helitack Crew Sub Leader – 8 Person (Natural Resources 3)
• Helitack Crew Leader – 4 Person ((Natural Resources 3)
• Helitack Crew Leader – 8 Person (Natural Resources 4)
• Helitack Trail Crew Lead, Cypress Hills Provincial Park (Natural Resources 3)

Large fires regularly have longer shift hours, which could include having work hours shifted to work weekends, evenings, and overnight on occasions.

What We Offer:

• Wage employees receive 11.2% in addition to regular wage earnings in lieu of paid holidays and vacation leave:
  • 5.2% of regular wage earnings instead of paid holidays
  • 6% of regular wage earnings instead of annual vacation leave. 
• 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 Work Environment:

• Access to firefighter equipment supplied by the employer and member training at the Hinton Training Centre (HTC)
• Meals and accommodations will be provided for the duration of employment for all crews with the exceptions noted below. 
  • Meals and accommodations will be provided when deployed, however when working locally these locations provide the following: 
    • Slave Lake – Accommodations available only. Meals are not supplied. 
    • Edmonton – Accommodations and meals are not supplied. 
    • Cypress Hills Provincial Park – $140 bi-weekly for accommodations. Meals are not supplied. 

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