Wildfire Dispatcher

Role Responsibilities

If multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment and precision skills are your strengths, we have the perfect role for you. Consider stepping into the position of Wildfire Dispatcher, where your dedication to accuracy drives your success. Discover how your contributions seamlessly transform into effective wildfire response and community safety.

The Wildfire Dispatcher role resides within all ten of our Forest Area Offices in Alberta:

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

The Wildfire Dispatcher takes appropriate actions to move, place, or direct wildfire resources with direction from a Duty Officer. Working with a variety of communication equipment, the Wildfire Dispatcher provides the communication links between the Area Duty Room, aircraft, lookouts, and crews working in the field.

Holding a calm and focused demeanor, the Wildfire Dispatcher manages multiple tasks effectively, ensuring accurate and timely data entry into multiple Wildfire specific programs, prioritizing radio calls, and verbal communication skills to effectively navigate work teams of all sizes. Wildfire Dispatchers will see changes in pace throughout the day, and at times the job will involve multiple demands, interruptions, and time-specific requests. Attention to detail is paramount, as are professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality.

Here is a glimpse into the day on the job: Wildfire Dispatcher

Responsibilities:

• Receiving and responding to 310-Fire calls or smoke detections transmitted on the radio. 
• Monitoring all aircraft and fire activities to ensure related regulations, policy and procedural guidelines are followed, maintain an aircraft position log, manifests, daily flight log and daily flight reports.
• Multitasking, problem solving, organizing, and managing workplace priorities in changing conditions.
• Utilizing and trouble-shooting radios, computer equipment, and other applications. 
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, any others are an asset.
• Utilizing maps, including GPS coordinates, as well as legal land descriptions is also an asset.
• Processing aircraft requests for all agencies within the department.
• Initiating emergency response procedures to overdue or missing aircraft, overdue staff or other emergency situations as required.
• Maintaining check-ins with staff in accordance with safety protocols, immediately reporting any irregularities as they occur.
• Function in the Incident Command System as assigned in the office and on wildfires.

Successful applicants will receive training in the Alberta Wildfire Dispatcher Course, training in recording and conveying radio transmissions to and from aircraft, crews, and lookout observers in the field or on wildfires, and training in wildfire-specific computer programs utilized in the day-today work.

Join us in this critical role where your skills contribute to effective wildfire response and community safety.

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:

• Creative problem solving: Develops solutions to complex problems conscious of the development, conservation, and use of resources.
   
• Drive for results: Strives to exceed objectives and maximize resource to achieve results aligned with the goals of the department, considerate to both internal and external partners.
   
• Build Collaborative Environments: Takes a collaborative approach with your work to foster open communication and leverage team skills.
   
• Agility: Identifies alternative approached in uncertain, complex situations, supporting others in determining and assessing strategy.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• High school diploma plus one (1) year of related experience. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite applications (Teams, Word, Excel, and Outlook). 
• Proficient computer skills, encompassing keyboarding and data record management.
• Demonstrate strong communication and organizational skills.
• Must be 18 years of age or older prior to start date.

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

• Knowledge or experience with the Forestry sector.
• Knowledge of Incident Command system, 24-hour clock, and phonetic alphabet.

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.

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   
• 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 
• A Certificate of Proficiency in Radio (Aeronautical) from Industry Canada is required for working in this position.. This certificate can/will be obtained through the Alberta Wildfire Dispatcher Course that is provided to those who work in this position.

Notes

This competition is recruiting seasonal wage Wildfire Dispatcher positions for all Alberta Forest Areas, with weekly hours up to 40.

This position entails shift work and may involve night shifts. Candidates are expected to have flexibility for evening and weekend shifts. The estimated shift pattern, as determined by the Forest Area, may involve either 10 days on and 4 days off, or 7 days on/2 days off-7 days on/days off, or 7 days on/ 3 off, 7 days on/ 4 days off. This position could require availability for export (travel outside of home area).

About Your Application

• Terms of employment in your resume are to be identified in, months, and years, highlighting applicable duties or achievements at the respective role.
• 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.

What We Offer:

Wage employees receive 11.2% in addition to regular wage earnings in lieu of paid holidays and vacation leave:

• 5.2 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).
• Free accommodations may be available as determined by the Forest Area.