EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
employment
If you are interested in working with the Apex Team the 1st step is to fill out an online application form.
We are qualified to train, outfit, and get you ready for another expected action-packed fire season.
Opportunity to travel BC, meet new people and fly in helicopters all while you are being paid. Firefighting can lead to exciting new opportunities and build on your work experience.
Apex is Safe Certified by the BC Forest Safety Council and we are one of the largest and longest established firefighting contractors in the Nelson area. We take pride in being a reputable company within the diverse sectors of the forest industry.
If you are interested in a great summer job as an Apex forest firefighter and potentially other forestry related work then please apply online.
Who we are looking for
Apex Forest & Wildfire Services Ltd strive for high standards and high expectations. We are looking for employees 18 years older who want to share these values and work ethic.
We are seeking employees who are tolerant of others. Sometimes you are traveling, camping, and working with the same fire crew for over two weeks straight. Therefore people must be adaptable to personality differences and be able to resolve potential conflicts in appropriate manners.
We are looking for firefighters who are organized, dependable, and strong team players. They need to be in good physical condition.
Apex requires our firefighters to be available to work on short notice as well as be able to commit to going away to work for 3 to 18 days at a time. Sometimes your stay is in BC Wildfire Service fire camps, sometimes hotels or tents, and sometimes you get to drive home every night. And yes sometimes you ride in a helicopter to & from the fire. We all love those days!!!
A usual fire line workday is 12 hours – time and a half after 8 hours. Often you are getting part of your day paid for in travel time. Standby days are also generally 12 hour days at a different pay rate.
WE DO NOT RECOMMEND RELOCATING FOR CONTRACT FIRE FIGHTING
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WORKING AS A FIRE FIGHTER WITH APEX THE 1ST STEP IS TO FILL OUT AN online application form.
Inorder to register for the S100 / S185 posted on the Apex Calender we must have recieved your application and followed up with a phone call/ interview.
Application Form
Hiring Process & Required Certifications
Check list
- Applicants must be 18 years or older. Some exceptions can be considered.
- IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WORKING AS A FIRE FIGHTER WITH APEX THE 1ST STEP IS TO FILL OUT AN online application form.
- After we have recieved your application expect the following: You will recieve an automated email ackowledging we have recieved your application. We will personnally follow up with a reply email which will contain an informatative PDF attachement for you to read. For the successful applicants we will follow up with a phone/Interview. Please feel free to call us at any time.
- After the interview we will email you the required gear list for you to review. You will not need any of these items before the Apex training dates.
- Send Digital copies of current S100 & S185 Certificates. These are the 2 basic course requirement for entery level fire fighting. Reminder: The S100 requires a refresher ticket every year. www.S100a.com
- Inorder to register for the S100 / S185 posted on the Apex Calender, a registration code is required. This code will be issued after the phone interview.
- Send digital copies of all other up to date training certificates. Examples: Wildfire Danger Tree Assessor, Power Saw, Accepted First aid, Pump courses, Crew Leader courses etc.
- Attend & Pass the annual Fitness test
- Attend the annual mandatory Job Orientation
- Pack personal and overnight gear and send a confirmation email to brenda@apexforestservices.com. During the job Orientation, we review the required gear list.
- Copy Drivers license – If you don’t have one let us know.
- Drivers abstract: Anyone who has a drivers license of any kind will be required to send us a driver abstract by June 15th
WE ARE REQUIRED TO SEND A COPY OF ALL YOUR TRAINING RECORDS TO THE BC WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT BRANCH.
THEY MUST CONFIRM YOUR STATUS AS AN ELIGIBLE FIREFIGHTER BEFORE WE CAN SEND YOU OUT.
THIS TAKES TIME!
BE READY EARLY AND YOU WILL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE!
Firefighting FAQs
Apex is looking for individuals who are self-motivated, physically fit, team orientated and flexible.
We require our employees to be organized, punctual, and good with communications skills.
- Please apply online. Click here for online application.
- You will recieve an automated email ackowledging we have recieved your application.
- We will personnally follow up with a reply email which will contain an informatative PDF attachement for you to read.
- For the successful applicants, Apex will follow up with a phone / Interview. Please feel free to call us at any time.
- After the interview we will send you the require gear list for you to review. You will not need any of these items before the Apex training dates.
- We accept applications prior to one obtaining the S100 and S185.
- Applicants must be willing to attend a job orientation and fitness test. In order to attend the job orientation, applicants must hold a current S100 and S185 or proof of registration.
- S100 S185 Training Location: Nelson BC. Please see calendar for dates offered.
- Apex S100 and S185 Training: A registration code is required. The code can be obtained after an application has been received and phone contact has been made.
- WE DO NOT RECOMMEND RELOCATING FOR CONTRACT FIRE FIGHTING
`Mandatory Certifications.
The full S-100 and S-185 courses are the minimum training requirements mandatory for all firefighters in BC. Apex is fully qualified to instruct these courses and they are taught April, May, and June. Please CONTACT US
The S100 is a course that must be refreshed annually. It is easy and inexpensive to take the S100 refresher online. visit www.s100a.com
The S185 is a onetime course.
Cost: Apex offers the S100 and & S185 for $250.00 A deposit of $50.00 is required to secure your seat. Ask us about our training incentive program.
Additional non- mandatory certifications include.
- PSO Power saw Operator CONTACT US
- DTA Danger Tree Assessor: Contact the UNBC Directly.
- FIRST AID: Only certain first aid certifications are accepted. For more inforamtion please clidk the First aid tab below.
These certifications, especially the DTA, can significantly increase your chances of employment.
Apex Forest & Wildfire Services Ltd requires a digital copy of your current S100 and S185 as well as all other pertinent training records prior to employment. All certifications must be approved by the BC Wildfire Service. This can be a timely process so please send current records early.
Job Orientation: We require potential employees to attend a job orientation. This is a great day for us to meet, for you to ask questions and for us go over every aspect of the job & our company. We discuss how we pay, explain standby, fire wages, travel, equipment, marshaling points, safety policies etc.
Fitness test: Firefighting is a physical job which requires a certain level of fitness. Our contract with the BC Wildfire Service requires that our employees must pass the moderate capacity fitness test. You must walk 3.2 km with a 25-pound backpack in 30 minutes or less.
Dates: The job orientation and fintess test happen on the same day. They are scheduled in April and May.
Locations: Nelson B.C.
First aid certification is not a prerequisite however for a 5 person crew the contract requires one person to have OFA level 1 along with Transportation Endorsement, OFA level 3, or a WorkSafe BC recognized equivalent. If you have the approved first aid training you will improve your chance of employment plus you will be compensated with a raise for every hour of every day worked.
Accepted first aid:
1. OFA Level 1 & Transportation endorsement (both are required ) or Work Safe equivalent
2. OFA Level 3 or WorkSafe BC equivalent
No other certifications will qualify for the BC Wildfire Service contract.
Please see the link below for WorkSafe BC equivalencies for Ofa 1, Ofa3, and Transportation Endorsement.
Apex believes in compensating every firefighter extra money per hour for additional qualified certifications. Extra training is an asset to our company and therefore we strongly feel each employee deserves to be compensated for it.
Our company is fully qualified to teach many different fire courses and we often do this during standby or (preseason for our returning employees). Of course, this only happens when time permits.
We also have extra training incentives for Apex S100 and S185 fire courses. Please CONTACT US
The contract all fire contractors have is “as, if & when required” so typically contractors generally cannot guarantee anyone a fire fighting job. Apex has had more than 65 employees some fire seasons. On average we employ 35 -45 people. Firefighting is a seasonal job where potential workers come and go and therefore we are always requiring new employees.
Firefighting
Ryan Flett, a Nelson BC based photographer, cinematographer, and film maker who worked several seasons as a fire fighter for Apex Forest & Wildfire Services Ltd. Ryan captured these amazing shots throughout the 2009 fires season in the Cariboo.