Cambridge, Ontario Hiring guide
Cambridge Firefighter Recruitment: Requirements & Hiring Process
Get Cambridge’s OFAI certificate rules, medical and boating qualifications, résumé instructions and firefighter pay in one place.
Annual pay · CAD
$119,631First-class firefighter — estimated 2026 annual base · effective March 27, 2026
Department size
6 fire stations
Serving Cambridge
Operations firefighter recruitment
No active postings on our boardBoard listings update from our recruitment dashboard; they may not include every City opening.
Last official-source review: October 26, 2026 · Archived 2026 competition closed April 30; no next intake date verified at the October 26, 2026 review. This review is separate from board availability.
How to become a Cambridge firefighter
- 1
Read the next posting
Save the competition number, deadline, required attachments and dates before you start.
- 2
Audit each credential
Track completion, expiry and Cambridge’s acceptance rule separately for every component.
- 3
Plan the time-sensitive tests
Leave room for booking, results and document processing before the required date.
- 4
Show what you have done
Use the requested resume order and concise examples of what you contributed.
- 5
Prepare beyond the application
Organize references, practise explaining your decisions and monitor your inbox.
The department at a glance
Cambridge’s 2026 posting accepted proof of some older OFAI results, while requiring the treadmill and swim certificates to be current at closing. Track each component separately before deciding what needs renewal. This guide covers career suppression hiring, using the archived 2026 competition as a dated reference. Cambridge recruits separately from Kitchener and Waterloo. Read the next City posting for its own requirements, documents and deadlines.
More than firefighting
Cambridge Fire operates six stations, with headquarters on Bishop Street North. Its work includes fire suppression, medical response, vehicle collisions and specialized rescue, alongside prevention and public education. The City describes recruit training that includes a public-education placement. For applicants, this is a reminder to prepare examples of patient communication, safe practical work and learning from feedback—not just an interest in emergency calls. Think about how you contribute during routine equipment checks, training and community contact as well as under pressure.
Pay & working pattern
First-class firefighter — estimated 2026 annual base · $119,631 per year
Effective March 27, 2026
Initial six-month probationary step: $65,797 annualized, quoted as 55% of first class in the March 27, 2026 posting. Dividing the rounded starting amount by 0.55 gives the approximately $119,631 first-class headline; this is a calculation, not a separately verified wage-grid entry. The displayed date is the posting date, not a confirmed wage-change date. See the salary context below.
The archived posting described rotating 24-hour shifts, including weekends and holidays. Confirm the assigned rotation, recruit-training hours and applicable agreement in your offer.
Cambridge firefighter salary: starting pay and first-class context
The archived posting published March 27, 2026 quoted $65,797 annually for the initial six-month probationary step, at 55% of first class (2026 rate). Dividing $65,797 by 0.55 implies approximately $119,631 annually at first class. That second figure is our calculation from a rounded posting amount, not a separately verified pay-grid entry. The posting did not identify the precise wage effective date.
The annualized rate describes a pay level; it does not mean a recruit receives $65,797 for six months of work. Actual earnings depend on time worked, progression and applicable compensation terms. Check the current agreement and offer for later probationary steps, advancement requirements, overtime and future increases. Sunshine List totals report earnings and should not be substituted for a contractual base-pay grid.
Minimum qualifications
The archived 2026 posting is a useful preparation baseline, not a promise that the next competition will use identical rules. Read every mandatory item and its required completion date before applying.
- 01Eligibility and education
- The 2026 baseline was age 18+, Canadian work eligibility and Grade 12 or equivalent.
- 02Firefighter certification
- NFPA 1001 I and II, including HazMat Operations, meeting Ontario’s certification regulation.
- 03Medical training
- Current First Responder or higher, with BLS CPR; Red Cross was preferred.
- 04Driving
- DZ licence; the posting specified fewer than three CVOR demerit points and/or infractions over three years.
- 05OFAI evidence
- See the testing section for the archived component and currency rules.
- 06Boating qualification
- A valid Pleasure Craft Operator Card was mandatory.
- 07Screening and communication
- Vulnerable-sector screening and clear English communication were required; follow the offer’s document timing.
What strengthens your application
Use additional qualifications to demonstrate useful skills. A certificate list becomes stronger when you explain how you have applied the learning. Assets do not replace the mandatory requirements.
Public education and apparatus training
NFPA 1035 Level 1 and NFPA 1002 Pumper Operations were preferred in 2026. Explain your practical contribution.
Relevant experience
Emergency services, skilled trades, heavy equipment and additional education were assets. Connect each example to the job.
Community involvement
Coaching, volunteering and additional languages were valued. Describe who you supported, your responsibilities and a result.
Give a useful example
Explain a handover, a mistake you helped correct or a time you supported a colleague. State your part, the outcome and what you learned. This is preparation advice, not an official scoring rubric.
Aptitude & physical testing
Build a component-by-component record instead of labelling your whole OFAI package “current” or “expired.” Municipalities can accept different evidence for different tests. The next posting determines what Cambridge will accept.
OFAI Stage One — FACT
OFAI Stage One is the Firefighter Aptitude and Character Test: 110 multiple-choice items in up to three hours. It covers reading, mathematics, maps and writing, alongside personal characteristics. Use the official assessment guide to understand the format.
Cambridge’s archived acceptance rules
In 2026, Stage One, hearing, vision and FPAT required proof but not currency. ETT and swim had to be valid at the April 30 closing date. Treat these as historical rules.
Stage Two certificates
OFAI uses separate hearing, vision and ETT certificates. Its vision process requires its own form, completed by your eye-care professional, uploaded for review. Allow processing time; booking an appointment is not the same as holding accepted evidence.
Swimming and physical tests
OFAI currently describes a swim assessment of 10 minutes treading followed by 100 metres within five minutes, with one-year certification. FPAT and technical skills are separate components: read the specific test list in the current posting.
Written test preparation
Preparing for the OFAI written test?
Build the underlying skills with original FACT-style practice and explanations. Our independent material does not replace OFAI testing or issue certification.
Try our free FACT practice testNeed the licence prerequisite?
Review Class D and air-brake knowledge with free practice. Practical training, road testing and official licensing requirements still apply.
Prepare for Ontario DZ knowledge testsThe recruitment process
The City’s general hiring process moves through application, screening, interview, references and an offer. Fire-specific invitations may add assessments or change the sequence. No fixed future interview count, MMI format or recruit-class date was verified.
- 1
Online application
Apply to the specific competition
Open your final attachments, confirm every requested field and keep the submission confirmation. A saved candidate profile alone is not a submitted application.
- 2
Screening and interview
Monitor invitations and follow their format
Use real examples with a clear situation, your own actions, result and lesson. Practise concise answers without memorizing a script or assuming another city’s interview format.
- 3
References and assessments
Prepare requested evidence
Ask references in advance and confirm their contact details. Keep a record of qualifications, dates and any instructions attached to your invitation.
- 4
Offer and onboarding
Read conditions before ordering documents
The City may require screening, medical evidence and qualification checks. Confirm start dates, training attendance and any certificate revalidation in writing.
Build a clear, complete Cambridge application
The archived fire posting requested no cover letter and prescribed this resume order: work experience; general education; fire-related education and courses; community involvement or volunteering. Attach the required qualification evidence. The next competition’s specific instructions take precedence over this historical example and generic City application FAQs.
Make the reviewer’s job straightforward. Under each role, describe your responsibility, a concrete contribution and a relevant result. Separate course attendance from certification, use accurate dates and avoid implying that volunteer service was career employment. Before submitting, open the actual attachments, check that scans are readable and compare the final package against every instruction. Keep a copy and the confirmation email.
Your application checklist
Use this preparation checklist alongside the current posting. Checking an item does not confirm eligibility.
Recruitment history and preparing between intakes
At the October 26, 2026 review, the City’s current-opportunities list did not show a firefighter vacancy. The archived competition was published in March and listed an April 30, 2026 close. No next recruitment window was verified. Keep this page as a preparation reference and use the City’s jobs page to confirm application availability.
The approved 2026 budget includes equipment for anticipated new firefighters associated with Station 4 expansion. That is staffing context, not an announcement of an additional application window. Between postings, prioritize useful preparation: identify missing prerequisites, build a certificate tracker, maintain safe physical readiness and record examples of service, teamwork and judgement while the details are fresh.
Get notified when Cambridge hiring opens
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Common questions
Guidance for Cambridge applicants. Confirm details with the referenced official sources and current posting.
Is Cambridge hiring firefighters now?
No firefighter vacancy appeared on the City’s current-opportunities page at the October 26, 2026 review. Check that page for changes; our guide and recruitment-board status are separate from the City’s live vacancy list.
Can I use older OFAI results?
A municipality’s acceptance rules can differ from the validity printed on a certificate. See the archived component rules above, then compare them with the next competition. Do not assume a previous exception continues.
Which written test should I study for?
OFAI Stage One is FACT. Use the official guide for assessment details and practise reading carefully, reasoning through arithmetic, interpreting maps and writing clearly. CPS and NTN are different pathways.
Is swimming required?
Check the exact current credential and date requirement. OFAI calls its swim assessment Stage Four and offers it when a participating recruitment requires it. One city’s acceptance of an alternative swim course does not establish Cambridge’s acceptance.
How should I organize my resume?
Follow the current fire posting’s instructions rather than a generic resume template. The application section explains the archived order. Make your dates, responsibilities and supporting documents easy to find.
What is the starting salary?
The salary section explains the $65,797 annualized initial rate from the archived posting. It also distinguishes an annual pay rate from a six-month classification period and labels the calculated first-class benchmark.
Does Cambridge use an MMI interview?
No fixed fire-specific MMI format or number of rounds was verified. The City’s general process allows interviews and role-related assessments. Your invitation is the source for the actual format and timing.
How can I prepare before the next posting?
Build a credential tracker, maintain practical readiness, save examples from work and service, and organize references. Review Cambridge’s prevention and community work so you can explain why the role interests you in concrete terms.
Go straight to the source
Reviewed against official Cambridge sources on October 26, 2026. Requirements, certificate validity and intake dates can change.
Independent preparation guide; not affiliated with the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Fire or OFAI. Current postings and candidate instructions govern requirements, testing and deadlines. Historical details are labelled; no future recruitment is promised. Hero photograph: Grand River Cambridge from Cedar Street Bridge by JustSomePics, September 28, 2014, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Responsive cropping and a dark overlay are applied; photo adaptations remain under that licence. Original and licence links appear in Sources.
Your next step
Plan your application to Cambridge Fire Department
Confirm the City’s current requirements and application dates. Preparing for the written test? Start with independent practice.
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