Fire Recruitment | Town of Cobourg

The Cobourg Fire Department is comprised of both full-time and volunteer fire fighters. The department provides 24-hour emergency response to the community in the following areas;

Fire suppression
Advanced medical assist with defibrillation
Hazardous materials response
Entry-level water and ice rescue
Vehicle extrication and
Response to any other natural or accidental emergencies.

In 2024, the Cobourg Fire Department responded to 2062 calls. Volunteer firefighters responded in 506 of those calls.

Get Paid for Your Service

Although the position is referred to as “volunteer fire fighter”, members of our volunteer fire crew receive remuneration for their service. The demands and expectations placed on a volunteer fire fighter are not unlike those placed on our full-time staff. The job requires commitment, devotion, compassion and above all, a desire to serve your community.

Automobile Excavating Training

Ice & Water Rescue Training

Auto Extrication Training

Ice & Water Rescue training

Auto Extrication Training

Hydrant & Hose Testing

Ice & Water Rescue training

Live Fire Training

Ice & Water Rescue training

Training

New Volunteer Fire recruits will participate in the department’s Comprehensive Training Program as well as any additional/ongoing training that the department receives.

All firefighters must take part in ongoing training and refresher courses for the following:

National Fire Protection Association 1001 curriculum
Recruit training
Driver training
CPR, defibrillation, first aid, administering oxygen (O2)
Auto extrication
Live fire training
Pump, Aerial & Tanker operations
Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) awareness and operations training
Shore-based ice/water rescue
Other specialized courses (i.e. fire inspections and investigations)

How we Operate/Hourly Commitment

Four volunteers are assigned to each of Cobourg’s four platoons.
Platoons work an average of 15 shifts per month. Each platoon works a balance of day shifts (8am to 6pm) and night shifts (6pm to 8am)
When your platoon is on shift, volunteer fire fighters are required to respond to all level 2, 3 and 4 calls. Examples of these types of calls include activated alarms, motor vehicle collisions and structure fires.
If your platoon is not scheduled, then you would only be asked to respond for level 3 and 4 calls such as structure fires and ice/water rescues.

What is Included in the Fitness Test

The performance of firefighting tasks requires considerable muscle strength, agility and endurance. The agility tests are designed to simulate commonly encountered and essential fire fighting operations.

Carry a roll of sixty-five-eight (65) mm hose (approximately 11.34 kg) up and down a fire hall stairwell for a period of three (3) minutes;
Drag a two-hundred foot (200’) (60m) length of 45 mm hose, simulating an uncharged hose line, a length of seventy-five feet (75’) across the marked finish line;
Carry two saws a total distance of one-hundred-and-fifty feet (150’) (45.72m);
Using two twenty-four foot (24’) aluminum ground ladders, simulate the task of placing a ground ladder at a fire structure and extending the ladder to the roof or window;
Drag a one-hundred-and-sixty-five pound (165 lbs) (75 kg) training dummy a distance of seventy feet (70’) (21.34m) through a prescribed obstacle course;
Simulated forcible entry using sledgehammer/ Kiser machine;
Using a six foot (6’) (1.83m) pike pole, simulate the task of breaching and pulling down a ceiling to check for fire extension;
Ascend to a height of thirty meters (30m) in an aerial platform operated by a department staff member;
Wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus with a blacked-out face piece, maneuver through a passageway to a designated exit.

Volunteer Fire Recruitment Guide

For additional information please email fire@cobourg.ca

CFD Vol Fire Fighter Recruitment Guide 2025