What are the recruitment stages for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services?

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services runs 10 stages: Online application, Written test, Panel interview and reference checks, Police information check with vulnerable sector screening, VPAST physical test, Firefighter Suitability Day and psychological assessment, Ride-along, Second interview, Pre-employment medical, Fire Chief's meeting and job offer. Stage details must be confirmed against the department's current posting.

How should I prepare for the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services process?

Train the cognitive categories used in aptitude testing, build aerobic capacity and grip endurance for the physical evaluation, and prepare evidence-based answers for the competency interview.

FireReadyCanada.com

← British Columbia

British Columbia · Vancouver

VerifiedComplete profile

VANCOUVER FIRE RESCUE SERVICES

Official careers page

Recruitment watch

VFRS applications are open on a rolling basis - the City says they stay open until vacancies are filled, so there is no fixed closing date and a cut-off can come with little notice. Two classes are running now: class 2701 is at ride-alongs and second interviews (October 2026), and class 2702 sat the written exam on 16, 22 and 23 September with panel interviews from 1 October to 14 December 2026. Psychometric testing is done through Calian and the physical test is the VPAST, not CPAT. Read the requirements below before you apply: missing documents or wrongly named files are the most common reason for screening out.

Accepting applications now

No closing date published — apply while the posting is upApply on the official site

Last checked October 2, 2026Source

A highly competitive coastal service with technical rescue and marine response.

Try a free practice test

Written / aptitude test

Verified against the official posting — confirm before applying

NFST-CFT

National Fire Select Test — Canadian Fire Technical variant

Format: Two parts: general aptitude test plus a personality inventory. FPSI does not publish the total question count or time limit — announced on test day
Scoring: Weighted 45% cognitive / 55% human relations and personality. Number-correct scoring with no guessing penalty. FPSI does not publish a pass mark
Sections: Math, mechanical reasoning, reading comprehension, spatial analysis, following directions and a general aptitude component, plus questions from IFSTA Essentials of Fire Fighting, 7th edition
Administered by: FPSI

Prep priority

The IFSTA component is what separates Vancouver from a standard aptitude test, so study Essentials of Fire Fighting 7th edition alongside the aptitude practice. The exam is written in person in the Lower Mainland only.

Source: VFRS Recruitment Applicant Guide (Step 2) and FPSI NFST-CFT product information, checked September 2026

Practice tagged to this exam

… questions across 2 parts of this exam

This exam combines more than one part, so practise each one. Questions tagged to both parts are counted once in the total.

Aptitude (NFST)

… questions

Practise Timed mock Format

Fire knowledge — IFSTA Essentials (NFPA 1001)

… questions

Practise Format

Browse the full bank (…)

Need NFPA 1001 or 1072? Practise here

Their written exam, and our matching bank

An IFSTA Essentials of Fire Fighting, 7th edition component inside the written test

This is a textbook exam, not a general aptitude test. Our fire-knowledge bank is written to cover the same IFSTA material — it does not contain their questions, and no preparation replaces reading the chapters themselves.

NFPA 1001 fire knowledge exam Practise general knowledge questions

Recruitment roadmap

Stages are stored per department. Anything not yet confirmed against an official source is marked as requirements to be verified.

Step 1 of 10

Physical requirements

Vancouver Physical Assessment Skills Test (VPAST)

Note: The applicant guide does not publish time limits or pass marks for the Combat Challenge. Confirm them with VFRS Recruitment before test day.
Attire: Gloves and helmet are provided. Wear shoes and athletic pants (shorts only for the shuttle run); a station or hiking boot is allowed for the aerial ladder climb. No firefighting experience is needed.
Components: Two phases. Phase 1: 20 m shuttle run (beep test) up to level 8.8, 35 ft ladder raise, aerial ladder climb wearing a 50 lb vest, safety harness and helmet, and an auto-extrication peg board. Pass Phase 1 to reach Phase 2, the Combat Challenge, done as one continuous sequence in a 50 lb vest and helmet: stair climb (10 flights with a high-rise pack), 5-inch supply line drag, forcible entry, hydrant station, hose line stations (uncharged to charged), ceiling breach and pull, equipment carry and rescue dummy drag.

Source: VFRS Recruitment Applicant Guide and vancouver.ca careers pages, checked September 2026

Questions candidates ask

Does Vancouver Fire Rescue Services use CPAT?

No. Vancouver runs its own VPAST instead of CPAT, and a CPAT certificate does not replace it. The beep-test target of level 8.8 and the 50 lb vest are the two numbers to train for first.

How far in advance should I start preparing?

Being test-ready and fitness-ready before a posting opens matters more than intense preparation after it opens.

Are the practice questions here real exam questions?

No. Every question is original training content written to reflect common recruitment task types. No legitimate provider has access to live exam material.

This recruitment is open now

Applications are being accepted now — apply through the official page. Follow Vancouver Fire Rescue Services to get an email when this recruitment closes or the next one opens.

Step 1 of 2 — Create your free account

Your alerts are tied to your account, so you can manage them and see the status of every recruitment you follow.

or create an account with email

Step 2 — Choose what to watch: Vancouver Fire Rescue Services