City of Greater Sudbury recruiting full-time firefighters, here's what it involves

Right now, the Greater Sudbury Fire Service is hiring full-time firefighters.

Fire services said it's looking for new people to join the team as several long-serving firefighters are retiring.

Greater Sudbury Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell with firefighter Remi Lariviere. Oct. 12/22 (Alana Everson/CTV Northern Ontario)

Remi Lariviere is a local firefighter who conducts tests every shift to ensure fire trucks are functioning properly.

He was hired as a full-time in 2021 after serving as a volunteer for seven years and attending a fire academy in Texas.

"A lot of it is the camaraderie with the crew and you live together, so you kind of become brothers and sisters," Lariviere said.

"And the helping the community is huge, as well, just in everyday. Every shift, we get the chance to help somebody, which I think is rare and it makes it all worth it at the end."

Greater Sudbury Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell said the service is hiring due to attrition.

Individuals who proceed though the preliminary qualification process will then undergo aptitude, physical, medical and psychological testing.

"Certainly, our first responders are exposed to a lot of mental stress and so, the psychological testing helps both the candidates and us, as a fire service, understand what they are going to be facing and gives us an opportunity to assess the individual by a clinical psychologist," Oshell said.

Lariviere said training is a constant and evolving part of the job.

"The big thing for us is training. We train a tonne and that gets us prepared for those emergency situations where someone else might see it as chaotic or you know almost want to panic, but for us, it's what we do. It's what we are trained to do," Lariviere said.

Sudbury firefighter Remi Lariviere after conducting a pump operation check on a fire truck. Oct. 12/22 (Alana Everson/CTV Northern Ontario)

Oshell said the application process also involves an in-person interview. 

Firefighters work eight 24 hour shifts per month.

City officials said fire service training from a community college or a recognized training academy or association is considered an asset.

There is a $270 administration fee for every applicant who advances to the testing phase.