The OFS team is comprised of career firefighters, volunteer firefighters, as well as inspection, education, safety, training, communications, maintenance and administration personnel. OFS personnel provide many valuable services to the community beyond fighting fires, including:

• Fire Prevention and Public Fire Safety Education services which include: fire prevention inspections, code enforcement, determination of cause and origin of fires, attendance at public events and dissemination of public fire safety educational materials;
• Fire Suppression services which include fire rescue, tiered medical response, training, communications and incident management; and
• Special Operations includes Vehicle and Machinery Extrication, Rope and Confined Space Rescue, Trench/Collapse and Urban Search and Rescue, Fire Support Unit - Rescue Task Force, Hazmat/Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive, Wildland Fires, Light Rail, Transit Rescue, Water/Ice Rescue, Specialized Foam Suppression.

In order to provide these services, the OFS team operates from six divisions as follows:

1. Office of the Fire Chief
2. Urban and Special Operations
3. Rural Operations – Volunteer Personnel
4. Community Standards and Communications
5. Training and Safety
6. Operational Support Services

For more information, please visit the Ottawa Fire Services page.

Job Profiles

Firefighter

• Responsible to meet all the job performance requirements from the NFPA 1001 Lev I & II Standard for Firefighter Professional Qualifications and more.
• Responsible for all fire suppression duties necessary to save life and property. Combat, extinguish and/or prevent fires by rapidly and efficiently performing varied duties as required under emergency conditions (frequently involving considerable hazard).
• Provide emergency medical response and aid; perform rescue/extrication operations where necessary to prevent loss of life or further injury from any cause.
• Provide service assistance with respect to, but not restricted to the following: police, paramedics, other public agencies and the public.
• Responsible for maintenance of facilities and firefighting and rescue equipment.
• Responsible for upgrading to current standards and maintaining skills/knowledge and physical requirements of the profession.
• Perform duties in fire prevention, public education and communications as required or assigned.

For more information about career firefighting, please visit the Career Firefighter Recruitment page. 

For more information about volunteer firefighting, please visit the Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment page.

Fire Dispatcher (Part-Time)

Under the direction of a Communications Supervisor, the Dispatcher is responsible for:

• Receiving emergency calls from the public and other agencies.
• Quickly analyzing information received from the caller and dispatching the required emergency vehicles.
• Efficiently operating console equipment, including telephone, radio, and computer aided dispatch.
• Following established procedures in making calm, sound decision as required in an emergency services environment.
• Possessing a good working knowledge of available resources to support emergency scene operations.