Toronto

[Firefit1]

Heard yesterday that they are doing testing for a new recruitment in early fall!!! Can anyone confirm this or is it just a rumor? Any info would be great.. This came from a guy that is on the job in T.O.

[thefirefactory]

Hey Firefit1:
I heard the same, HOWEVER, the info I received was that they still have a significant number of candidates on past elegibility lists (2002, 2003) to cover any hiring. I think they are going to have a class of about 40. They are the ones who are doing the testing now.

[Firefit1]

Form what i understood they are sending the last class of 40 in September and that is the list exhausted. Correct me if i'm wrong but this is coming a guy that is on T.O. fire.

[thefirefactory]

What I was told was pretty much what you were told. After this class goes through, the lists are pretty much done. When I said a significant number, I just meant they had enough to cover the next class which is supposed to start in the fall. He told me if it was like the last time they hired off the lists, not everyone contacted will still be eligable. Some may have gotten on with other departments ect.

[JohnS]

I am currently in a class of 42 currently being trained. We will be done in Dec. There is at least 120 left on the list and it is only from 2002 (the last time there was a recruitment).

[Demian]

JohnS,

so does that mean that the next recruit class could not possible start until after December? Or could your class, and the new class overlap?

[JohnS]

JohnS,

so does that mean that the next recruit class could not possible start until after December? Or could your class, and the new class overlap?


The next class would have to wait until we are finished. Let me know if you have any more questions.

[FireFitness23]

So any idea as to when toronto will be conducting a new recruitment and new list....Also anyone hearing any rumours about other department hirings coming up. Thanks for the info.

[Demian]

So it looks like there could possibly be 1 or 2 more classes left out of the 2002 list. 100-120 people left on the list is what we have all been hearing. 40-45 recruits per class. Certainly a lot of guys on the list have either got hired at a different department, are not interested anymore, or wont pass the physical. So that will knock the list down a few numbers.

I also heard a rumor that Toronto was going to run a recruit class with everyone thats left on the list. Which would make it a huge class, and Im not sure thats even physically possible.

I cant see Toronto running a new recruitment until the list has been exhausted. And with close to 6 months of training, if the next class starts in January, that makes it June for a new recruitment. That is, unless there are TWO MORE classes left, then it takes us to the end of 2007!

[ABFF37]

I'm amazed that after four or five years they even have people left on a list! Seems to me that after such a long time period you would lose most of the people...guys have gotten hired elsewhere, started other careers, moved, or just generally given up due to the long wait. Sure being a firefighter is the best job in the world, I wouldn't trade it for anything. But putting your life on hold for one department to come through after 5 years seems pretty unreasonable to me.

I've always been amazed at the long wait times to get on in Toronto. Seems like maybe they could use a slightly different process to keep things a little more current? I mean if they have a list that they use for this long how many people are on it in the first place? Maybe more frequent smaller recruitment drives and shorter eligibility lists would keep things moving a little bit better. But I guess if it works for Toronto then good for them.

Like I said though, I'm just amazed that after that length of time passing there are still people around to start training. Like Demian pointed out, depending on how the remainder of the list is put through recruit school it could be as late as the end of 2007 before they are ready to hire again. So someone who applied, wrote their tests, did their interviews etc. in 2002 finally gets hired in 2007? WOW!

AB

[JohnS]

I'm amazed that after four or five years they even have people left on a list! Seems to me that after such a long time period you would lose most of the people...guys have gotten hired elsewhere, started other careers, moved, or just generally given up due to the long wait. Sure being a firefighter is the best job in the world, I wouldn't trade it for anything. But putting your life on hold for one department to come through after 5 years seems pretty unreasonable to me.

I've always been amazed at the long wait times to get on in Toronto. Seems like maybe they could use a slightly different process to keep things a little more current? I mean if they have a list that they use for this long how many people are on it in the first place? Maybe more frequent smaller recruitment drives and shorter eligibility lists would keep things moving a little bit better. But I guess if it works for Toronto then good for them.

Like I said though, I'm just amazed that after that length of time passing there are still people around to start training. Like Demian pointed out, depending on how the remainder of the list is put through recruit school it could be as late as the end of 2007 before they are ready to hire again. So someone who applied, wrote their tests, did their interviews etc. in 2002 finally gets hired in 2007? WOW!

AB

Your right in all your points. It is a crazy amount of time to wait. My class is the first from the '02 list. There are even some from '01. But it is worth the wait!!

[bestcoast]

But it is worth the wait!!
You Got that right JohnS...... I sat on lists for years myself and when I got hired by Vancouver another dept. phoned shortly after offering a job. When it happens it happens fast dont it............BC...........

[ABFF37]

Your right in all your points. It is a crazy amount of time to wait. My class is the first from the '02 list. There are even some from '01. But it is worth the wait!!

Definately right on that one! I was in three recruit processes here before I got hired, starting right when I turned 18. It was my third try when I was hired by my department, so I know all about the waiting:)

I was lucky that the time I got hired I was in the first recruit class to be hired after completeing the process, so that time the wait wasn't so bad. If I had to wait for five years to get this job, no question I would have. I'm just glad that it went a little bit quicker;)

AB

[hrecruit]

one of my friends is on the list for T.O for 3 - 4 years chatting with him today. He is still very interested in a job with them but he is only 23 too so. but he thinks another year from what he has get out them .

[ffgreg]

one of my friends is on the list for T.O for 3 - 4 years chatting with him today. He is still very interested in a job with them but he is only 23 too so. but he thinks another year from what he has get out them .

I wonder if we're a little 'spoiled' by the quick turn-around time for most departments. Some recruitments you know the start date at the time of testing. Sometimes those dates get moved, but not by much.
From what I understand, in the States, its much the same as it is in Toronto. You write a test, which is only offered every few years, you might do an interview then (or wait years to be interviewed) and then you might get an offer.

I'm sure that Toronto loses lots of qualified people because they get hired by other departments, but for the candidates who don't have a lot of qualifications (which Toronto will still hire - not requiring NFPA 1001 or Pre-Service), they aren't likely to be hired by another department anyway.
I also have a friend who would have gladly waited 3 or 4 years if he'd gotten on the Toronto list because of other factors in his life (taking a big pay cut to be a FF).
All the departments have their own quirks. Toronto's is that you could wait a very L O N G time to get the call. As long as you're prepared for that, I suppose its fine.

I for one though am glad that they're clearing up those lists. When I wrote the test in 2002, we heard that there were still names from the 2000 recruitment on the list and it would be years before anyone would get a call. I was amazed by a prior post to read that he is in the very first class from that recruitment though!!! Back in 2002, it was expected that there was going to be a lot of retirements in the near future. I guess with the 24 hour shifts and experience pay, that didn't happen.

Best of luck to those on that 2002 list though. It has been a long wait, but at least you know where you're going to end up!!!

[JohnS]

I wonder if we're a little 'spoiled' by the quick turn-around time for most departments. Some recruitments you know the start date at the time of testing. Sometimes those dates get moved, but not by much.
From what I understand, in the States, its much the same as it is in Toronto. You write a test, which is only offered every few years, you might do an interview then (or wait years to be interviewed) and then you might get an offer.

I'm sure that Toronto loses lots of qualified people because they get hired by other departments, but for the candidates who don't have a lot of qualifications (which Toronto will still hire - not requiring NFPA 1001 or Pre-Service), they aren't likely to be hired by another department anyway.
I also have a friend who would have gladly waited 3 or 4 years if he'd gotten on the Toronto list because of other factors in his life (taking a big pay cut to be a FF).
All the departments have their own quirks. Toronto's is that you could wait a very L O N G time to get the call. As long as you're prepared for that, I suppose its fine.

I for one though am glad that they're clearing up those lists. When I wrote the test in 2002, we heard that there were still names from the 2000 recruitment on the list and it would be years before anyone would get a call. I was amazed by a prior post to read that he is in the very first class from that recruitment though!!! Back in 2002, it was expected that there was going to be a lot of retirements in the near future. I guess with the 24 hour shifts and experience pay, that didn't happen.

Best of luck to those on that 2002 list though. It has been a long wait, but at least you know where you're going to end up!!!

Many people in my class have pre-service and those that don't are very well qualified. Just because you wait on a list 4 years doesn't mean you can't get hired by other departments! No matter what, Toronto requires 23 weeks of intense training. Easily covering anything in the pre-service program plus all Toronto in-house procedures. As you see, our backgrounds (the ones that can't get hired by other depts.) are what Toronto wants. Many factors affected the fact the we waited 4yrs. When I say 4yrs, I talking 1yr of testing and 3 actual yrs on the list.