Canadian Coast Guard (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) - Inshore Rescue Boat Service
Reference number: DFO12J-009236-000961
Number of Jobs Being Offered:
We anticipate the hiring for 96 Crew Member positions and 36 Boat Coxswain positions across the country for summer 2013.
The recruitment period will conclude at the end of January 2013.
Organization: Fisheries and Oceans
Job Description:
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WHO WE ARE:
The Inshore Rescue Boat Service (IRB) is a service operated by the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), which is an Agency of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
The IRB Crews are tasked with responding and providing assistance to mariners in distress or in need of assistance by a Joint Rescue Coordination Centre or a Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre. (More information can be found at the following website http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/SAR_Main/SAR_Irb_Background).
The CCG hires and trains students each summer, through the FSWEP program, to become members of an IRB Crew. Selected candidates are trained in Search and Rescue (SAR) operations by CCG regional staff and following successful completion of training, students are assigned as Crew Members to IRB stations. Normally, each station is staffed with two teams of three persons, one Coxswain in charge and two Crew Members.
WHAT STUDENTS DO:
Working on the water during the summer as part of an IRB Crew can be a very challenging but rewarding job. The job comes with serious responsibility: SAR operations can occur at any time of the day or night, during all types of weather and sea conditions.
The students we hire work as Crew Members or as Boat Coxswains.
As Crew Members, students participate actively to complete diverse tasks, which may include, but are not limited to, the inspection and maintenance of the IRB station, the rescue boat and equipment, and the handling of mooring and towing lines. They also provide first aid emergency care, boating safety education and demonstrations to the boating public. The Crew Members must also assist the Coxswain in the mission to provide adequate IRB service.
As Boat Coxswains, students are responsible for diverse tasks, which may include, but are not limited to, managing the IRB Crew and the CCG station and providing a work plan, and ensuring harmonized relations with clients, media and stakeholders. They also maintain good team cohesion and support Crew morale, ensure good communication and maintain liaison with Rescue Coordination Centre(s) and CCG management.
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To know more about this job opportunity, feel free to contact our Student Recruitment Coordinators in our various regional offices to ask more questions.
. Newfoundland & Labrador
Stephen Sheppard
stephen.sheppard@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
. Maritimes
Krista Elvidge
krista.elvidge@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
. Québec
Sandra Egesborg
sandra.egesborg@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
. Central and Arctic
Michael Brown
michael.brown@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
. Western
Nathan Webb
nathan.webb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Work location:
The Canadian Coast Guard operates 25 IRB stations in 5 regions across Canada. As part of the IRB Crew, students are asked to work in one of the following regions:
1 - Newfoundland & Labrador Region (Notre-Dame Bay, Conception Bay, Bonavista Bay)
2 - Maritimes Region (Shediac, Charlottetown, Pictou, Saint John, Mahone Bay, Halifax )
3 - Québec Region (Bainsville (Ontario), Oka, Beaconsfield, Longueuil, Sorel, Trois-Rivières)
4 - Central and Arctic Region (Britt on Gereaux Island, Brébeuf Island, Port Lambton, Long Point, Hill Island, Thames River)
5 - Western Region (Nootka Island, Telegraph Cove, Cortes Island, Vancouver)
Since employment opportunities for the IRB service are in various regions, sometimes in remote locations, when submitting your FSWEP application it is necessary to identify your choice(s) of region(s) / work location(s) or IRB station(s) under the "work locations" section of the FSWEP application to ensure that your application will be properly considered.
Hourly rates of pay: Please refer to the "Additional Information and Conditions of Employment" section of this advertisement.
Duration of employment:
The duration of employment can vary from one region to another. However, the students we hire must be ready and willing to work full-time during the summer (May to September).
There are no part-time work opportunities within and outside the aforementioned timeframe.
The hours of work vary by region, but generally consist of 7- to 12-hour days, on a 7- or 14-day schedule. Each station is normally staffed with two IRB Crews. While one Crew is working, the other Crew is on days of rest.
Academic Level: Post-Secondary
Specializations:
Various
Skills:
The CCG recruits students who have applied to FSWEP. Students must indicate in their application that they possess the following:
. valid Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate, level C;
. valid standard First-Aid Certificate;
. valid Pleasure Craft Operator Card;
. valid VHF Digital Selective Call (DSC) Restricted Maritime Radio Operator's Certificate (Please refer to the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons website at: www.cps-ecp.ca/ for more information).
When in your FSWEP application form, under "requirements", follow these next steps: 1) skills and occupational certifications; 2) skills group index, section 5; and finally, 3) certificates.
Language Requirement:
English or French essential
Candidates must be fluent in French to work in the Quebec region and fluent in English to work in all other regions.
Information to be provided:
You must provide the following information when submitting your application:
- Your résumé.
Additional Information and Conditions of Employment:
- CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
All successful candidates are required to hold the following:
1. valid Canadian driver's license; the licence must be in good standing, with no restrictions on the use of a motor vehicle* ;
2. valid Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate, level C;
3. valid standard First-Aid Certificate;
4. valid Pleasure Craft Operator Card;
5. valid VHF Digital Selective Call (DSC) Restricted Maritime Radio Operator's Certificate (Please visit the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons website for more information: http://www.cps-ecp.ca/ ).
* Note: this condition of employment is required for all positions across Canada, except for those in the Quebec Region.
Additionally, for those successful candidates working in the Quebec region, a valid certificate from a boating course (provided by a certified school, covering such subjects as chart work, coastal navigation, basic seamanship, etc.) is a condition of employment.
Furthermore, successful candidates considered for employment must :
1. be willing to accept that the hours of work vary by region, but generally consist of 7- to 12-hour days, on a 7- or 14-day schedule. Each station is normally staffed with two IRB Crews. While one Crew is working, the other Crew is on days of rest;
2. Successfully pass a Health Canada physical exam and a hearing exam.
All seagoing personnel must successfully obtain medical clearance. Successful candidates of the IRB crew selection process will undergo a Pre-placement Health Evaluation which is administered by Health Canada. The Category 3 health evaluation for seagoing personnel consists of a confidential health questionnaire completed by the candidate together with a physician and followed by a full clinical history and physical examination by the physician. The occupational health nurse or other appropriate licensed health care professional is usually responsible for the admininstration of tests. This includes tests for vision, colour vision, hearing, and pulmonary function.
3. Meet the necessary security standard in order to obtain a valid Enhanced Security clearance;
4. Operate a government vehicle, where required.
---------------------------------------- - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
We pay our students according to the rates of pay established by the Treasury Board for student employment (http://publiservice.tbs-sct.gc.ca/lrco-rtor/collective/lru-mnc/student-etudiants-eng.asp). Revised rates of pay, specific to the DFO Inshore Rescue Boat Program, will be posted in Spring 2013; they will appear in Section 4 ("Student Rates of Pay for Departmental Programs").
It is important to note that the rates of pay for students who are assigned a Boat Coxwain position or a Crew Member position are determined based on the student's education and/or relevant work experience (which is acquired only by previous work assignment(s) with the Inshore Rescue Boat program).
Candidates may be assessed using a variety of assessment methods, such as standardized tests, written exams, an interview, reference checks, Employee Performance Evaluation Report(s) (for former Crew Members or Boat Coxswains), etc. Candidate assessment consists of several stages conducted over several months.
Candidates are responsible for paying their own travel expenses incurred to attend any assessments.
Successful candidates will be assigned to one of the various work locations across Canada, based on the operational requirements of the IRB Program. No relocation expenses will be reimbursed.
IRB Crews and stations generally operate in a similar way across the country. However, regional operational variances do exist. Factors such as the type and volume of boating activity, geography and environmental conditions, as well as the availability of CCG Fleet personnel, have an impact on IRB resources and operational requirements.
The training of our IRB students begins shortly after the end of the school year. Training varies between regions, but are generally provided by regional CCG staff over a two week period. Topics such as boat handling and seamanship, local coastal navigation, search and rescue operations (search techniques, communications, etc.) and more are covered.
Information regarding pay and the provision of accommodations during training will be provided by regional CCG staff during the interview process.
Important messages
In order to be eligible under the FSWEP criteria for this position, you must be enrolled as a full-time student the semester prior to your employment, and intend on returning to full-time studies the semester immediately after your employment. For more information on FSWEP eligibility criteria, please visit the following link: http://jobs-emplois.gc.ca/fswep-pfete/index-eng.htm#q6
Successful completion of both your FSWEP work assignment and your educational program may lead to an appointment to a temporary or permanent position in the federal public service for which you meet the merit criteria and conditions of employment.
We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.
Questions regarding travel and relocation.
The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.
The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, you should advise the Public Service Commission or the departmental official in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.
- Date modified:
- 2025-12-09