Inshore Rescue Boat Service Student Program

Organization Name: Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Canadian Coast Guard
Closing Date: January 19, 2017 - 23:59, Pacific Time
Reference number: DFO16J-007018-001078

Web site: For further information on the department, please visit Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Canadian Coast Guard

For more information, please visit Inshore Rescue Boat Service

For questions, please contact:
1) Atlantic Region
Newfoundland & Labrador Sector: Stephen Sheppard at stephen.sheppard@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Maritimes Sector: Phillip Walker at phillip.walker@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

2) Central and Arctic Region
St Laurent Sector: Stéphane Leblanc at ESC_C&ASL@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Great Lakes Sector: Mandy Bartley at mandy.bartley@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

3) Western Region
Nathan Webb at nathan.webb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

RECRUITMENT PERIOD: Ends January 17, 2017

NUMBER OF JOBS:
- Approximately 100 Crew Member positions
- 42 Boat Coxswain positions

DURATION OF EMPLOYMENT:
- Training: late April
- Full-time Summer: May to September 2017- duration can vary
- No part-time work opportunities

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.

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.

The CCG hires and trains students each summer to become members of an IRB Crew. You will be trained in Search and Rescue (SAR) operations by CCG regional staff and following successful completion of training, you are assigned as Crew Members to IRB stations. Normally, each station is staffed with two teams of three persons, one Coxswain and two Crew Members.

WHAT YOU WILL 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.

As Crew Member, you:
- 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
- provide first aid emergency care, boating safety education and demonstrations to the boating public
- assist the Coxswain in the mission to provide adequate IRB service.

As Boat Coxswain, you:
- are responsible for diverse tasks, which may include, but are not limited to, managing the IRB Crew and the CCG station as well as providing a work plan, and ensuring harmonized relations with clients, media and stakeholders
- maintain good team cohesion, support crew morale, ensure good communication and maintain liaison with Rescue Coordination Centre(s) and CCG management.

WORK LOCATIONS: The CCG operates 25 IRB stations in three regions across Canada. As part of the IRB Crew, you are asked to work in one of the following regions:

1) Atlantic Region:
- Newfoundland & Labrador Sector (Notre-Dame Bay, Conception Bay, Bonavista Bay)
- Maritimes Sector (Shediac, Charlottetown, Pictou, Saint John, Mahone Bay, Halifax)

2) Central and Arctic Region:
- St Laurent Sector (Bainsville (Ontario), Pointe-aux-Anglais (Oka), Beaconsfield, Longueuil, Sorel, Trois-Rivières)
- Great Lakes Sector (Britt on Gereaux Island, Brébeuf Island, Port Lambton, Long Point, Hill Island, Thames River)

3) Western Region:
- Nootka Island, Sointula, Cortes Island, Victoria Harbour

Note: Some stations are located in remote locations. No relocation expenses will be reimbursed.

TO APPLY: Submit your application with your résumé. It is also necessary to identify your choice(s) of work location(s) under the "work locations" section of the application to ensure that your application will be properly considered.

Eligibility Criteria

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS: English or French essential
Students must be fluent in French to work in the Quebec region and fluent in English to work in all other regions.

EDUCATION: Post-Secondary

You must also meet the FSWEP eligibility criteria, for details please visit the following Website: http://jobs-emplois.gc.ca/fswep-pfete/index-eng.php?p=2.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: Conditions of employment are any requirements that must be met or complied with before being hired to a particular position, and are to be maintained throughout the employment.

All successful candidates are required to hold the following:
1. valid Canadian driver's license; the license 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/ ).

Furthermore, successful candidates considered for employment must:
1. successfully pass a Health Canada Occupational Health Assessment, Category III. All operational personnel engaged in search and rescue services must successfully obtain their occupational health medical requirements. Successful candidates of the IRB crew selection process will undergo a Pre-placement occupational health assessment administered by Health Canada. The Category III health assessment consists of a confidential health questionnaire completed by the candidate and reviewed by a Health Canada designated physician. This is followed by a full clinical history and physical examination. The final assessment will determine whether the candidates meets medical requirements is made by a Health Canada Occupational Health Medical Officer.
2. meet the necessary security standard in order to obtain and maintain a valid Enhanced Security clearance.
3. operate a government vehicle, where required.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Each IRB station is staffed with two crews. While one crew is working, the other crew is on days of rest. The Service utilizes the 46.6 Hour Averaging Work System. For more information on the crewing system can be found at: https://www.tbs--sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/coll_agre/sv/sv11-eng.asp. See Annex D.

A variety of assessment methods may be used consisting of several stages conducted over several months. You are responsible for paying your own travel expenses incurred to attend any assessments, if applicable.

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 generally begins shortly after the end of the school year. Training varies between regions, but is generally provided by regional CCG staff over a one or 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 assessment process.

Rates of Pay

We pay our students according to the rates of pay established by the Treasury Board for student employment (http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/psm-fpfm/pay-remuneration/rates-taux/student-etudiants-eng.asp). Rates of pay, specific to the DFO Inshore Rescue Boat Program 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 Coxswain 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 IRB.

Important messages

Successful completion of both an 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:

2026-03-10