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Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service

The WFPS Fire General Knowledge Written Assessment

Winnipeg's Firefighter Knowledge Test — Your Complete Guide

The Fire General Knowledge Written Assessment is Step 2 of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service's (WFPS) selection process for firefighters and firefighter paramedics. It's a 2-hour test of firefighting knowledge based on Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills, not an aptitude test like the FACT or CPS. This guide covers what WFPS publishes about the test, what it doesn't, and how to prepare.

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2 HoursKnowledge Test, Not AptitudeStep 2 of 7

What Is the WFPS Fire General Knowledge Written Assessment?

WFPS's application manual lists the written knowledge assessment as Step 2 of its seven-step selection process. Applicants who pass the application pre-screening (Step 1) are invited to write it, and those who complete it successfully move on to the practical assessment.

The assessment is based on Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills. WFPS says its questions are compatible with several textbooks, such as the 3rd and 4th editions by Jones & Bartlett and the Canadian 3rd edition. You get two hours to complete it.

It tests firefighting knowledge, not reading, math or mechanical aptitude. The sample questions in the manual cover fire company types, NFPA standards, life-safety rope, overhaul and salvage, the same ground as the NFPA 1001 Level I and II training WFPS requires before you apply.

Source: the City of Winnipeg's Application Manual for Firefighter & Firefighter Paramedic (January 2025 version), the edition the WFPS careers page links to as of October 2026. Check for a newer edition before you apply.

Format

Written knowledge assessment

Time Limit

2 hours

Based On

Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills

Total Questions

Not published by WFPS

Passing Score

Not published by WFPS

Cost

$125 processing fee (GST included)

Administered By

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service

What WFPS Publishes — and What It Doesn't

Everything in the first panel comes from WFPS's January 2025 application manual. WFPS doesn't publish the details in the second panel, so treat any figure you see for them elsewhere with caution.

Published by WFPS
Time limit2 hours
Based onFundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills
Compatible textbooksJones & Bartlett 3rd and 4th editions; Canadian 3rd edition
Sample questions10, with answers, in the manual
Fee$125 (GST included), non-refundable
Place in the processStep 2 of 7
Not Published
Number of questions
Passing score
How the test is scored
A full topic list
How long before you can re-apply

What the Test Covers

WFPS doesn't publish a topic list. Your best guide is the sample quiz at the back of its application manual: 10 multiple-choice questions with an answer key.

The sample quiz covers

  • Fire company types
  • Causes of firefighter deaths
  • NFPA standards (SCBA)
  • Incidents at health care facilities
  • Fire investigation
  • Personnel accountability
  • Life-safety rope
  • Overhaul
  • Salvage
Open the WFPS application manual (PDF) →

Fire Knowledge

Questions on firefighting knowledge and fireground practice: equipment, procedures, safety, building construction and the terms firefighters use. WFPS bases its test on Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills, so that textbook is your core study material.

What it tests

Firefighting knowledge from Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills

FireStart prep

300 practice questions

FireStart's 21 practice topics

  • Building construction
  • Communications
  • Fire behaviour
  • Fire prevention and public education
  • Fire protection systems
  • Fire service organization
  • Fire suppression
  • Firefighter safety
  • Forcible entry and tools
  • Hazardous materials awareness
  • Hose and appliances
  • Ladders
  • Portable extinguishers
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Ropes and knots
  • Salvage and overhaul
  • SCBA
  • Search and rescue
  • Vehicle extrication
  • Ventilation
  • Water supply

These are FireStart's topics for its own questions, not a list published by WFPS.

The WFPS Firefighter Selection Process

WFPS hires firefighters and firefighter paramedics in seven steps, set out in its application manual. You have to meet the standard at each step to move on to the next.

  1. 1

    Application and pre-screening

    Apply online during an open recruitment, with every required document: a resume, NFPA 1001 Level I and II certification from an IFSAC or Pro Board accredited program, a current BLS or CPR-C certificate, and an advanced or industrial first aid or EMR certificate (firefighters) or a PCP certificate and licence (firefighter paramedics). Applications missing a required document aren't considered.

  2. 2

    Written knowledge assessment

    The Fire General Knowledge Written Assessment: two hours, based on Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills. This is the test this guide covers.

  3. 3

    Practical assessment

    Two confidence tests in turnout gear: an aerial ladder climb (a fully extended 100-foot aerial set at 75 degrees, up into the basket and back down within nine minutes, never stopping for more than five seconds) and a confined-space maze on air, wearing SCBA and a blacked-out facepiece, within ten minutes.

  4. 4

    Panel interview

    A structured interview of behaviour-based questions and realistic work scenarios, each testing a key competency. The panel also assesses your communication, demeanour and deportment.

  5. 5

    Physical fitness evaluation

    The Canadian Forces Fire Marshal's Firefighter Pre-Entry Fitness Evaluation (CFFM FPFE) at the University of Manitoba, booked by WFPS once you pass the interview. It's pass or fail, and you get one attempt.

  6. 6

    Selection committee and eligibility list

    A committee reviews each file and decides who goes on the eligibility list, which stays active for up to 12 months. A place on the list isn't a job offer.

  7. 7

    References, conditional offer and medical

    Reference checks, then a conditional offer of employment and a medical examination by the City of Winnipeg's Occupational Health Branch, which includes drug testing.

Don't pass a step and WFPS tells you in writing whether you're eligible to re-apply; if you are, you start again at Step 1. WFPS says the process may change and may include other assessments, so follow the current posting.

Which Fire Department Uses This Test?

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service runs it in its own recruitment for firefighters and firefighter paramedics, and Winnipeg is the only department in FireStart's directory that uses it. Many other Canadian services use an aptitude test instead, such as the FACT or CPS.

See the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service page

What to Expect on Test Day

Location & Scheduling

WFPS invites you in writing, and the invitation sets out how long the assessments run. Be on site and ready to write at your scheduled time: once the assessment begins, late arrivals aren't let in and are disqualified from the recruitment.

What's Not Allowed

No cell phones, calculators or smart watches in the room. WFPS provides all the material you need; bring photo ID, preferably your driver's licence. You may bring a snack and a drink.

Tips

Two hours is a long sitting. Keep an eye on the clock and don't let one hard question eat your time. Before test day, do WFPS's sample quiz and at least one full timed practice exam.

Scoring, Fees and Re-Applying

WFPS doesn't publish a pass mark or say how the written assessment is scored. Its manual says only that applicants who complete it successfully move forward in the recruitment.

If you don't pass this step, or any other, you can't continue in that recruitment. WFPS tells you in writing whether you're eligible to re-apply; if you are, you start again at Step 1 next time. WFPS doesn't publish a waiting period.

Fees

Applicants who reach Step 2 are invoiced a $125 Administrative Processing Fee (GST included) after the assessments. It covers the written tests, medical drug-screening kits and testing licence fees. Don't send it with your application. WFPS recruitment fees are non-refundable, even if you withdraw. The physical fitness evaluation (Step 5) is paid separately to the University of Manitoba: $360 + GST on its occupational testing page in October 2026 (the January 2025 manual lists $345 + GST).

Preparation strategy

Study the textbook, then drill. Work through Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills one chapter at a time, do WFPS's sample quiz, and use timed practice to build accuracy for the two-hour sitting.

How FireStart Prepares You for the WFPS Test

FireStart's fire-knowledge question bank is written for this test: original multiple-choice questions on firefighting knowledge, each with an explanation of the answer.

Your textbook is the study material. FireStart has no fire-knowledge lessons: its 41 lessons teach the aptitude categories other services test. For the WFPS test, study the textbook and practise here.

Practise

300 fire-knowledge questions across 21 topics, from SCBA and ladders to building construction and hazardous materials. Every answer comes with an explanation.

4 practice modes

Simulate

A full practice exam of 100 questions in 2 hours. That's FireStart's format, because WFPS doesn't publish its question count.

100 questions · 2 hours

Track

Make Winnipeg your primary target department, and your readiness score and study plan focus on fire knowledge.

Real-time progress tracking

Ready to start preparing?

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Frequently asked questions

Two hours. WFPS's January 2025 application manual gives applicants two hours to complete the Fire General Knowledge Written Assessment.

Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills. WFPS says the questions are compatible with several textbooks, such as the 3rd and 4th editions by Jones & Bartlett and the Canadian 3rd edition.

WFPS doesn't publish the number of questions. FireStart's practice exam uses 100 questions in 2 hours, which is FireStart's format, not WFPS's.

WFPS doesn't publish a pass mark or explain how the test is scored. Applicants who complete it successfully move on to the practical assessment.

Applicants who reach the written assessment are invoiced a $125 Administrative Processing Fee (GST included) after the assessments, and WFPS fees are non-refundable. The University of Manitoba fitness evaluation is extra: $360 + GST on its website in October 2026 (the January 2025 manual lists $345 + GST). At the conditional-offer stage, candidates also pay for their own police and abuse-registry checks, driving records, and vision, hearing and immunization documentation.

No. It's a knowledge test of firefighting content, based on a firefighter training textbook. WFPS's selection process doesn't use the FACT, CPS, NFST or NTN FireTEAM; its written step is this assessment.

Yes. The back of WFPS's application manual has a 10-question sample quiz with an answer key. It covers topics such as fire company types, NFPA standards, life-safety rope, overhaul and salvage.

Seven steps: application and pre-screening, the written knowledge assessment, a practical assessment (an aerial ladder climb and a confined-space maze), a panel interview, a physical fitness evaluation at the University of Manitoba, the selection committee and eligibility list, then reference checks, a conditional offer and a medical.

You can't continue in that recruitment. WFPS tells you in writing whether you're eligible to re-apply; if you are, you start again at Step 1 in a later recruitment. WFPS doesn't publish a waiting period.

There's no fixed schedule. WFPS accepts applications only during an open recruitment and advertises them on the City of Winnipeg's careers site. Its manual says hiring needs change with retirements, city growth and funding, which affects how many recruit classes it runs each year.

NFPA 1001 Level I and II certification from an IFSAC or Pro Board accredited program, a current BLS or CPR-C certificate, and either an advanced or industrial first aid or EMR certificate (firefighters) or a PCP certificate and licence (firefighter paramedics). You must be at least 18, and there's no maximum age.

The Canadian Forces Fire Marshal's Firefighter Pre-Entry Fitness Evaluation (CFFM FPFE), run by the University of Manitoba. WFPS books it only after you pass the panel interview, and it's pass or fail with one attempt. It starts with a treadmill test, followed by job tasks: a charged hose advance, a hose pull, forcible entry, a victim drag, a ladder climb and an equipment carry, all in about 22 kg of gear.

Know the Material Before You Sit Step 2.

Drill 300 fire-knowledge questions written for the WFPS test, then sit a full 100-question practice exam in 2 hours.

Get Full Access — $67/year

One membership covers WFPS fire-knowledge prep plus the FACT, CPS, NFST and NTN FireTEAM.

Other Canadian Firefighter Tests

FACT

Firefighter Aptitude & Character Test

Learn more →

CPS

Cooperative Personnel Services Test

Learn more →

NFST

National Fire Select Test

Learn more →

NTN

FireTEAM Test

Learn more →

FireStart.ca is an independent test preparation platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the City of Winnipeg or the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service. Test details on this page come from WFPS's Application Manual for Firefighter & Firefighter Paramedic (January 2025 version), checked in October 2026. FireStart's practice questions are original and are not taken from the WFPS assessment. Always confirm current details with WFPS before you apply.