'.... Parks Pares"""!"" Canada Canada

NATIONAL PARKWARDEN SERVICE

Who WeAreWhatWeDoHow To Join

History of the Warden Service

In 1909, 24 years after the first Canadian nationalpark was formed, Howard E. Sibbald was appointedChief Fire and Game Warden of Rocky MountainsPark (now Banff National Park). The first force of menwere hired the following year to act as Fire Patrolmenand Game Law Enforcement Officers.

The Warden Service has undergone many changessince those early days when the force consisted offormer trappers, mountain men and even reformedpoachers. They performed their duties in districtslarger than many of today's small national parks andthey did it on horseback, by canoe and on foot insummer and on snowshoes in winter.

The wardens themselves built the patrol andheadquarters cabins which ranged from simple wicki-ups to more elaborate log structures. Windy Cabin No.3, built in 1911 in Banff National Park has been movedto the grounds of the Whyte Foundation in Banff and isopen to the public for viewing.

The first warden's convention was held in 1923 inBanff National Park providing an opportunity for thewardens of Rocky Mountain parks to exchange ideas.An important outcome of that meeting was the firstwardens' training school held in 1925. This system ofmeetings and training schools is still used today.

The service continued through this formativeperiod with little or no regimentation until 1938, whenwardens were issued their first uniform. The darkgreen wool whipcord uniforms were topped off with alight brown hat with a rolled brim. In 1938 a warden'sissue included a tunic, breeches, slacks, Stetson hat,high-lace boots, ankle boots, shirts, belt, ties, parka,raincoat and overalls.

Park wardens, then and now, as uniformedemployees with peace officer status are expected to seta high standard of dress and deportment.

The 1950s saw advances in both avalanche andmountain rescue training as park wardens took overthese duties from Swiss guides hired by the CanadianPacific Railway Company.

In the late 1960s, an important document entitledthe Park Warden Function in the National Park Servicewas prepared, reflecting and giving direction to thechanging role of the park warden. Because of thisreport, the wardens were required to accept moreresponsibility for resource management, search andrescue activities, public relations and park protectionthan previously had been required.

As Canada's park system expanded so did theWarden Service. There are parks in every province ofthe country, the Northwest Territories and the Yukonand just over 300 wardens working in them.

From its 1909 beginning, the National ParkWarden Service has enjoyed a comradeship and anesprit de corps in keeping with its record ofdistinguished performance.

WHO WE ARE

The Warden Service is comprised of a uniformedgroup of men and women employed by Parks Canadafor the purposes of natural resource management andprotection, visitor safety, law enforcement and publicrelations.

OUR OBJECTIVE

The objective of the Warden Service is to protectfor all time those significant natural areas of Canadawhich have been designated as national parks and toencourage public understanding, appreciation andenjoyment of the natural heritage so as to leave itunimpaired for future generations.

WHAT WE DO

A breakdown of the four major responsibilities ofthe Warden Service follows:

Natural Resource Management and Protection Avariety of tasks fall under this category includingwildlife monitoring, habitat evaluation, water qualityevaluations, monitoring of predator/prey relationships;monitoring of animal disease outbreaks and investi-gating their causes; monitoring of forest insectinfestation and recommending action; forest firesuppression, weather monitoring and recording, foreststand enhancement, flood and avalanche control,implementation of the environmental assessment andreview process, compilation of park conservation andmanagement plans as well as the production of variousresource management plans and reports.

Public Safety A variety of mountaineering rescue·techniques, avalanche search and rescue, water searchand rescue, emergency first aid skills, use oftranquilizing drugs to control wildlife, use ofexplosives for avalanche control; emergencyevacuation and pollution control skills; structural fire

suppression, ground search and rescue techniques fallunder public safety.

Law Enforcement Park wardens perform a variety ofduties which include conducting investigations,search, seizure and arrests; giving testimony in court,issuing of summons and legal documents, enforcingthe National Parks Act and Regulations, sections of theCriminal Code and various provincial and federalstatues.

Public Relations The very nature of a park warden'sduties necessitate frequent contact with the visitingpublic. Wardens are often required to answer questionsand provide direction in relation to park regulations,national resource management programs and policies,

public safety guide-lines and a variety ofother park related in-formation.

In addition, war-dens are often requiredto speak to specificgroups such as highschool and universitystudents, Girl Guideand Boy Scout asso-ciations, other specialinterest groups and atpark orientation pro-grams.

WHO CAN JOIN

Qualifications needed to become a park wardeninclude successful completion of both high school andtwo years post secondary training in natural resourcemanagement or one of the natural sciences. Experienceis desirable in one or more of the following disciplines- natural resource management and backcountry andwilderness travel in a variety of climatic conditionsusing a variety of personal and mechanical equipmentand techniques is also desirable.

Conditions of employment include possession of avalid driver's licence and a pre-employment medical.

HOW TO JOIN

Parks Canada usually conducts annual wardencompetitions at the GT-Ol level in each of ParksCanada's five regions. GT-Ol is the first level of thegeneral technical category and is the level at whichpark warden recruitment begins. This level involvesseasonal and term employment. From that point,advancement to permanent positions and promotionsare achieved through in-service competitions.

lob posters for recruit levels are approved andtheir distribution sanctioned by the Public ServiceCommission. The posters are circulated to educationoutlets such as colleges and universities, CanadaManpower Centres, post offices and throughout otherfederal government agencies.

Candidates wishing to apply, should submit theirresumes to the personnel section of the regional officeof Parks Canada in whose region the competition isbeing held. See appendix.

The candidates' resumes are screened and thosewho qualify are granted interviews. The candidates arejudged on their ability to answer oral and writtenquestions relative to the advertised position. Thesuccessful candidates are placed on an eligible list inaccordance with the rating they obtained in thecompetition.

As positions become available in the nationalparks, candidates are selected from the eligible list inorder of merit.

Interested candidates are advised to register atCanada Manpower Centres well in advance ofprospective competitions.

APPENDIX

National Parks BranchOttawa, OntarioKIA IG2(613) 994-3244

Atlantic RegionParks CanadaHistoric PropertiesUpper Water StreetHalifax, Nova ScotiaB31 IS9(902) 426-8160

Ontario RegionParks CanadaIII Water Street EastCornwall, OntarioK6H 6S3(613) 938-5873

Quebec RegionParks Canada3 Buade St.P.O. Box 6060, Haute-VilleQuebec, QCGIR 4V7(418) 648-4843

Prairie RegionParks Canada4th floor, 457 Main StreetConfederation BuildingWinnipeg, ManitobaR3B lB4(204) 949-2128

Western RegionParks CanadaP.O. Box 2989Postal Station MCalgary, AlbertaT2P 3H8(403) 292-4550

Published by authority ofthe Minister of the Environment

e Minister of Supply andServices Canada 1986QS- W-196-000-88-A 1 Canada