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Plumbing and Heating Technician

Non-Commissioned Member | Full Time, Part Time

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    • Overview

    As a member of the military, Plumbing and Heating Technicians provide plumbing and heating engineering support to operational units at home and abroad.

    The Plumbing and Heating Technician job is one of seven Construction Engineering positions involved in the supply of all construction, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering services in support of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations worldwide. The primary responsibilities of the Plumbing and Heating Technician are to:

    • Install and maintain interior plumbing systems
    • Install and maintain interior water supply systems
    • Install and maintain heating systems
    • Install and maintain fire suppression systems
    • Install and maintain gaseous fuel systems
    • Install and maintain oil burning equipment
    • Produce related designs and specifications
    • Produce related drawings
    • Install and maintain field ablution facilities

    Work environment

    Plumbing and Heating Technicians often work with the challenges that come with varying environmental conditions. Plumbing and Heating Technicians maintain their skills while employed at home units or on humanitarian operational assignments.

    If you chose a career in the Regular Force, upon completion of all required training, you will be assigned to your first base. While there is some flexibility with regards to postings (relocations), accommodations can’t always be made, and therefore, you can likely expect to move at some point in your career. However, if you decide to join the Primary Reserve Force, you will do so through a specific Reserve unit. Outside of training, your chosen Reserve unit will be your workplace on a part time basis, and you will not be obligated to relocate to a different base. As part of the Primary Reserve Force, you typically work one night per week and some weekends as a minimum with possibilities of full-time employment.

    Career Overview

    Transcript

    TITLE:

    PLUMBING AND HEATING TECHNICIAN

    I’m Corporal Peter Bailey from Gibson Woods, Nova Scotia, and I’m a Plumbing and Heating Technician currently posted at CFB Trenton.

    And I’m Corporal Kyle Schmidinger, from Bowmanville, Ontario.  I’m a Plumbing and Heating Technician currently posted to CFB Kingston.

    SCHMIDINGER: Whether you’re in the Regular Force or the Reserve, being a Plumbing and Heating Technician in the Canadian Armed Forces means doing your work wherever you’re needed, whether on base in Canada or on deployment overseas.

    BAILEY: We install and maintain both water supply and drainage systems, and we also work with gas-fired and oil-fired heating systems, as well as low-pressure steam.

    SCHMIDINGER: You know, it can be anything from a broken tap to a 12-inch water main in the ground. Usually, those ones are more of an emergency call, not a work order, but big projects like that come up, actually quite often, and they’re a lot of fun to work on.

    BAILEY: Here in Canada, Plumbing and Heating Technicians are usually assigned to a base and most of our work involves routine in-house maintenance and construction of new facilities.

    SCHMIDINGER: First thing in the morning, we’ll come in, sign for a work order, speak with the supervisor, see if anything happened overnight, like a water main break or a no-heat call, or something like that. We’ll scoop up our tool bags, hop in the van, and go to a job.

    BAILEY: I’ve had days where I came in and I had to go fix a water line break at a photo lab. And I’ve had other days where I’ve had to do a scouting report for a new washroom that was going to be built. You’re always doing something different and your hands are always on better and new things.

    SCHMIDINGER: It’s definitely nice to be able to go in and work on something, stand back, look at the finished product and be proud of it.

    SCHMIDINGER: The motto of the Engineers is we’re the first in and the last out.  So before other troops can do their jobs, we have to set up the camps and provide the basic needs like water and heat to make things as comfortable as possible.

    SCHMIDINGER: There’s nothing more fulfilling than being able to deploy somewhere in the world and being able to actually do your job day-in and day-out. It’s a big sense of accomplishment. It’s your job to support the mission that is ongoing.  So whoever is at the pointy end on the deployment, that’s your main focus is to make sure that they have running water and food to eat – all the logistics, everything has to be in place for the mission to be successful.

    BAILEY: On large projects, all the trades work together, from the carpenters to the electricians to the plumbers.

    BAILEY: You learn other trades: you cross-train. You might go work with a carpenter one day because they need a hand. Guess what? You’re gonna learn. You might go with an electrician one day because he needs help: you’re gonna learn.

    SCHMIDINGER: You don’t have to be a qualified Plumber to join us as a Plumbing and Heating Technician. The Canadian Armed Forces will provide all the training you need to become a qualified professional, and they’ll pay you a good salary with great benefits while you’re learning your trade.

    SCHMIDINGER: After basic military training, you’ll go to Gagetown, New Brunswick, to the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering.

    BAILEY: When you complete your course in Gagetown, you’ll be assigned to a Canadian Armed Forces base for some on-the-job experience. That could mean working with the Army, Air Force or Navy.

    SCHMIDINGER: You’re always learning something new. So you have to keep your mind open to new ways of doing things.

    SCHMIDINGER: We have a good crew of guys and they’re more than willing to help you out if you show that you want to learn, you show the initiative. Then, yeah, there’s definitely guys that will take you under their wing and help you learn the trade.

    SCHMIDINGER: You get to work on so many different things and different projects with different people who have lots of knowledge, and I would say that my most memorable thing so far would be, being able to just tap the knowledge of all the people that I work with in the trade.

    BAILEY: I got to a point in my life where I really figured out, you know, a job is one thing but a career is another.  So, not until I got in the boots and actually on ground to do things – that’s when it kicked in, that you had a little bit more self-pride, you walked around with more self-esteem. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.  This is a career for me and I don’t plan on looking back.

    Related Civilian Occupations

    • Plumber
    • Heating Technician
    • Certified Engineering Technician (Civil/Construction)

    Training

    The first stage of training is the Basic Military Qualification course, or Basic Training, held at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. This training provides the basic core skills and knowledge common to all trades. A goal of this course is to ensure that all recruits maintain the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) physical fitness standard; as a result, the training is physically demanding.

    Learn more about Basic Training here.

    Plumbing and Heating Technicians attend the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in Gagetown, New Brunswick. Training takes approximately 22 weeks and includes:

    • Care and use of common and special purpose tools and test equipment
    • Application of occupational codes and regulations
    • Interpretation of drawings and schematics
    • Brazing and welding techniques
    • Forced hot air heating systems
    • Plumbing systems
    • Interior water and sewage systems
    • Low pressure natural gas fuel systems
    • Chemistry, fluids, heating and mechanics

    Plumbing and Heating Technicians may be offered the opportunity to develop specialized skills through formal courses and on-the-job training, including:

    • Specialty heating systems
    • Water distribution systems
    • Instructional techniques

    Entry plans

    No previous work experience or career related skills are required. CAF recruiters can help you decide if your personal interests and attributes match the criteria for this occupation.

    The minimum required education to apply for this occupation is the completion of the provincial requirements for Grade 10 or Secondary 4 in Quebec, including Grade 10 applied math or math 416 / CST 4 in Quebec.

    Foreign education may be accepted.

    Part time options

    This position is available for part-time employment with the Primary Reserve at certain locations across Canada. Reserve Force members usually serve part time with a military unit in their community, and may serve while going to school or working at a civilian job. They are paid during their training. They are not posted or required to do a military move. However, they can volunteer to move to another base. They may also volunteer for deployment on a military mission within or outside Canada.

    Plumbing and Heating Technicians will serve with the Royal Canadian Air Force supporting all three environments. They are employed to provide plumbing and heating engineering support for Forces training and operations. Those employed on a part-time or casual full-time basis usually serve at a military base, wing or unit located within Canada.

    Find a Recruiting Centre

    Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. They usually begin training with their home unit to ensure that they meet the required basic professional military standards. Following basic officer training, the home unit will arrange for specialized skills training. Plumbind and Heating Technicians train for their qualification at the Canadian Forces Training Development Centre in Borden, Ontario.

    Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. They usually begin training with their home unit to ensure that they meet the required basic professional military standards. Following basic military training, occupational training for Plumbing and Heating Technicians takes approximately 22 weeks and is conducted at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in Gagetown, New Brunswick.