Refrigeration and Mechanical Technician

Overview As a member of the military, Refrigeration and Mechanical Technicians provide heating, ventilation and air conditioning, refrigeration, aircraft-arresting systems and radar systems engineering support to operational units at home and abroad.

The Refrigeration and Mechanical Technician job is one of seven Construction Engineering positions that provide all construction, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering services to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations.

The primary responsibilities of the Refrigeration and Mechanical Technician are to:

• Install, operate, maintain and repair fixed and mobile refrigeration systems and associated control equipment
• Install, operate, maintain and repair heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and associated control equipment
• Install, operate, maintain and repair Aircraft Arresting Systems
• Install, operate, maintain, repair and overhaul mechanical systems associated with Aircraft Radar Systems
• Produce associated designs and specifications
• Produce associated mechanical drawings
• Conduct reconnaissance related to the above

Work environment Refrigeration and Mechanical Technicians often work with the challenges that come with varying environmental conditions. During peacetime, Refrigeration and Mechanical Technicians maintain their skills while employed at home units or on humanitarian and United Nations 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.

Entry plans

• Direct Entry Options
• Paid Education Options

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.

Non-Commissioned Member Subsidized Training and Education Program (NCMSTEP)

Because this position requires specialty training, the CAF will pay successful recruits to attend the diploma program at an approved Canadian college. NCMSTEP students attend basic training and on-the-job training during the summer months. They receive full-time salary including medical and dental care, as well as vacation time with full pay in exchange for working with the CAF for a period of time. If you choose to apply to this program, you must apply both to the CAF and the appropriate college.

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.

Refrigeration and Mechanical Technicians attend at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in Gagetown, New Brunswick. Training takes approximately 24 weeks and includes:

• Environmental skills such as defensive tactics and firearms
• Care and use of common and special purpose tools and test equipment
• Application of occupational codes and regulations
• Interpretation of drawings and schematics
• Fixed and portable refrigeration systems
• Aircraft radar systems
• Physics, mechanical, electrical and electronic principles
• Aircraft hangar doors
• Brazing and welding techniques

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

• Heating ventilation and air conditioning controls
• Aircraft arresting systems
• Instructional techniques
• Team leaders course
• Fixed aircraft arresting technician course
• Coastal radar mechanical systems course
• Air surveillance radar mechanical systems course

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.

Refrigeration and Mechanical Technicians may serve with the Canadian Army or the Royal Canadian Air Force and are employed to provide heating, ventilation and air conditioning, refrigeration, aircraft-arresting systems and radar systems engineering support for CAF 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.

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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 Refrigeration and Mechanical Technicians takes approximately 24 weeks and is conducted at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in Gagetown, New Brunswick.

Reserve Force members usually serve part-time with their home unit for scheduled evenings and weekends (Air Reserve Refrigeration and Mechanical Technicians usually serve up to 12 days per month in a regular work day), although they may also serve in full-time positions at some units for fixed terms, depending on the type of work that they do. They are paid 92.8 percent of Regular Force rates of pay, receive a reasonable benefits package and may qualify to contribute to a pension plan.

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