The Firefighter Hiring Process

Author: firefighteslifestyle@gmail.com February 24, 2016

If you have ever been through The Firefighter Hiring Process (and make it to the end) then you know how complex and cumbersome the process is. The time and money you spend just taking one test add up, sadly most people don’t just take 1 test in their career. If you’re like me it can be 10+ tests, and I know a lot more of my friends and co-workers who have taken almost double that.

When I first started in the fire service I had a lot of questions and there was a lot I didn’t know. One of those questions was about the firefighter hiring process.

At that young age (I started testing when I was 19) I just thought that getting a job as a firefighter would be like getting any other job; I go in for an interview, they give me a call a couple days later telling me if I have it or not, then I do a background and drug test, if I pass then they call me up and I start work.

Boy was I wrong.

In this post, I will be talking about the process of getting hired as a structure/municipal firefighter. I do plan on posting in another post about getting hired as a wildland firefighter, paid call firefighter, aircraft firefighter and others. I will be using my personal experience from when I took my tests as examples.

I wanted to try something new with this post so i’m going to do a step-by-step process from when you find a job that you want till your first day of the academy would be an interesting way to show you the process. Not all test processes will be the same.

Ok, so lets start!

The Firefighter Hiring Process

Step 1: You find a department you want to apply for

There are many ways to find openings for a fire department, but when I was trying to find a job I would look on fire careers because that’s what I had back then. Now we have apps that tell you who’s hiring and at a much cheap price. Firefighter Jobs is an app for the IOS system that tells you who’s hiring across the US. Paying $1.99 is easier than paying $11.99 per month at soe other fire job websites.

I was looking at my previous post and found a department that showed the dates of their test so I could use practical dates. I decided to choose the City of Oxnard, Ventura County in California.

A screenshot from my phone of the job announcement

SO! Like I was saying, when you find out that Oxnard is hiring and look at the dates when they are accepting their applications. If you look now it says they are accepting from February 22 – 24, 2016. You wait till the 22nd to go to Ventura county’s website and apply for the Firefighter position.

A fire application is the same as most job applications. They ask for the same information (Job history, convictions, resume, certifications, etc.). It usually takes me about 20-40 minutes to finish an application. When a department requires copies of your certifications it can take longer. What’s cool is that some departments use the same system when you apply for a fire position so after you apply once, all your information is saved for the next job you apply for.

You look over all the information you put in your application and press send. A confirmation is come up on your screen and you receive a confirmation email.

Step 1a: The physical ability test

I’m putting this step here because a lot of departments are now asking for candidates to show they are physically fit before they even apply for the job. The most common way I’ve seen them ask for proof is for the candidate to supply a CPAT (Candidate Physical Ability Test) card.

You can get your CPAT card at www.fctconline.org. The cost is $150.00 for the card/test and it lasts for a year. I usually schedule to get the CPAT card when I find a department I want to test for. I like to get the most out of my card though this is probably not the best way to do it because sometimes you may not be able to schedule your CPAT test before your written test.

Don’t worry, The CPAT is an easy test, for most. It’ a pass/fail test and I’ve done it 3 times so far, never had a problem at all with it.

My advice is to get your CPAT now if you know that you’re going to be testing a lot this year. You can get more info about the CPAT test here.

If they don’t ask for a physical ability test before the written test then you will usually be doing your physical ability test between the written test and your interview. Those tests are usually pass/fail as well.

If I were you, I would start working out now and stay in shape. You’re a firefighter, start looking like it.

Step 2: Wait for a call/email to take the test

It says on the website, “Application review completed: March 1 – 10, 2016”

That means it could take over 3 weeks before they let you know when your test date is. In my experience, they usually tell you 2-3 weeks before your test date. If you meet all the requirements then you will usually get an email to take the test.

Some departments put a limit to how many applications they will accept which can range anywhere from 200-1000. Obviously, if you don’t make the cut then you won’t be allowed to test.

Step 3: The written test

Hopefully the city that you are testing at isn’t too far from where you live. This is where it starts to get expensive, to a point. I remember having to drive 5-6-7 hours just to take a test. Gas starts to add up and starts to hurt the wallet, especially when you don’t have a job yet.

So it says that the test dates are the week of March 28, 2016. That gives you 3 weeks to get things ready to take the test.

There are many different types of fire tests out there. I’m not going to go into detail about the different test right now but just know that there are many of them and most of the time you will not know what type of test you’re taking. This makes them hard to study for at times, and when I’m taking one I usually read over some general firefighter study books.

What usually happens is that you show up at your appointed time (hopefully, you arrive at least 30 min. before), show your ID to a human resources department rep. and take your seat. Most tests I’ve taken are usually with 200-500 other individuals. Don’t be intimidated by the amount of people in the room, trust yourself and just focus on the test.

Step 4: Play the waiting game and get an interview

Sadly this is the part where a lot of people get the email saying they will not be able to continue in the process.

The last firefighter test that I had took 5 weeks to hear results from the test. That is on the long side. The Oxnard test has a quick turnaround, and you would do your interview during the week of April 11, 2016.

Step 4a: Prepare for the interview

This is another time you’re going to be dishing out some gas money.

I wrote a post here about my last firefighter interview I took. Believe me when I say you will be nervous during your interview, some will be more than others. There’s nothing different with firefighter interviews than other interviews. It’s you across a table with 3-7 individuals (usually firefighters) and they ask around 10 questions. The interview can last from 15-45 minutes usually.

Simple interview rules apply; Arrive early, clean shave, wear a suit, smell nice, look presentable, etc. If you want to know some of the questions they will ask, click here for some examples.

This is an important part of the testing process. It’s the only part where they really get to know you as a person. Just be yourself and get some practice beforehand. I like to write out possible questions they might ask and have 3-5 bullet for each question.

Step 5: Where do you stand on the hiring list

After the interview, a lot of departments will put you on a hiring list. This is where you rank with all the other candidates. You usually get this information less than a week after the interviews are done.

To be honest, the departments that I’ve had interviews for have never had a hiring list, but the department I work for now has one and I get to see what it’s like to be on the other side of the list.

This list is important because the departments really look at this list to see who they will hire. You get your rank from your written test and interview score.

Step 6: Getting ready for the last interview

Most people don’t make it to this point. If you do make it to this point then you have a really good chance of getting the job. Don’t screw it up.

This is called the Chiefs interview. In most cases it usually is just you and the Chief, sometimes the assistant chief will be in the room as well. Your first interview is usually more structured, the Chief interview is more personable. When I did my Chief interview I just wore some regular daily clothes (jeans, tennis shoes, t-shirt, etc.). Most Chief interviews do require you to wear a suit, though just make sure you’re dressed right for the occasion.

The Chief will ask you some questions, Usually 3-5 of them. The questions are pretty easy and the Chief just wants to see if your personable and your past experiences. He/she also wants to see if your personality will match the departments.

Some questions you might look forward to are:

What experience do you have in the fire service?
What are your education goals?
What rank do you see yourself retiring at?
Do you plan to retire at this department?
Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?

Most people study a little for the Chiefs interview, but it’s usually not needed.This interview usually last 20-30 min.

Step 7: Keep your phone next to you at all times. It’s most important call of your life

This call can change your life forever. I remember when I got mine and I can’t say how happy I was. I knew it was just the beginning but I was still pretty stoked.

My Chief called me around 2 pm on a Friday. The call was short. All he said was that I have been offered the job and the paperwork would be sent to my mailbox.

They called about 8 days after taking the Chief’s interview.

My advice is to keep your phone with you because, well, I wouldn’t want to miss that call.

After you get your call then, like I said, it’s just the beginning of things. You will have a crazy next couple of weeks coming up. There will be a lot of paperwork and tests still to come, and that’s no even including the academy. Some of those tests are; psychological test, background test, making sure you have all your immunization shots and others.

You will have some deadlines and make sure you keep to them. After all the paperwork is done and maybe a week of training and getting your gear, you will start your fire academy. I plan to write a post in the future about how most academies go, just know it will last for about 2-6 months and it’s tough.

As you can see, the whole process can last up to 3-4 months. That’s a long time to be waiting to get a job, I know, but trust me when I say it will be worth it in the end.

Good luck on your journey and if have any questions or if I can help you in any way then please go to my “Contact Me” page and let me know. I will be glad to help.

If you liked this post then I would like to invite you to check out our ebook “Firefighter Jobs: The Complete Guide to Getting a Firefighter Job” on Amazon. It’s around 250 pages that includes anything you would need to know about getting a firefighter that answers questions like:

What firefighters do during the day
What to do during a ride-a-long
How much firefighters get paid in different parts of the country
Complete CPAT guide
Much more!

Our new Facebook group for aspiring firefighters has started and includes asiring fireifghters from across the country. We are a group of firefighters and aspiring firefighters helping you and answer any questions you might have about firefighting.

If you want your questions answered publically so anyone can see you should check out our twitter page @afiremanslife. Here I post funny memes and videos of life at the fire station.

Thanks for reading!