| If you are serious about becoming a | | | | |
| firefighter, it's important you understand | | | | - Pass a physical exam |
| the requirements for this job. Naturally, | | | | |
| firefighter requirements vary from | | | | - Pass a polygraph and psychological test |
| jurisdiction to jurisdiction but, as you will | | | | |
| see, there are some commonalities. | | | | - Be interviewed by a board of Fire Officers |
| | | | |
| First, here are the requirements to become a | | | | - Be interviewed by the City Manager, the |
| firefighter in the New York City Fire | | | | Human Resource Director, and the Fire Chief |
| Department (NYFD). | | | | |
| | | | What do these requirements have in common? |
| To apply to take the next New York City | | | | |
| Firefighter Exam, you must be between the | | | | - You must take and pass a physical exam |
| ages of 17 and a half and 29. | | | | |
| | | | - You must take some form of written |
| To be hired as a New York City Firefighter | | | | examination |
| | | | |
| You must: | | | | - You must pass a physical agility test |
| | | | |
| - Pass both the written and physical exams | | | | - You must have at least a high school |
| | | | diploma |
| - Pass a medical exam and background | | | | |
| investigation | | | | - You will most certainly have to undergo an |
| | | | oral interview |
| - Be at least 21 years of age | | | | |
| | | | Which is most important? |
| - Be a U.S. citizen | | | | |
| | | | Of these requirements, the most important is |
| - Have at least 15 college semester credits | | | | the written exam because if you do not score |
| earned as a result of satisfactory completion | | | | highly on it, you will be eliminated as a |
| of course work at a college or university | | | | candidate for a firefighter position. |
| accredited by an accrediting body recognized | | | | |
| by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the | | | | The written exam |
| Council for Higher Education or full time | | | | |
| military service with an honorable discharge; | | | | Piqua, OH seems to have the easier exam as it |
| or 6 months of full time, satisfactory paid | | | | requires only that the applicant pass a civil |
| work experience | | | | service. New York City's requires the |
| | | | candidate to pass a written exam. In this |
| - Hold a motor vehicle driver's license valid | | | | case, the exam is designed specifically to |
| in New York State | | | | test firefighter applicants. The biggest |
| | | | majority of municipalities also use a similar |
| - Be a resident of one of the five boroughs | | | | test designed specifically for firefighter |
| of New York City, or live in Nassau, Orange, | | | | candidates. These firefighter exams are |
| Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk or Westchester | | | | tough. They typically take three hours or |
| County | | | | more to complete and consist of 100 of more |
| | | | questions. If you would like to see a sample |
| - Be a Certified First Responder with | | | | of this test, I recommend the book Barron's |
| Defibrillation (CFR-D) | | | | Firefighter Exams by James J. Murtagh, which |
| | | | includes samples of the NYC Fire Department |
| The city of Piqua, Ohio firefighter | | | | Exam. |
| requirements | | | | |
| | | | In summary |
| In comparison, here are the firefighter | | | | |
| requirements for a small city | | | | The short answer to the question of what is |
| | | | required of a firefighter applicant is that |
| - Take out an application | | | | you must be in good health, you must pass a |
| | | | tough written exam, you need to have a clean |
| - Return application along with a copy of | | | | driver's license, you need to be able to pass |
| your birth certificate, copy of your diploma | | | | an agility test or a test that simulates the |
| or equivalent, and a copy of your high school | | | | skills required to be a firefighter and you |
| records | | | | will need to do well in an oral interview. |
| | | | |
| - Take a civil service test. (This test will | | | | Standing out from the crowd |
| cover general knowledge of all types of | | | | |
| subjects and current events.) | | | | Getting a job as a firefighter is very, very |
| | | | competitive these days. If you want to stand |
| - If you place in the top of the group | | | | out as a candidate - and win that coveted |
| according to how many openings there are, | | | | badge - you should have some college, |
| then you move on to the next steps | | | | especially courses related to firefighting. |
| | | | And it will most likely help if you have EMT |
| - Pass a physical fitness - agility test | | | | or paramedic experience. |