Become a Firefighter
The Tallahassee Fire Department is looking for hard-working, caring, professional individuals who desire to work in the rewarding and challenging profession of Fire/EMS.
Applications must be active with required valid certifications on file with the department by February 15 of each year. See section titled To Apply below for more details.
Job Duties Include:
Responds to fire alarms with a fire company. Rescues individuals and provides appropriate emergency medical assistance. Performs property conservation operations such as placing salvage covers, sweeping water and removing debris. Administers first response first aid to injured or afflicted persons or advanced life support if working as a FF/Paramedic. Tallahassee firefighters work a 53-hour workweek, 24 hours on, 48 hours off, with shifts starting at 7:00pm.
Entrance Requirements:
Compliance with Florida Statute 633
Residency: None required
Age: At least 18 years old at the time of application.
Education: Applicant must be a high school graduate or have a GED equivalency at the time of application.
License/Certifications: Possess a valid Florida Driver's License* and State of Florida Certificate of Compliance for Firefighter Minimum Standards at time of application. Possess a Florida EMT certification prior to any conditional offer made.
*For those with a driver's license from a state other than Florida, must possess a valid Florida class "E" State driver's license or equivalent, as determined by the City, at the time of secondary application.
If you do not currently possess the required certifications, please refer to the following links for training center locations.
Financial Resources may be available for these programs. Please contact the program’s school financial resources office for more information. Additional financial resources may be found on the following websites:
http://www.finaid.org/students/
http://www.iaff.org/et/resources/financial.htm
https://www.careersourcecapitalregion.com/job-seekers/programs/wia/training-assistance
If you possess an out-of-state firefighter certificate of compliance, contact the Florida State Fire College at the above website or call (352) 369-2800. If you possess an out-of-state EMT or Paramedic certification, contact the State EMS office at the Florida Department of Health website above or call (850) 488-0595.
Tobacco Use: Must be a non-user of tobacco products for at least one year immediately preceding the date of application, as evidenced by a sworn affidavit completed at time of hire.
To Apply
To participate in our annual entry-level firefighter test, submit an online application on the city's website.
Your application will not be processed unless the following documents are submitted at the time of application by upload within the online application process.
- Florida Driver's License
(Please submit a copy of your current driver's license, even if it is in a state other than Florida)
- Florida EMT – If you currently possess a valid EMT certification, please submit a copy of the Florida card along with the other required documents at time of application. Please note if you are not currently certified as a Florida EMT, you may still apply but will not be considered when job offers are made from the eligibility list unless the department has a copy of your valid Florida EMT.
(Please note: EMT certifications expire 12/01 of every even year. If you are a current applicant, please ensure that you send the department a copy of the renewed certification as soon as possible upon receipt in order to be considered for any upcoming job offers.)
- Florida Firefighters Certification of Compliance
(Please note: If it has been 4 years or more since initially receiving your Florida certification and you have not been employed as a paid firefighter any time during the last 4 years, you must also submit verification from the state that your fire certification is in compliance. This verification must include your name, certificate number, and the date the compliance is good through.)
If you are claiming Veteran's Preference on your application, please also upload your DD-214 or appropriate supporting documentation within the online application process. If you progress to the interview stage, any additional documentation you wish to provide the department may be submitted at time of interview.
We accept applications on a continuous basis. Applications must be active with required certifications on file with the department by February 15 of each year in order to take that year's entry-level firefighter test. Please note that active applicants must also clear the preliminary driver's license check in order to test. Eligible applications are active for one year from date of submission, as long the required valid certifications are on file with the department. If you have any questions, please call 850-891-6641.
Note: The Department sends emails to applicants to acknowledge receipt of the application, to notify of ineligibility, and to provide other requested information. If you apply, please ensure you are checking your emails periodically, including your spam folder, so as not to miss any important emails sent by the Department. If you change any of your contact information after submitting an application, please send an email.
The City of Tallahassee is an equal opportunity employer and invites applications without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation during the selection process.
TFD Firefighter Testing
Written Test - The test is written by Fire & Police Selection, Inc. (FPSI) and contains 100 questions from the Comprehensive Examination Battery (CEB) where the questions focus on a number of skills and traits deemed relevant to superior job performance, including cognitive ability, reading ability, and selected personal characteristics. The test also contains 25 questions from the Certified Firefighter Test (CFT), based off of IFSTA Essentials of Fire Fighting (6th Ed.) This book may be purchased for study from various sources, including Amazon.
Applicants may order the CEB/CFT Candidate Orientation Guide. The CEB/CFT Candidate Orientation Guide is available for a one-time instant download .pdf file, which can be printed or saved. Please follow all instructions on the FPSI website and PayPal to ensure the orientation guide is downloaded successfully. After placing the guide in the FPSI shopping cart, applicants will be given the option to pay with a PayPal account or as a PayPal guest with credit card. The download link will be located on the Order Received-Checkout Status page that appears on the FPSI website as soon as payment is submitted and applicants are redirected from PayPal back to FPSI.
Physical Ability Test (PAT) - After the written tests have been scored, those applicants that have a raw score of 70 or above will move forward to the department's physical ability test (PAT) and will be notified by email regarding scheduling for the PAT. The department will send the email to the email address listed on the application, so an applicant should check that account regularly as to not miss any deadlines for scheduling. The department's PAT consists of 10 events that represent activities that a Tallahassee firefighter would be expected to perform. To familiarize yourself with our PAT, please click on the links below.
Applicants will be required to submit a completed Waiver of Liability and Hold Harmless Agreement and a Physician Statement in order to participate in the PAT. These forms may be obtained by clicking the links below.
TFD Firefighter Interviews
After review of written test scores and passing the PAT, applicants who are invited to interview at the first panel level will be placed on the department's eligibility list. This list runs July 1 - June 30 of each year. To remain on this list, an application must be active and required valid certifications on file with the department (see EMT certification information above). Please note that while you will be placed on the eligibility list if you make it to the first panel interview, that a second panel interview is conducted for selected first panel participants and that conditional offers are generally made out of this interview.
If You Receive a Conditional Offer of Employment...
Background Investigation: A thorough background investigation is conducted. This includes driver's license history, credit check, personal, employment, and neighbor reference checks, and a nationwide criminal check.
Testing/Evaluations: A polygraph will be conducted along with written and oral psychological evaluations. Finally, a job-related physical exam and drug testing will be given.