How Do I Become a Career Firefighter?

Being a career firefighter is a great profession.  Helping people when things are at their worst is tremendously gratifying.  The sense of becoming part of a secondary family is a special feeling.  That being said, becoming a career firefighter is very competitive.

To become a career firefighter, there are a number of factors involved and decisions to be made before “diving in.”   One of the first decisions that should be considered is what type of department do you want to work for?  If you are interested in a large department such as Denver Fire, applicants are able to test without having a Colorado State Firefighter I certification or Colorado State Emergency Medical Technician certification.  If selected, the large department will put the applicant through academy and provide the applicant with the necessary initial training.  This is great for the candidate that gets selected; he/she does not need to achieve these certifications prior to testing.  However, because the applicants don’t have to have these certifications prior to applying, the pool of applicants is very large.  Therefore, it is difficult to be selected.

If you are interested in working for a smaller department, many of the smaller departments require certifications to apply for the positions.  Many times, the applicant must attend a fire academy and Emergency Medical Technician school and achieve certification in both, before he/she can apply for the position.  This requires a significant commitment from the applicant prior to applying, but greatly lowers the number of applicants eligible to apply for the positions.

Another factor involved in becoming a career firefighter is called the DRCOG test.  DRCOG, or Denver Regional Council of Governments, offers a test once or twice per year that ranks potential firefighting candidates.  This ranking is then provided to the departments that participate in the DRCOG pool.  The departments can then select candidates from this list to use in their hiring process.  This is a great opportunity for an applicant to get into a hiring process; however, the applicant’s certifications can still play a major role in whether or not the applicant is actually hired.  Plus, not all departments use the DRCOG test as a method of selecting candidates.

Rocky Mountain Fire requires Colorado State Firefighter I certification, Colorado State Emergency Medical Technician-Basic certification and American Heart CPR to apply for a career position.  Plus, an applicant must have a sponsor from within the department that recommends the applicant for the position.  Positions are filled on an as-needed basis.

If you have any other questions about becoming a career firefighter, please contact Division Chief Dan Durkee at 303-494-3735. Ddurkee@rockymountainfire.org