Firefighter Trainee | Firefighter EMT | Firefighter Paramedic

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Firefighter Trainee | Firefighter EMT | Firefighter Paramedic

City of Palo Alto Palo Alto, California, United States

Job Description:

Firefighter Trainee | Firefighter EMT | Firefighter Paramedic

Description

Description

Firefighter Trainee (No EMT) | Entry-Level Firefighter EMT or Paramedic | Lateral Firefighter EMT or Paramedic

We are accepting and reviewing applications to establish a potential eligibility list for:
Summer '25 Lateral Academy (Tentative)
Fall '25 New Hire Academy (Tentative)

Want to reach out and serve the community as a highly trained Firefighter EMT/Paramedic?

The Palo Alto Fire Department (PAFD) is seeking highly motivated Firefighter candidates who desire to be part of a professional team dedicated to safeguarding and enriching the lives of the 125,000 people who work and live in Palo Alto and Stanford communities each day. PAFD provides its services from six fire stations located strategically throughout the city and is the only City Fire Department in Santa Clara County that provides Advanced Life Support Transport in addition to Fire Service. PAFD offers a variety of programs including Emergency Medical Services, Fire Suppression, Technical Rescue, Wildland Fire Services, HAZMAT, Fire Investigation, and more!

The Fire Department
Prior to 1920 when the city hired its first professional firefighter, the Palo Alto Fire Department operated as a volunteer fire service organization that served the community. The department, over its existence, has continued to evolve to remain cutting-edge as the community has changed. Because of growing demand in the industry, the Palo Alto Fire Department began providing paramedic services in 1975 and also began providing fire-rescue and ambulances services to Stanford under contract. The Palo Alto Fire Department has continued to keep pace with the industry, as demands changed within the city and as further service offerings were made available to the community.

Today the department provides its services from six fire stations, located strategically throughout the city with the Fiscal Year 2025 approved operating budget of approximately $55 million. The department is staffed with approximately 96 uniformed and 8 civilian professionals. The department deploys 5 Type 1 engines, 1 Tractor-drawn Tiller Truck, 2 Type III engines, 2 patrols, 3 Ambulances, and various trailers and specialty apparatus.

The Palo Alto Fire Department continues to remain mission focused as evidenced by its international accredited status as well as its commitment to "strategic doing." The department embraces excellence in all that it does and continues to be dedicated to those it serves.

Palo Alto Fire Department Values
Mission Statement
We are a professional team dedicated to safeguarding and enriching the lives of anyone, anytime, anywhere with compassion and pride.

To learn more about PAFD, visit our website

Essential Duties

Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Related Functions:

The Palo Alto Fire Department offers multiple pathways for joining our exceptional firefighting team. Below is an overview of each type:

Lateral Firefighter EMT or Paramedic -Full Job Description: CLICK HERE
Intended for experienced firefighters (minimum two years of professional firefighting experience), holding either EMT or Paramedic certification, with verifiable proof of prior firefighting and EMS experience. Lateral hires bypass the entry-level NTN testing and CPAT physical agility test. Instead, their physical fitness will be verified through our department-specific standard, requiring candidates to achieve 12 METs during a treadmill cardiac output upon conditional offer. Lateral firefighters participate in an abbreviated in-house academy, allowing for quicker deployment into active operational roles.
**Paramedics who have completed the required training and have been accredited in accordance with the program and possess their paramedic license, will receive a 14% differential in addition to their base salary effective beginning with the date of assignment to rotational Paramedic duty.**

Entry-Level Firefighter Paramedic - Full Job Description: CLICK HERE
Targeted toward candidates who hold a valid Paramedic license with experience in EMS. These individuals will attend the full Firefighter I and II Academy, fully preparing them for integrated firefighting and paramedic duties.
*Note that all academy personnel will receive base Firefighter pay without EMT/Paramedic incentive during fire academy*

**Paramedics who have completed the required training and have been accredited in accordance with the program and possess their paramedic license, will receive a 14% differential in addition to their base salary effective beginning with the date of assignment to rotational Paramedic duty.**

Entry-Level Firefighter EMT -Full Job Description: CLICK HERE
Designed for candidates holding current EMT certification, likely accompanied by some level of EMS experience. Selected candidates will complete a rigorous Firefighter I and II Academy before assignment to operational duty.
*Note that all academy personnel will receive base Firefighter pay without EMT/Paramedic incentive during fire academy*

Firefighter Trainee (No EMT) - Full job description: CLICK HERE
Ideal for candidates with no prior EMT or firefighting experience but a strong interest in pursuing a career in the fire service. Successful applicants may be sponsored to attend EMT training before participating in our comprehensive Firefighter I and II Academy.

To Review IAFF Salary Schedule: Click Here.

Minimum Qualifications

Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:

Special Requirements:
Application Requirements:

LATERAL EMT / LATERAL PARAMEDIC:
Please be sure to consider and/or include the following with your application (if the following is missing from your application, your application may be determined to be incomplete):

1. EMT- B or EMT-P: 2. California Driver's License: *NTN & CPAT* are not required for lateral candidates; but must have 2 years of experience and FF1. Please submit supporting documents as attachments to this application.

FIREFIGHTER TRAINEE (NO EMT) / ENTRY LEVEL FIREFIGHTER EMT/ ENTRY LEVEL FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC :
Please be sure to consider and/or include the following with your application (if the following is missing from your application, your application may be determined to be incomplete):

1. National Testing Network (NTN) Written Test: 2. Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT): 3. EMT- B or EMT-P: 4. California Driver's License:

Supplemental Information

Screening/Selection Process



*The dates above are tentative, and may be subject to change.

Please note, job offers presented by Palo Alto Fire Department are conditional upon completion of a full background investigation/potential polygraph, psychological evaluation, and medical examination for ALL candidates.

For questions on the application and selection process, please contact the Recruitment Team at recruit@cityofpaloalto.org

The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

For more details visit our Careers Page.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.

Closing Date/Time: 4/21/2025 5:00 PM Pacific

Salary:

$59.09 - $76.37 Hourly
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