Requirements

Job Summary

This is an entry-level training position with the Oklahoma City Fire Department and is under the direct supervision of the Fire Department. Fire Recruits are supervised by Fire Department Training Officers until such time as the basic instruction in firefighting skills and examination are completed. Upon completion of basic training, the trainee will be assigned to a duty station where the training received will be applied under the general supervision of a fire company officer. Fire Recruits will remain on probationary status until successfully completing their first year of service on the job. Recruits will perform individually and as a member of the firefighting team on training exercises. Essential job functions include: performing firefighting, rescue, first aid, ventilation, forcible entry, salvage, overhaul, site inspections, emergency medical, public fire education, hazardous materials, dispatching, and other tasks as assigned.

Job Requirements

• Applicants must be 18 to 44 years of age.
• Must possess a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent, at the time of application.
• Have no felony convictions
• Must possess an Emergency Medical Technician license prior to completion of one-year probationary period.
• Must maintain Emergency Medical Technician license in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license
• Successfully pass a testing process consisting of a written examination, physical ability test, interview panel, background/polygraph test, and a medical evaluation.
• Ability to learn firefighting and emergency medical principles, techniques and procedures.
• Ability to communicate, understand, and follow oral and written instruction.
• Ability to work as a part of a team
• Ability to perform a wide variety of firefighting duties, evolutions, and methods.
• Ability to apply first aid methods and life saving techniques.
• Willingness to work irregular hours
• Must have adequate strength and agility to perform tasks under strenuous and adverse conditions.

Departmental Preferences

Applicants who possess their National or State of Oklahoma Paramedic Certification may receive preference upon successful completion of the various phases of the fire recruit hiring process.

Veteran/Military Service Preference

Honorably discharged veterans of the United States Armed Forces who are not currently employed full-time by the City of Oklahoma City shall receive five (5) points added to the passing score on an initial selection process. Qualified applicants must upload or submit a copy of their DD Form 214 indicating discharge type/character of service at the time of application.

Physical Requirements and Work Conditions

Physical Requirements

• Strength and stamina enough to climb 20 or more flights of stairs while wearing fire protective ensemble weighing at least 60 lb. or more while carrying equipment/tools weighing an additional 20 to 50 lb.
• Strength and stamina enough to wear a firefighting personal protective ensemble and SCBA, performing fire-fighting tasks for 15 to 20 minutes at an exertion level equal to the metabolic equivalent task rating (MET) of 12.
• Physical strength enough to advance water-filled hose lines up to 2.5 inches in diameter from fire apparatus to occupancy (approximately 200 feet); can involve negotiating multiple flights of stairs, ladders, and other obstacles.
• Physical strength enough to rescue-drag or carry objects and victims from newborns up to adults weighing over 200 lb. to safety, despite hazardous conditions and low visibility, in both emergency and non-emergency situations.
• Ability to work at extreme heights to include climbing aerial devices, the ability to transition back and forth from ladders to building roofs and/or windows.
• Ability to work for extended periods of time within confined areas with little to no visibility while wearing fire protective ensemble while breathing from a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, SCBA.
• Arm-hand steadiness, manual dexterity, and finger dexterity enough to use manual and power tools in the performance of duties.
• Speech, sight, and hearing enough to determine the nature of the emergency, maintain personal safety, and make critical decisions in a confused, chaotic, and potentially life-threatening environment throughout the duration of the operation.
• Visual acuity enough and motor coordination enough to operate fire apparatus or other vehicles in an emergency mode with emergency lights and sirens.
• Extent flexibility, mobility, and balance enough to bend, twist, and reach out when climbing or working on ladders.

Work Conditions

• Frequently working both independently and as an integral component of team incidents, where sudden incapacitation of a member can result in mission failure or in risk of injury or death to civilians or other team members.
• Subject to extensive time outside exposed to the elements.
• Subject to extreme fluctuation in temperature while performing duties. Must perform physically demanding work in hot (400 degrees plus), humid (up to 100%) atmosphere while wearing equipment that significantly impairs body-cooling mechanisms.
• Subject to wearing fire protective ensemble that is encapsulating and insulating. Wearing this clothing will result in significant fluid loss that frequently progresses to clinical dehydration and can elevate core temperature to levels exceeding 102.2 degrees F (39 degrees C).
• Subject to climbing ladders, operating from heights, walking or crawling in the dark along narrow and uneven surfaces, and operating in proximity to electrical power lines and/or other hazards. Possible exposure to toxic fumes, irritants, particulates, biological (infectious) and non-biological hazards, and/or heated gases, despite the use of PPE including SCBA.
• Subject to wearing a SCBA, which includes a demand valve-type positive pressure facepiece or HEPA filter masks, which requires the ability to tolerate increased respiratory workloads.
• Subject to performing firefighting functions (e.g., hose line operations, extensive crawling, lifting and carrying heavy objects, ventilating roofs or walls using power or hand tools, forcible entry), rescue operations, and other emergency response actions under stressful conditions while wearing personal protective ensembles (PPE) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), including working in extremely hot or cold environments for prolonged periods of time.
• Subject to performing critical, time sensitive, complex problem solving during physical exertion in stressful life-threatening hazardous environments (including hot, dark, tightly enclosed spaces), further aggravated by fatigue, flashing lights, sirens and other distractions.
• Subject to working for long periods of time and irregular hours requiring sustained physical activity and intense concentration.
• Subject to working unpredictable emergency requirements for prolonged periods of extreme physical exertion without the benefit of warm-up, scheduled rest periods, meals, access to medication(s), or hydration.
• Subject to making life or death decisions during emergency conditions.
• Exposed to grotesque sights and smells associated with major trauma and burn victims.
• Subject to working in and communicating in (giving and comprehending verbal orders) environments of high background noise, poor visibility, limited mobility, at heights, in enclosed or confined spaces and drenching from hose lines and/or fixed protection systems (sprinklers) while wearing PPE and SCBA.