-
Job 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- INTEGRITY and accountability to the community we serve.
- An INNOVATIVE approach in combining transition and technology to improve health, safety, and welfare.
- PROFESSIONALISM in our attitude, appearance, knowledge, skills, and abilities.
- Embracing the DIVERSITY of our members backgrounds and experiences which allows us to effectively respond to emergencies and outreach opportunities.
- COMPASSION in our service and supporting each other with empathy, sincerity, and respect.
- Ongoing EDUCATION as we continually improve ourselves and our skills to increase our own safety and better protect the communities we serve.
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:
- Responds to emergency alarms and performs all necessary fire fighting and rescue activities.
- Assists in maintaining fire apparatus and equipment.
- Attends specialized training in fire fighting, fire prevention inspections and first aid.
- Participates in company drills, inspections, housekeeping duties and other related tasks.
- May perform duties as relief Apparatus Operator.
- Assists in performing related life and property protection.
- Performs emergency actions during adverse conditions involving exposure to hazardous materials.
- Helps with delivery of emergency medical care to patients within the guidelines of Emergency Medical Technical certification guidelines.
- Performs maintenance duties at fire stations.
- Responds to special emergency calls during off hours.
- May be assigned specialized duties.
- Participates in public relations and training activities to the public.
Related Functions:- May assist in conducting training programs.
- Assists in bicycle license program.
- Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.
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:- Age: 21 YEARS OR OLDER.
- Height and weight proportional according to medical standards.
- Vision correctable to 20/30 in one eye and 20/40 in the other eye. Mild red-green color defects are acceptable, but complete color blindness is disqualifying.
- Possession of a valid California Driver's License at time of appointment.
- Ability to pass medical examination.
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:- Please submit a valid EMT-B or EMT-P license to your application as an attachment.
- If you are not a current EMT-B or EMT-P in the state of California, you must have the ability to become CA State licensed and accredit in Santa Clara County within 90 days .
- Please submit a valid California Driver's license to your application as an attachment if you currently posses one. Possession of a valid California Driver's license will be required by time of appointment.
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:- Please submit your NTN test scores to Palo Alto Fire Department via the NTN website by April 21, 2025.
- Register to take the NTN exam on the NTN website for the City of Palo Alto or apply to transfer their score to the City of Palo Alto. NTN scores from other departments can be transferred for a small fee (see NTN website for details). Please contact HR with questions. For more information regarding NTN testing, please visit their website.
- Please submit a valid CPAT card obtained within the last 12 months to your application as an attachment if you currently possess one. A valid CPAT card will be required by time of appointment for both trainees and entry-level applicants. For information on how to obtain a valid Candidate Physical Agility Test card and testing sites, please visit the Firefighter Testing Center (FCTC) website.
- Please submit a valid EMT-B or EMT-P license to your application as an attachment. A valid EMT-B or EMT-P license will be required by time of appointment for entry-level or lateral applicants.
- If you are a current EMT-B or EMT-P you must have the ability to become CA State Licensed and accredit in Santa Clara County within 90 days after completion of academy .
- For Trainees: If you are not an EMT-B you must have the ability to accredit in Santa Clara County within 90 days of completing your department sponsored EMT course.
- Please submit a valid California Driver's license to your application as an attachment if you currently posses one. Possession of a valid California Driver's license will be required by time of appointment.
Supplemental Information
Screening/Selection Process- NTN Test Submitted: by April 21, 2025
- Application Deadline: April 21, 2025, 5:00pm PST
- Personal History Questionnaire & Screening Interview: Week of April 21 through May 9, 2025
- EMS Skills Assessment & Fire Chief Interviews (both in-person): May 12- May 30, 2025
*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 -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
-
-
City of Palo Alto
Show morePalo Alto is located about 35 miles south of San Francisco; and 14 miles north of San Jose. Palo Alto, known as the “Birthplace of Silicon Valley” and global center of technology and innovation, is the corporate headquarters for many world-class companies and research facilities such as VMWare, Hewlett-Packard, IDEO, Tesla, and Skype. Home to Stanford University and a top-ranked public school system, Palo Alto also features beautiful and historic residential neighborhoods, vibrant shopping and retail districts.
Palo Alto has a highly educated and culturally sophisticated citizenry that is actively engaged in making a difference both locally and globally. Unique among city organizations, Palo Alto operates a full-array of services including its own gas, electric, water, sewer, refuse and storm drainage provided at very competitive rates for its customers.
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. Many world-class businesses maintained or started offices here, including Amazon, Tesla, Hewlett Packard, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Rivian, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, SAP Ariba, Houzz, Varian Medical Systems, and VMware. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the startup capital of the world.
Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community’s dedication to life-long learning. Stanford’s cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City’s exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation.
Home to picturesque tree-lined streets, bike lanes, and historic buildings that reflect its California heritage, Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy with premium shopping and dining options. Excellent health care facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are just some of this incredibly desirable community’s cherished amenities.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government.
We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
-