27-01 Firefighter Recruit

City of San Jose • San Jose, CA

9d • $52 • Onsite

About The Position

This is the trainee level class in the Firefighter series, responsible for becoming proficient in the understanding of lifesaving and firefighting methods within the SJFD. Through a specific program comprised of general and specialized education, focused training including extensive hands-on experience, Firefighter Recruits will learn diverse tasks, policies, procedures and standards within the SJFD. Incumbents will learn techniques in emergency medical services, rescue work, firefighting and other emergency services. Duties may involve considerable physical exertion and potential risk to health and safety. Work is rigidly structured, highly supervised, and incumbents are continuously evaluated and receive feedback regularly. Firefighter Recruits must graduate from the Academy and be appointed to the class of Firefighter in order to retain employment in the job series. In addition to the salary, employees shall also receive an approximate one percent (1%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation pay. Note the salary includes the proposed salary increase for fiscal year 2026 -2027 starting the first full pay period of July 2026.

Requirements

• Must have a current profile and test scores on the Firefighter Candidate Testing Center (FCTC) Statewide Eligibility List (SEL) by the final filing date of 06/10/2026.
• A passing score on the FCTC Written Test must be dated between 6/11/25 and 6/10/26.
• Graduation from High School or equivalent (G.E.D. or California Proficiency Certificate).
• Firefighter Recruit - None.
• Possession of a valid driver’s license at time of application.
• Must obtain a California driver’s license, if issued by another state, prior to promotion to the Firefighter classification.
• Possession of a current and valid State of California Emergency Medical Technician Certification or Certified by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Emergency Medical Technician – Basic.
• Proof of a valid Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) must be dated on or after 1/20/2026.
• CPAT must remain current throughout the application process and shall not expire prior to the start of the Academy (scheduled for 7/20/2026).
• Proof of Paramedic Licensure and Certification as demonstrated by: Documentation of successful completion of an approved paramedic training program and successful completion of the National Registry of EMT-Ps written and practical examinations by the date of the written examination and actual possession of a current and valid paramedic license issued by the State of California Emergency Medical Services Authority OR Possession of a valid EMT-P certification from another state, territory, country and registration with the National registry of EMT-Ps and actual possession of a current and valid paramedic license issued by the State of California Emergency Medical Services Authority OR Possession of a current and valid Paramedic license issued by the State of California Emergency Medical Services Authority.

Nice To Haves

• Possession of current and valid State of California Emergency Medical Services Authority Paramedic License.
• Possession of a Bachelors (BS or BA) degree or Associates (AS or AA) degree from an accredited college or university.
• Possession of a Fire Science/Fire Technology Certificate from an accredited college.
• Completion of 30 semester units (or equivalent) from an accredited college with at least 15 semester units (or equivalent) in Fire Science/Fire Technology.
• Possession of California State Fire Marshal Firefighter I Certification or equivalent.
• Possession of California State Fire Marshal Firefighter II Certification or equivalent.
• Bilingual (Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Cambodian, Cantonese, Croatian, French, German, Greek, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, or Vietnamese).

Responsibilities

• Learn diverse tasks, policies, procedures and standards within the SJFD.
• Learn techniques in emergency medical services, rescue work, firefighting and other emergency services.
• Graduate from the Academy and be appointed to the class of Firefighter to retain employment in the job series.

Benefits

• Competitive Salary
• Firefighter Recruit: $51.92 hourly, $4,153.25 bi-weekly
• Upon successful completion of the Firefighter-Recruit Academy: Firefighter, Step 1: $4,775.08 bi-weekly base pay; $124,151.98 annually
• Upon successful completion of the academy, eligible employees may also receive the following additional premium pays: Paramedic Pay: 14% of top step Firefighter upon completion of Santa Clara County Paramedic Accreditation process (currently $866.73 bi-weekly)
• Oral Bilingual Pay: 2.5% of top step Firefighter (currently $154.77 bi-weekly)
• Education & Training Pay (AA/AS - BS, Fire Science, Fire Technology, Fire Protection Technology): 1.5% of top step Firefighter (currently $92.86 bi-weekly)
• Employees hired on or after January 1, 2017, must reside within one hundred and eighty (180) minutes travel time from the nearest City of San José fire station (non-traffic period as calculated by Google Maps tm or map program mutually agreed to by the parties).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED