Posted: 7/6/2011 9:18:41 AM EDT
| My wife and I recently visited Frisco and fell in love with the state. We are looking to relocate, and I am wanting to know what I would need to find a fire job down there and what I need to have? I have my medic national cert, and some wild land fire experience, but am unsure of where to go with it down there. Thanks for the help guys! |
| If you're interested in the Frisco area I'd suggest contacting the Collin College Fire Academy. They should be able to tell you what you'd need to do. http://www.collin.edu/firescience/AcademyInfo.htm |
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Frisco FD Volunteer Firefighter - (opening is listed)
Frisco FD - job descriptions (currently no openings listed) I understand it is VERY competitive for paid FD jobs in N Texas (I have a couple of friends who where Certified through the Collin College. Some guys work years as volunteers in smaller cities waiting on a chance to either get a paid position once the city grows enough, or volunteer to keep their skills/certs current until they can land a FT job. FWIW - you should also check out dfwairport - FD/PD job listing. Their PD/FD used to be cross trained so that they could pull individuals across to meet staffing requirements if needed, and they also had one of the top SWAT teams in the nation. My info is several years old, so I cannot vouch if this is still their SOP. Maybe someone with more current experience can chime in.... GL |
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I know it's a bit too far from Frisco, but you might want to see this thread for FD openings.
FWFD |
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You do NOT want to work for Frisco FD. I have several buddies there that hate it and only stay for the money. The TCFP keeps a listing of job openings in TX: http://www.tcfp.texas.gov/job_postings/jobs.asp You need to get your Texas Paramedic cert, which shouldn't be too hard if you already have NR: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/emstraumasystems/stdrecip.shtm I got my fire certs before I moved here, but the Collin County fire academy has a good rep, but I think its hard to get in to. |
| BTW, i posted about FWFD earlier, but you do not have to have any EMT or fire certs to be accepted to FW. We have our own academy, which was good for me. Best of luck finding a job. Just know that it is very competitive, and if you are a vet those 5 points on the civil service test are great. |
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Quoted:
Frisco FD only hires from within (i.e, it's pool of volunteer firefighters)  In theory, you get folks trained on your methods, and you should already know if this person will work out since he/she has already been working for you prior to the FT appointment... In a strange twist, FPD does not use Reserve Officers... |
| Looking for departments that are civil service is one option, no previous training or certs required. The downside is that hundreds if not thousands show up to take the tests. You almost have to be in the top 10% to get to the interview process after quite a few are eliminated based on background. It can be done if you have your mind set on a specific department, and you might have to take several tests before you make it. You could look for the departments that require FF/Paramedic certs. Believe it or not, there is a shortage of FF/Paramedics that have a clean background. Trainingdivision.com offers an online fire academy that is self paced for the didactic portion of the training. Then a 2 week stay at their facility is required to complete the hands on skills and fire training. I have a friend that was able to complete his training in just over a month. Some may disagree with this method, but it will get you your Texas Basic Structural Firefighter cert. You will be taught how your department does things once you get a job at a FD somewhere anyway. |