Grand Rapids Fire Department Looking for New Firefighters!

The city of Grand Rapids is heating up and they need your help to cool it down!

The Grand Rapids Fire Department is now taking firefighter applications through Oct. 25, according to a news release Tuesday.

Applicants need to be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, have a valid driver’s license, at least 20/30 corrected vision or 20/100 for uncorrected and no felony convictions.

The hiring process includes an application, written exam, completion of the Candidate Physical Ability Test, oral exam, and interview.

All new recruits are paid to attend the Grand Rapids Fire Department training academy, even if they already have firefighter certifications. This is about four months of instruction in a classroom and in hands-on environments designed to give new firefighters the knowledge and hands-on skills to save lives and stay safe.

Salaries for Grand Rapids firefighters start at $48,796 annually, along with an “attractive” work schedule, paid sick leave/vacation/holidays, medical, dental, and vision, a pension plan, tuition reimbursement, Flexible Spending Accounts, Employee Assistance Program, and homeownership grant opportunities in target areas, according to GRFD.

The Grand Rapids Fire Department has been around since the 1850s and continues to grow today. They currently have 200 + Firefighters and want to add more. More firefighters means more help in the over 25,000 emergency responses they take in a year. They have 11 firehouses throughout the city. The Grand Rapids Fire Department specializes in many different expertise, such as Fire Protection, Medical Response, Extrication, Hazmat Response, Water/Ice Response and Tech Response.

Anyone interested in joining can do so here.