Firefighter/EMT Lateral

The current Firefighter/EMT Lateral recruitment process is: OPEN

Hiring Bonus up to $15,000 for qualified applicants.
• $5,000 for previous employment with ACFD within 3 years and at least 12 months separation.
• $10,000 for certified Firefighter II and Emergency Medical Technician.
• $15,000 for certified Firefighter II and Advanced Life Support Technician.

Lateral Firefighter/EMT Training and Probationary Period
The Fire Training Academy (FTA) is the beginning of a 12-month probationary period for lateral Firefighter/EMTs. The lateral academy is eight weeks in length and is designed to orient experienced firefighters to Arlington County Fire Department policies, procedures, and operational expectations. During the academy, probationary lateral Firefighter/EMTs must successfully complete a skills verification process to confirm competency in required firefighting and EMS skills. If additional time is needed to demonstrate proficiency, the skills verification period may be extended up to eight weeks, based on evaluation by training staff.

Prior to completing the academy, probationary lateral Firefighter/EMTs are required to successfully pass a duty fitness evaluation, which includes completing a designated physical task within 10 minutes while wearing full protective equipment and SCBA. Successful completion of this evaluation is required before assignment to shift work.

Following completion of the academy and skills verification, probationary lateral Firefighter/EMTs will be assigned to shift work for a 4 to 10 month field training and evaluation period. During this time, members will complete additional training, receive ongoing evaluation, and demonstrate the ability to safely and effectively perform job duties in an operational environment.

Successful completion of all academy requirements, duty fitness standards, field training, and probationary expectations is required for continued employment.

Requirements: Certified Firefighter II, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or Advanced Life Support Technician (ALST) preferred for hiring bonus; duty fitness evaluation including physical task completion in full protective equipment and SCBA