This section is a guide to those individuals interested in pursuing a firefighting career in the Palo Alto Fire Department. Included is information and tips that will help applicants better prepare themselves for the process. Specifics pertaining to any current recruitment process will be found in Human Resources web site. Direct links are provided below where appropriate.

General Recruitment Information
The Palo Alto Fire Department is committed to providing the highest quality of service to the community and operates under the following mission statement:

The Palo Alto Fire Department is dedicated to protect life, property and the environment from the perils of fire, hazardous materials, and other disasters; through rapid emergency response, proactive code enforcement, modern fire prevention methods, and progressive public safety education for the benefit of the community.

Why the Palo Alto Fire Department?
The Department is unique in that it provides service to a small city with many of the characteristics of a large city. The Department covers a large number of high-technology businesses, the Stanford University campus, the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County. Finally, the diversity of the Department is able to respond to emergencies associated with major freeways, an airport, major hospitals and medical centers, a large industrial and research park, a major university, high-rise buildings, a large wildland and urban interface, and the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay.

Values
The decisions and actions of the Department are responsive to the customer’s needs.
The Department celebrates and honors diversity, recognizing that individual differences enrich the whole organization.
The Department is committed to a flexible operating environment that facilitates the pursuit of new technologies, processes, programmatic approaches, and ideas that challenge the status quo.
Quality and continuous improvement are essential to the Department’s success.
The Department reinforces the notion of a common or greater departmental good and encourage interdepartmental teamwork to achieve this goal.
The Department recognizes our leadership role and responsibility to improve the quality of the environment for future generations.
The Department is an effective steward of the taxpayer’s interest.
The Department maintains a personal commitment to professionalism and integrity.

Opportunities
There are many opportunities within the department to branch out in different areas beyond firefighting. For example:
Fire prevention
Hazardous Materials
Research and Training
Paramedics
Stanford Linear Accelerator
Water Rescue

Organization
The Palo Alto Fire Department currently staffs seven full time stations strategically located throughout the City of Palo Alto and one additional fire station in the foothills during the summer months when fire danger is high. The Department is divided into four functional areas: Emergency Response, Environment and Safety Management, Training and Personnel Management, and Records and Information Management.

Job Description
The complete Fire Fighter job description can be found in the Human Resources web site.

Hiring/Testing Procedure
Candidates undergo a testing procedure that includes a written exam and a physical ability test administered by CPS (Cooperative Personnel Services). Then the candidate faces a Palo Alto Fire Department oral board comprised of firefighters. Successful candidates are invited to Fire Chief’s Interview. If the candidate passes the interview, they are placed on a list to be selected from according to vacancies in the department. (The list is maintained for a minimum of one year, but may be extended by the Fire Chief.) At that point, the Fire Chief and Human Resources review the list and conduct background checks on selected individuals. Job offers are extended contingent upon successful completion of a medical exam. If the candidate succeeds, they will then go through a 10-16 week fire academy and orientation period.

Once Employed
New employees go through a 16 month probationary period. During the first year, a new firefighter is tested monthly to ensure proficiency with equipment and procedures. At the end of their first year, probationary firefighters take a final proficiency examination.

Characteristics Beneficial to Applicants
Interest in community service
Interest in improving knowledge, skills, and abilities
Resourcefulness, efficiency, and productiveness
Dedication and a strong work ethic
Team player
Interest in the environment and it’s protection

How to Obtain an Application
Application forms are available in the Human Resources Department, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301 or you can download an application form in PDF. Resumes are accepted in lieu of City applications, and may be mailed to the above address or faxed to (650) 329-2696 or may be submitted on-line. City applications will be required at the time of interview. EOE. Selection Process: Application screening will be part of the selection process. Based on the application screening, those candidates with the most relevant qualifications will be invited to an oral interview, which may include a written exam and/or practical exam.

Suggested Study Guides for Written Tests
EMT questions- Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 6th ed. plus study guide
Firefighter questions- IFSTA Essentials Manual, 3rd ed. plus study guide