A Firefighter Trainee participates in an intensive training program in basic firefighting and emergency medical treatment. The requirements for application acceptance are graduation from high school or its equivalent, a valid California Driver's License (CDL), a current Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Certificate, and a valid Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) card.  The candidate must also: 

1. Be at least 18 years of age at time of application; AND
2. Be U.S. citizen or authorization to work in the United States; AND
3. Have vision of at least 20/100 in each eye, correctable to 20/30 and normal color vision; AND
4. Be in good physical health, and possess the appropriate physical strengths and abilities to do the work.

Selection Process

• Submit a City of Richmond application during an open application period. Detailed information about the recruitment is available on the Human Resources Management Department Job Description website.
  
• Written Exam: Candidates must have an active score of 70% or greater on the California Firefighter Candidate Testing Center (FCTC) Statewide Eligibility List on the date the list is pulled for a current application period. Visit www.fctconline.org to learn about the FCTC testing process.
  
• Departmental interviews
• Chief interview
• Preliminary background investigation
• Conditional offer of employment followed by fingerprinting, medical examination and psychological test

Once the above has been completed, the candidate may receive an offer letter from the Human Resources Management Department to join the Recruit Academy.  Upon successfully completing the academy, a trainee is promoted to the position of Probationary Firefighter for eighteen months.