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Fire Recruit Guide

 

Applicants may want to consider the four hiring preferences listed below. Although no positions can be guaranteed from the hiring preferences, they must be included in your decisions for employment.

Hiring preferences are:

  • Applicant already possesses their Emergency Medical Technician license (EMT).
  • Applicant lives in Orleans Parish.
  • Applicant is bilingual or multilingual.

Public Safety Employees are not required to live in Orleans Parish at this time.

 

Domicile requirements for firefighters are currently waived for the purpose of application.

 

The Physical Agility Exam is a series of five timed, role-related tests designed to assess the applicants’ fitness, strength, stamina, coordination, dexterity, ability to work in darkened confined spaces, and the ability to understand and properly apply information.

All tests are relevant to a professional firefighter’s role.

Physical tests are the minimum physical requirements and applicants must pass them all.

  • Without having any firsthand knowledge of this profession, some applicants believe they have what it takes already and do not prepare for this career which often leads to failure.
  • Some applicants run several days per week, play sports, or just are in decent physical shape already. These are very good ways to start, but many times not enough to finish. Many applicants believe that exercising and jogging may be enough.
a day in the life of a fire recruit

In the Academy

 
  • Daily lectures, practical equipment handling, knowledge exams
  • Run at least 1.5 miles or more three times weekly
  • Run up 6 flights of stairs 10 times non-stop twice weekly
  • Pushups and many other exercises daily
  • Training classes to deal with stressful incidents