Edmond searches for more firefighters
Firefighters are planning an outreach program on Saturday for people interested in working in the fire services.
The come-and-go event will be from 8 a.m. to noon at the Edmond Fire Department Regional Training Center, 5300 S Covell Road.
“This is the first time we have had this type of outreach for men and women interested in working in the fire service,” Interim Fire Chief Chris Denton said. “This is not really a family event.”
Fire officials expect to start hiring additional firefighters by this fall.
The Edmond Fire Department has 105 firefighters and 20 support employees. New firefighters will be required to attend the department’s in-house fire academy. The last session lasted 23 weeks.
The outreach event will showcase the department’s dive, technical rescue and Haz-Mat teams. There also will be live demonstrations of vehicle extrication and the new hire physical agility course.
Emergency medical service, suppression and training divisions will be on site to answer questions help guide interested men and women down the path to become a firefighter.
To be an Edmond firefighter, an applicant must be at least 18 years of age, in good physical condition, must have or be able to obtain a valid Oklahoma state driver’s license, must have a driving record acceptable to the city’s insurance carrier and a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
The following qualifications are preferred, but not required to apply:
Associate degree in fire sciences, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress firefighter 1 certification or paramedic license.
“We will not be taking applications,” Denton said. “This will give an indepth view of the Edmond Fire Department and what it offers as a career.”