Recruiting: Join the Bryan Fire Department

Requirements

The Bryan Fire Department is seeking a diverse group of highly motivated applicants who want to serve their community. No certifications or experience are required. We will train you in everything you need to know.

Applicants to the Bryan Fire Department must meet the following requirements:

• Be between the age of 18 and 40 on the date of hire
• Possess a high school diploma or GED
• Be a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization
• Have good moral character, a stable employment history and no history of any conduct which may affect the suitability of firefighter/paramedic work.
• Be able to read and write the English language.
• Be able to meet the physical standards for the position.
• If applicable, military service with honorable discharge as stipulated on DD-214 Form.
• Possess a valid Texas driver’s license at the date of hire and meet the City’s evaluation criteria for the driver’s license record; must be able to obtain a Texas Class B Driver’s License within timeframe set by department.
• Certification is not required at time of hire. Once hired, certification must be obtained within time frame set by the department.
• If not certified when hired, must sign a Repayment Agreement with the city to reimburse costs of tuition for Firefighter and EMT courses in the event that the candidate voluntarily separates from the city within four years.

Applicants may not have been convicted of a felony or Class A misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the past 10 years.

Application Process

The process to become a Bryan Firefighter involves several steps:

1. Written Civil Service Exam

Successful applicants must score a 70 or higher on this exam to pass to the next step. Additional points are added to a passing score for applicants who meet the following criteria:

• Active military or honorably discharged veterans: Additional five points added to a passing score
• Texas certified Firefighter/Paramedic: Additional five points added to a passing score
• Texas Department of State Health Services certified Paramedic: Additional three points added to a passing score.

2. Physical Fitness Assessment

All candidates must pass a physical fitness assessment that includes the following.

The candidate will have 12 minutes to run/walk one (1) mile. You can run, walk, or do a combination of each. However, you cannot stop forward movement. This task will be separate from all other tasks. Should you pass this assessment, you will report to the Bryan Fire Department drill field for the remaining tasks.

All exercises in the Fitness Assessment (listed below) are simulations of the actual tasks performed by Bryan Firefighters in the discharge of their duties. All tasks are to be performed with gloves, helmet, and air pack (except for the ladder climb). Tasks 1-8 will be performed continuously with no breaks between tasks. If the candidate initially fails a task, the candidate will complete the assessment and immediately retest the task failed without a break between the initial attempt and the retest attempt.

The candidate must pass tasks 1-8 and will only be allowed one re‐test per task. If the candidate fails three tasks in any order on the initial test, the candidate will fail the overall test.

1. With the ladder fully extended at 80 degrees, climb to the top platform without stopping. You will be tied off with a safety line. Exception: Gloves and helmet only.
2. Pick up the nozzle end of a 1 ¾ inch hose and drag the hose 75 ft. to a pre‐positioned drum. Make a 90° turn and continue an additional 25 ft. Place nozzle in box, kneel on one knee, and pull remaining 75 ft. across finish line.
3. Using hand‐over‐hand technique, raise the fly of a 35 foot extension ladder to the maximum height.
4. Carry a 50 ft. rolled section of double-jacketed 3 inch hose from the base of the training tower up to the fourth floor and back down to the base.
5. Standing at the fourth story of the training tower, pull a 35 pound equipment bag that is attached to a 1/2 inch rope to the top of the railing. You must use a hand-under-hand method. The rope cannot touch the railing. Once you start, you cannot stop upward movement of the equipment bag.
6. Walk 25 yards, pick up a 165 pound rescue mannequin, and carry it back to your starting point without stopping. Buttocks must not touch the ground while carrying the mannequin.
7. Using an 8 pound sledgehammer, move the Keiser slide to the opposite end in 22 hits or less.
8. Pick up a positive pressure fan and walk 25 yards without setting it down.

3. Personal History Statement (PHS) Background Check

Applicants will be required to complete a Personal History Statement (PHS) Form. Applicants with Class B misdemeanor convictions (including deferred adjudication, pre-trial diversion, probation) in the past 10 years, or Class A misdemeanor or felony convictions at any time, are ineligible for hire.

4. Interview Panel

Candidates will participate in an individual interview with a panel of various Bryan Fire Department personnel and a representative from the City of Bryan Human Resources Department.

5. Job Offer

Conditional, pending a medical and drug screening.

6. New Hire Medical & Drug Screening

Basic medical exam and drug screening to assess if you are medically fit for duty.

The Academy

The Bryan Fire Department conducts its own paid in-house fire academy taught by BFD personnel, setting it apart from many agencies in our region. At the end of the 24-week academy, BFD cadets will graduate to become certified Firefighters through the Texas Commission of Fire Protection and certified EMT-Basics through the Texas Department of State Health Services and national EMT registry.

In the academy, Cadets receive hands-on training in the guidelines, methods and practices of the Bryan Fire Department. Skills taught include:

• Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
• BFD Fire Tactics
• Firefighter Safety and Survival
• Apparatus Familiarization
• BFD Engine Company Operations
• BFD Ladder Company Operations
• Rescue Skills and Guidelines
• MAYDAY/RIT
• BFD Communications
• High Rise Operations
• BFD Station Operations

When you complete the fire academy, you go straight on to shift work with the BFD. Our in-house academy ensures you get to active duty quicker than if you trained at a general fire academy.

Fully certified Firefighters who are hired by the BFD may be eligible for a shortened six week academy.