Firefighter - 2026/2027 Civil Service Exam

About the role

The Seattle Fire Department is a nationally recognized leader in fire and emergency services. As the largest fire department in the state of Washington, its 1000-plus workforce responds to more than 100,000 incidents per year.

Seattle Firefighters save lives and protect property through emergency medical service, fire and rescue response, and fire prevention. All Seattle Firefighters are either EMT or Paramedic certified, and approximately 80% of the emergency calls the department receives are medical in nature.

Medical emergency response: provide emergency medical services to the public; administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injured persons; assist in patient stabilization prior to transportation.

Fire scene response: provide suppression action after assessing public safety relevance; search buildings to locate and rescue victims; use firefighting equipment to extinguish fires in buildings, grass, terrain, automobiles, or other situations; take action to contain hazardous chemicals.

Operating vehicles and equipment: drive vehicles or mechanized equipment; operate radios; service, repair, and test mechanical equipment; perform apparatus maintenance.

Training and drilling: participate in drills, demonstrations, and classroom and practical training; practice manipulative skills.

Performing and maintaining physical fitness: perform physical activities; maintain physical abilities through exercise; maintain above average physical fitness levels in accordance with departmental guidelines.

Requirements at time of appointment – the requirements listed below are not required at the time of application, but are required before a candidate can be hired:

• Minimum Age: Candidates must be at least 18 years of age
• Education: Candidates must have a high school diploma or must have passed an equivalency test (G.E.D.)
• License: Candidates must possess a valid Driver's License
• EMT Certification: Candidates must have a valid state or national (NREMT) EMT certification at the level of EMT or higher at the time of hire. The Seattle Fire Department will offer an EMT course to selected candidates who do not meet the EMT requirement.
• Work Authorization: Candidates must be a citizen of the United States of America, a lawful permanent resident, or a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient.

Additional skills and qualities that successful candidates will possess

• Strong communication skills
• The ability to learn a variety of firefighting procedures, methods, and operations
• The ability to learn and apply principles of building construction as it applies to fire suppression and fire protection
• The ability to learn proper driving procedures of various fire apparatus
• The ability to perform manipulative tasks requiring manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination
• The physical strength and agility to perform strenuous physical work
• Good judgement in the application of firefighting, first aid, and other emergency techniques and procedures
• The ability to effectively interact with people from diverse backgrounds

Additional information

The Seattle Fire Department is a national leader in responding to, and preventing, emergencies with a commitment to excellence and teamwork. We seek a diverse workforce who embrace the following values:

• Integrity - We are honest, trustworthy, and accountable. Honor guides our actions.
• Teamwork - We each bring our own skills and experience, yet we recognize that we are better together. We support and depend on each other to achieve our goals.
• Compassion - Caring is part of our job. We could not do what we do without a deep and motivating empathy for those we serve.
• Courage - We show fortitude and determination in a crisis.
• Diversity - We respect the different identities, experiences, and perspectives of those that we work with and the community we serve.

Pay and benefits

The starting annual salary for a Seattle Firefighter Recruit is $43.22 per hour year with step, longevity and cost of living pay increases per union contract.

$8,504/month - Starting Recruit Firefighter Pay

• $9,010/month - 6 months
• $9,517/month - 18 months
• $10,023/month - 30 months
• $10,529/month - 42 months

In addition to promotional opportunities, there are several specialty and technical team assignments available to Firefighters, including Hazardous Materials, Decontamination, Technical Rescue, Marine Emergency Response, Energy Response, and becoming a FF/Paramedic. These assignments include between 5% and 20% premium pay.

The City of Seattle and the Seattle Healthcare Trust offer a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about Seattle Firefighter benefits is available on the City's website at: 2026_FF_BaaG_RMD.pdf

Vacancies: It is anticipated that approximately 60-100 positions will be filled annually, depending on attrition and budget.

Civil Service Exam Process

Candidates must be available to participate in all parts of the exam process as listed below:

• Apply: Applications will be accepted October 6th through November 17th, 2026. To submit an application, click “Apply” at the top of this job bulletin.
• Schedule and Complete NTN Exams:
• Video Exam:
• Option 1: Take a video test (FireTEAM) between October 6th - November 24th, 2026, conducted by the National Testing Network (NTN) either online or in-person at NTN testing centers. The test is self-scheduled through the NTN website. Important note: If you select Option 1, you forfeit the ability to transfer a current FireTEAM exam score (see Option 2 below).
• Option 2: Transfer a valid FireTEAM score completed between October 6th, 2025 and November 24th, 2026. Applicants who elect to transfer scores will be able to add Seattle as a department following NTN's standard "department add" process. Seattle will only accept one of the above test results options. (If you have tested within the last 90 days, you must transfer your scores.)

Note: There is a cost to take this exam, information about the financial hardship fee waiver process is in the notes section of this bulletin.

• PSSA1:
• Complete the Public Safety Self-Assessment 1 online through NTN’s website and submit scores before November 24th, 2026.
• All candidates will receive their result of the above exams in early December, 2026.
• Participate in Oral Board Interviews
• The top 1,200 candidates will be invited to participate in the Oral Board Exams (outlined below).
• Oral Board Exams will be held in person in the Seattle area from Jan 20th—30th, 2027 (Wednesdays-Saturdays). These dates are tentative and will be adjusted as necessary.

REASONABLE TESTING ACCOMMODATION:All accommodation requests will require documentation from a medical professional.

To apply for Reasonable Testing Accommodation for the video exam, you must fill out the request forms and submit them by mail to National Testing Network (NTN). NTN will consider all requests for Reasonable Testing Accommodation. Candidates will be informed of their decision. Please follow these steps:

National Testing Network