Fire Captain

Orange-County-Fire-Authority; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Orange County Fire Authority is extending the promotional process for Fire Captain to eligible, non-probationary OCFA firefighters. Candidates must have five years of full-time experience as a Firefighter or Fire Apparatus Engineer and meet CSFM Company Officer and ENGB prerequisites.

Documentation must be submitted with the application by the stated deadline. Applicants should ensure they hold the required licenses and certifications, including a valid California Driver License and CSFM

Qualifications

• Probation completed as Firefighter at time of application.
• At least five (5) years’ experience as a full-time career Firefighter or Fire Apparatus Engineer with OCFA or related agency.
• Must meet basic proficiency via OCFA Fire Apparatus Engineer promotions or CFSTES Driver/Operator certifications.
• Submission of all required CSFM and ENGB-related certificates at time of application.

Skills

Firefighter experience

Apparatus Engineer

OCFA development series

Education

CSFM Company Officer courses

ENGB qualification or equivalent

Job description

APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS UPDATED

This promotional opportunity is open to current, qualified, Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), non-probationary firefighter unit members only. No other applications will be considered.

Please click on the following link to view the complete classification specification for Fire Captain.

EXPERIENCE

At time of application, applicants must have completed probation as a Firefighter and possess at least five (5) years’ experience as a full-time career Firefighter or Fire Apparatus Engineer with the OCFA or a fire agency that the OCFA assumed fire protection responsibility for, or a combination of the two. Qualifying experience as a Firefighter begins at time of hire as either a Firefighter Trainee or Firefighter.

In addition to the years of experience requirement above, an applicant seeking promotion to Fire Captain must meet basic proficiency skills by any one of the following:

• The applicant is a current Fire Apparatus Engineer with the OCFA
• The applicant is on the current Fire Apparatus Engineer promotional list
• The applicant has completed the formalized OCFA Fire Apparatus Engineer Development Series (Class 1-4)
• The applicant has completed the California Fire Service Training & Education System (CFSTES) Driver Operator 1A and 1B; In lieu of CFSTES Driver Operator 1A and 1B, the applicant may complete the new series of Fire Apparatus Drive/Operator classes which includes the following: Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator Pump, Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator Aerial, Fire Apparatus, Driver/Operator Tillered, Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator Wildland and Fire Apparatus, Driver/Operator Water Tender

LICENSES

Possession of a valid Class C Driver License at time of appointment.

CERTIFICATIONS (promotion requirement)

• Applicants must attach all certificates at time of application.
• Failure to submit proof of documentation by the deadline will result in disqualification from the Fire Captain recruitment process.

Completion of all of the California State Fire Marshal (CSFM) Company Officer courses listed below is required:

• Company Officer 2A – Human Resources Management
• Company Officer 2B – General Administrative Functions
• Company Officer 2C – Fire Inspections and Investigations
• Company Officer 2D – All Risk Command Operations
• Company Officer 2E – Wildland Incident Operations
• Instructor 1 – Instructional Methodology

Applicants who have completed all eight (8) CSFM Fire Officer courses (listed below) prior to 01/01/2017 will not need to complete the 5 new CSFM Company Officer courses (listed above). Proof of documentation is required.

• Fire Command 1A or Command 1A
• Fire Command 1B
• Fire Instructor 1A or Training Instructor 1B
• Fire Instructor 1B or Training Instructor 1A
• Fire Investigation 1A
• Fire Management 1
• Fire Prevention 1A or Fire Prevention 1
• Fire Prevention 1B or Fire Prevention 1

To ensure applicants are qualified to open an Engine Boss (ENGB) task book, proof of ENGB qualification or completion of all of the courses listed below is required. Proof of documentation is required.

• I-300 – Intermediate ICT (In-person course only)
• IS-800 B, C, or D – National Response Framework, an Introduction
• S-215 or Company Officer 2E – Wildland Incident Operations
• S-230 and S-231 – Engine Boss (Single Resource)
• S-290 – Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (online course is NOT valid for this process)
• RT-130 - Annual Wildland Fire Safety Refresher

*Qualified applicants who possess all but S-215 OR Company Officer 2E – Wildland Incident Operations for the Engine Boss (ENGB) task book qualification will be allowed to participate in the selection process. Candidates will have until Monday, February 1, 2027 at 12:00 pm (noon) to complete and submit the missing certification.

PERFORMANCE (position requirements at time of application)

Standard or higher rating on last two (2) annual performance reviews

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

• Last Day to Submit Online Application, Resumé, and Required Certifications: Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 12:00 PM (noon)
• Written Examination: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 (B-Shift)
• Oral Interview: November 2 - 6, 2026
• Non-mandatory Prep Days (One per assessment simulation – the Prep Days are for those candidates who successfully complete the oral interview and written exam with scores of 80% or better): December 7, 9, & 11, 2026
• Fire Captain Academy 42: February 19 – April 1, 2027
• Fire Captain Academy 43: April 30 – June 10, 2027

Written Examination

The written examination is scheduled for Thursday, October 7, 2026 (B-Shift). The written examination will focus on current OCFA operational practices and modern management concepts and practices. The written examination consists of information contained in the following materials:

1. OCFA Truck Manual, Volumes I, II, and III
2. OCFA Engine Company Operations Manual
3. OCFA First Due Guide
4. OCFA General Orders
5. OCFA Standard Operating Procedures
6. Progressive Discipline Guide (Outlines the Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act)
7. Incident Response Pocket Guide
8. OCPFA Memorandum of Understanding
9. Firefighter Handbook, Wildland Firefighting, 3rd edition (OCFA Cat #B9)
10. OCFA Structural Firefighting Handbook (Command Procedures)

Note: The following link has been created to provide applicants with the study material Fire Captain Study Material. The Firefighter Handbook, Wildland Firefighting, 3rd edition is available in the station library.

Oral Interview

Oral Interviews are scheduled for November 2 – 6, 2026.

Fire Captain Academy 42

The mandatory FCA42 is scheduled Monday-Friday, February 19, 2027 – April 1, 2027. FCA42 will be comprised of six (6) modules:

• Module 1: Structural Strategy and Tactics
• Module 2: Human Resources / Employee Relations
• Module 3: Wildland and All-Risk Strategy and Tactics
• Module 4: Review
• Module 5: Academy Assessment Center
• Module 6: Administration & Leadership

WEIGHTS FOR SELECTION COMPONENTS

Written Exam - 10%

The minimum passing score for this selection component is 80%. All candidates who achieve 80% or greater on the written exam will be invited to the oral interview. Candidates' final overall selection component score will include 10% of their written exam score.

Oral Interview - 15%

The minimum passing score for this selection component is 80%. Candidates' final overall selection component score will include 15% of their oral interview score.

Fire Captain Academy Eligibility List

Candidates who achieve 80% or greater on the written exam and the oral interview will be placed onto the Fire Captain Academy eligibility list in ranked order based on the combined written examination and oral interview score. The Fire Captain Academy eligibility list will remain in effect for a period of one (1) year from the date of establishment or until all the names on the list are exhausted. The Fire Captain Academy eligibility list may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties.

Candidates on the Fire Captain Academy Eligibility list not placed in FCA42 may be invited to the future Fire Captain Academies if available during the life of the Fire Captain Academy eligibility list.

Fire Captain Academy – 75%

• Module 1: Structural Strategy and Tactics
• Module 2: Human Resources / Employee Relations
• Module 3: Wildland and All-Risk Strategy and Tactics
• Module 4: Review
• Module 5: Academy Assessment Center
  • Tactical Simulator (Dynamic) – 25%
  • Tactical Simulator (Static) – 25%
  • Employee Relations Exercise – 25%
• Module 6: Administration & Leadership

Candidates must achieve a minimum passing score of 80% on each component of Module 5. Candidates who fail the Fire Captain Academy Assessment Center will be returned to the field and NOT invited to Module 6.

Fire Captain Promotional Eligibility List

The Fire Captain promotional eligibility list will be established in rank order based on the combined written examination, oral interview, and Fire Captain Academy Assessment Center scores.

Promotions will occur in rank order.

The Fire Captain promotional eligibility list will remain in effect for a period of 1 year from the date of establishment or until all the names on the list are exhausted. The Fire Captain promotional eligibility list may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) ACCOMMODATION

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, anyone who needs an ADA accommodation for the purposes of employment testing should contact Brad Stephens, Senior Human Resources Analyst at [phone] or [e-mail] at least 72 hours prior to any portion of the examination process.

CHANGE IN SCHEDULING/PROCESS

If there is a change in the selection process, Human Resources will notify all affected candidates.

QUESTIONS

All questions regarding this recruitment should be addressed to Brad Stephens, Senior Human Resources Analyst at [phone] or via email at [e-mail].

NOTE

The provisions of this publication do not constitute an express or implied contract. Any provision in this publication may be modified or revoked without notice.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The Orange County Fire Authority is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.