FIRE FIGHTER TRAINEE

County-of-Los-Angeles; California; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Los Angeles County Fire Department is seeking qualified candidates for Emergency Fire Fighter Trainee (Paramedic) vacancies related to the homelessness crisis. Applicants must meet the specified Paramedic requirements and will be assessed during a 90-day period with potential permanent appointment.

Special attention is given to licensing (EMT-P), CPAT, and full-time 9-1-1 paramedic experience; applicants should be prepared for a rigorous selection process and ongoing training.

Qualifications

• Graduation from high school or equivalent with proof.
• EMT-P license issued by the California EMS Authority, valid for at least six months beyond appointment.
• Twelve months of full-time experience as a primary care paramedic (9-1-1 responses).
• Current CPAT certificate at time of appointment.

Skills

Teamwork

Emergency medical services knowledge

Education

High school diploma

EMT-P license (CA EMS Authority)

12 months paramedic experience (9-1-1)

CPAT certificate

Job description

FIRE DEPARTMENT

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT

OPEN COMPETITIVE JOB OPPORTUNITY - EMERGENCY

EXAM NUMBER

30198 B-EA

APPLICATION FILING PERIOD

Applications will be accepted from October 19, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. (PT) until October 23, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. (PT).

All applications must be received before 5:00 p.m. (PT) on October 23, 2026, to be accepted.

The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Fire Fighter Trainee (Paramedic) vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

During your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%

Those who successfully pass the 90 day assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Fire Fighter Paramedic and will be eligible for a paramedic bonus upon permanent appointment.

90-DAY ASSESSMENT

Fire Fighter Trainees (Paramedic) participate in an emergency assessment academy that includes basic firefighting, emergency medical treatment, a paramedic skills/internship component, and responsibilities. They also participate in a basic firefighting training program involving both field and classroom instruction prior to appointment as a Fire Fighter.

Recruits must have the mental ability to assimilate classroom instructions and the physical skill, stamina, and coordination to become proficient in all firefighting and rescue techniques.

SPECIALTY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants who do not have a Paramedic License issued by the State of California Emergency Medical Services Authority and the required experience will be disqualified.

In order to qualify, candidates must meet all of the following requirements:

• Graduation from high school, its equivalent*, or higher from an accredited institution**
• A current, valid, non-probationary California Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P) License issued by the State of California Emergency Medical Services Authority*** that must be effective for at least six months beyond the date of appointment
• Twelve (12) months of full-time experience as a primary care paramedic running 9-1-1 responses****
• A current and valid Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) certificate*****

See below LICENSE/CERTIFICATE(S) section for details on what must be submitted.

• Provides EMT-Paramedic level of advanced emergency medical assessment, care and treatment.
• Utilizes, monitors, and interprets electrocardiograms, performs defibrillation, chemical and electrical cardioversion, and/or external pacing to correct any life-threatening arrhythmia occurring with the patient's heart.
• Establishes intravenous (IV) catheters, intraosseous (10), or other cannula (IV/10 lines) in peripheral veins and/or intraosseous.
• Administers and monitors approved medications and dosage by intravenous, intraosseous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, inhalation, transcutaneous, rectal, sublingual, endotracheal, oral or topical means.
• Assesses and clears oral and nasal airways to administer oxygen in proper quantity as per protocol in order to facilitate patient's breathing.
• Inspects the airway by the use of laryngoscope and removes foreign bodies with forceps.
• Performs pulmonary ventilation by use of approved Los Angeles County EMS Agency basic and/or advanced techniques and adjuncts (CPAP, supraglottic airway devices, adult oral endotracheal intubation, etc.).
• Utilizes point of care devices to monitor glucose, capnography, pulse oximetry, carboxyhemoglobin levels; and performs needle thoracostomy.
• Under close supervision, participates in a firefighting training program. Through classroom and field training, learns proper firefighting techniques and procedures for fighting structural, watershed, chemical, petroleum, electrical, and other fires.
• Receives instructions and participates in field training to learn proper procedures and acquire proficiency in the rescue or evacuation of persons endangered by fire or disaster in the provision of emergency medical care.
• Receives instructions in pre-fire plan inspection and enforcement of the Fire Code.
• Receives instructions and learns proper care and operations of all fire suppression apparatus.
• Works in a team environment while providing patient and compassionate care to member of the public in emergency and non-emergency conditions.

*Graduation from an accredited U.S. high school or equivalent U.S. high school proficiency or higher education. Evidence of equivalent high school proficiency includes having passed the GED, TASC, HiSET, or CHSPE. Accredited high schools are those accredited by certifying organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education, and include accredited public and non-public high schools in the United States and accredited United States Department of Defense high schools.

**Accredited institutions are those listed in the publications of regional, national, or international accrediting agencies which are accepted by the Department of Human Resources. Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references. Also acceptable, if appropriate, are degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from United States accredited institutions by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or the Association of International Credential Evaluations, Inc. (AICE).

***EMT-P License: Issued by the State of California Emergency Medical Services Authority that must remain effective for at least six months beyond the date of appointment.

**** Full time experience as a primary paramedic running 9-1-1 responses is defined as the paramedic responsible for primary patient care decisions while running 9-1-1 responses. Primary paramedic responsibilities are defined as all decisions on the assessment, treatment, and transport of patients that are accessing the 9-1-1 system. Inter-facility transports do not qualify.

*****A Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) is a timed test that measures performance on physical tasks simulating actual job duties on the fire ground. A current and valid CPAT must be provided by the time of appointment.

AGE: At least 18 years of age at the time of appointment.

CITIZENSHIP: A United States citizen or permanent resident who is eligible for and has applied for citizenship at the time of appointment.

LICENSE

See Licenses/Certificates Required section below.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Twenty-four (24) months of full-time experience as a firefighter paramedic
• California State Fire Training Firefighter I or II, or equivalent certification(s) from another state
• California State Fire Training Apparatus Operator lA or 1B certificate, or equivalent certification(s) from another state
• A current and valid Los Angeles County Paramedic Accreditation issued by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency

PHYSICAL CLASS

4 - Arduous: This class involves frequent heavy lifting over 25 pounds, often combined with bending, twisting, or working above ground on irregular surfaces. It includes those positions that occasionally demand extraordinary physical activity such as those in Safety positions.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must be in good general physical condition, free from any medical condition that would interfere with the satisfactory performance of the duties of this position.

Vision:

1. Acuity - At least 20/70 in each eye without correction, correctable to 20/30 in each eye.
2. Color perception - Anything other than minor hue impairment is disqualifying.

There may be no greater than a 25 Db loss in the better ear as averaged over the test frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz.

There may not be a peak loss at any of the test frequencies greater than 30 Db at 500 Hz

30 Db at 1000 Hz

40 Db at 2000 Hz

40 Db at 3000 Hz

There may be no greater than a 35 Db loss in the worse ear as averaged over the test frequencies, and no peak loss greater than 45 Db at any of the test frequencies.

In the case of a questionable, unusual, or borderline hearing loss, the applicant's record will be reviewed by the Occupational Health Service consultant in otolaryngology who will make a recommendation as to the applicant's employability, and forward it to the Medical Director for final disposition.

LICENSE/CERTIFICATES AND EDUCATION AND SUBMISSION PROCESS

Candidates must present:

1. Include a copy of your official diploma, its equivalent, official transcript, or letter/certificate from an accredited institution within five (5) calendar days of filing your application. The document should show the date the degree was conferred and be in English; if it is in a foreign language, it must be translated and evaluated for equivalency to U.S. standards. For more information on our standards for educational documents, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/dhr/PPG%20123.pdf (Download PDF reader) (Download PDF reader) and https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSlnter/dhr/205105_PPG_l23_ACE Resource_Guide.pdf (Download PDF reader) (Download PDF reader) .
2. A California driver's license before being appointed. Successful candidates for this position will be required to obtain and present a copy of their driving record from the California Department of Motor Vehicles before being appointed. License must not be suspended, restricted or revoked. ANY CANDIDATE WHOSE DRIVING RECORD SHOWS FOUR OR MORE MOVING VIOLATIONS WITHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS WILL NOT BE APPOINTED.
3. Candidates who are successfully hired must have a current and valid CPAT at the time of appointment.

If you are unable to attach the required documents, you must e-mail the documents to [e-mail].

We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst.

Failure to provide proof of requirements listed above will result in rejection of your application.

NOTE: It is the candidate's responsibility to maintain a current and valid non-probationary EMT-P license issued by the State of California Emergency Medical Services Authority that will remain effective for at least six months beyond the date of final appointment.

You MUST meet the above requirement(s) in order to be appointed to fill any vacancies related to this recruitment.

EXAMINATION CONTENT

During your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. Those who achieve a passing score for this evaluation will be considered for permanent appointment.

APPLICATION & FILING INFORMATION

Applications must be filed online only and will be reviewed for consideration on an ongoing basis. If you have not been contacted within 60 days and the recruitment remains open or reopens for filing; we encourage you to submit a new application. This will allow you to reaffirm your interest and update any relevant information.

Many important notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], and [e-mail] to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

You have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance before the posting closes as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacou you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

NO SHARING OF USER ID, EMAIL AND PASSWORD

All applicants must file their application using their own user ID and password. Using a family member's or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE

The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly show that you meet the Specialty Requirements. Please fill outyour application and supplemental questionnaire completely and correctly to receive full credit for any related education, training, and job experience. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your actual job title, beginning and ending dates, description of work performed, total number of hours worked (full or part time). Provide any relevant education, training, and experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for this job.

AVAILABLE SHIFT

Any Shift - Appointees must be willing to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.

BACKGROUND CHECK AND MEDICAL EXAMINATION INFORMATION

If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records that are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

Successful candidates who are given a conditional offer of employment will be required to complete a criminal background check, including a fingerprint search, followed by a medical examination.

A candidate with conviction history that has a direct and adverse relationship with the duties of the Fire Fighter Trainee position may have their conditional offer of employment rescinded and be removed from the certification list pursuant to Civil Service Rule 6.04.

In addition, candidates must successfully complete a medical examination and be able to perform all of the essential functions of the Fire Fighter Trainee classification. A candidate who does not successfully complete a medical examination or is unable to perform all of the essential functions of the Fire Fighter Trainee may have their conditional offer of employment rescinded and be removed from the certification list pursuant to Civil Service Rule 6.04.

Department Contact Name: Fire Examination Section

Department Contact Phone: [phone]

Department Contact Email: [e-mail]

Analyst Contact Phone: [phone]

Teletype Phone: [phone]

California Relay Services Phone: [phone]