FIREFIGHTER TRAINEE

City of Wichita Falls, Texas; Wichita Falls (TX); On-site; USD 55,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Wichita Falls, Texas is offering a paid firefighter trainee position with an entry pay of $64,146.94 annually, effective 9/19/26. Applicants must complete a notarized Personal History Statement and attend the entrance exam on November 21, 2026, with further testing following for agility and Erg metrics.

After academy completion, eligibility for hire as a Firefighter with the Wichita Falls Fire Department is provided.

Qualifications

• Be at least eighteen (18) years of age on the day of testing and must not have reached his/her 40th birthday prior to the date of hire
• Be a graduate of an accredited high school or possess an equivalency certificate
• Have a valid Texas driver's license within 30 days of hire
• Be a citizen of the United States by birth or naturalization
• Be able to read, write, and speak the English language
• Be of good moral character
• Achieve a minimum passing score of seventy (70) percent on the written civil service entry examination
• Successfully complete the physical ability test as prescribed by the Fire Department and approved by the Commission
• Pass a background investigation
• Pass oral interviews
• Successfully complete a post-job offer psychological examination and medical examination that includes passing a visual acuity test, and physician certification that the applicant is not dependent on and does not use illegal drugs or misuse legal drugs

Job description

READ THE ENTIRE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW BEFORE PROCEEDING

This position is a paid trainee position.

Entry pay for this position will be $64,146.94 annually, effective 9/19/26.

Individuals who complete the academy will be eligible for hire as a Firefighter with the Wichita Falls Fire Department.

All applicants must download, complete, and submit the Personal History Statement Package found here . You must complete every item in the packet and bring it with you to the exam. (Mailed History Packets must be postmarked before November 21st to be valid). The statement packet MUST BE NOTARIZED before submission.

The Firefighter Trainee Entrance Examination will be administered on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. The location of the examination will be announced at a later date.

Once the written examination has been completed, all applicants who have passed the exam will be given instructions to report to the Wichita Falls Fire Department's Fire Drill Field at 1302 Harding Street, Wichita Falls, Texas, to complete the physical agility portion of the testing.

The City of Wichita Falls will make every effort to administer the physical agility test on November 21, 2026. However, in the event of inclement weather, the physical agility testing will be postponed if it is determined that the footing at the Fire Drill Field is not sound enough to allow applicants to reasonably complete the test.

ALL APPLICANTS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE THE PHYSICAL AGILITY TEST ON November 21, 2026. THIS SHOULD INCLUDE BRINGING THE APPROPRIATE ATTIRE TO TAKE SUCH A TEST.

All applicants should be prepared for a full day of consecutive testing processes.

Any applicant who does not pass the physical agility test on their first attempt will be given the option of attempting a re-test. Any applicant wishing to take a re-test will do so on the same day as their original attempt. All applicants taking re-tests will do so after all other applicants have completed a first attempt of the physical agility test.

A demonstration of the Agility test may be found here

Practice test dates and times are as follows: November 10, 2026 at 5:30 PM, November 14, 2026 at 8:30 AM, and November 17, 2026 at 5:30 PM. Questions regarding practice testing can be answered at 940-761-7901.

For candidates who pass the physical agility test, an Ergometrics assessment will be administered the following day, Sunday, November 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Public Safety Training Center located at 710 Flood Street, Wichita Falls, TX 76301. Ergometrics video simulation tests are designed to assess applicant abilities in areas such as situational judgment, human relations, teamwork, listening and communication skills, dealing with difficult and stressful situations, multi-tasking, problem-solving, and safety. There are no practice materials available.

Failure to successfully complete any portion of the hiring process, failure to submit documentation within specified time limits, and tardiness may result in the applicant being eliminated from the hiring process.

MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR FIREFIGHTER TRAINEE

• Be at least eighteen (18) years of age on the day of testing and must not have reached his/her 40th birthday prior to the date of hire
• Be a graduate of an accredited high school or possess an equivalency certificate
• Have a valid Texas driver's license within 30 days of hire
• Be a citizen of the United States by birth or naturalization
• Be able to read, write, and speak the English language
• Be of good moral character
• Achieve a minimum passing score of seventy (70) percent on the written civil service entry examination
• Successfully complete the physical ability test as prescribed by the Fire Department and approved by the Commission, demonstrating the applicant is physically capable of performing the essential job functions for the position of firefighter
• Pass a background investigation
• Pass oral interviews
• Successfully complete a post-job offer psychological examination and medical examination that includes passing a visual acuity test, and physician certification that the applicant is not dependent on and does not use illegal drugs or misuse legal drugs