What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lateral Firefighter and Lateral Firefighter Paramedic position at Central Pierce Fire & Rescue?
Central Pierce Fire & Rescue (CPFR) is now accepting applications for Lateral Firefighter candidates who are certified EMTs or Paramedics interested in joining our team as a Firefighter/EMT or Firefighter/Paramedic. The pay rates listed above reflect the 2025 base Firefighter pay rates. In addition to base pay, once a Paramedic has been certified by Washington State and approved to practice in Pierce County, an additional monthly Paramedic premium will be paid at 12% of your base rate, for 2025 this would be in the range of $1,054 - $1,172 additional per month. Please note that candidates hired as paramedics will have a three-year commitment to operate as a paramedic.
Please join us on Thursday, December 19th at 3:00 p.m. (Pacific) for a LIVE Q&A with our Fire Chief where we will share a brief overview of the department, the benefits of working with us, along with live questions from attendees.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87246003666?pwd=jpYHnYblezpZZimj6fCtfJIUtyCaaa.1
Meeting ID: 872 4600 3666
Passcode: 073162
This session will be recorded and a link to the recording will be sent to everyone who has applied by December 20th. If you are unable to attend and want to send us a question for the Chief to answer on the Q&A, please email your question(s) to hr@centralpiercefire.org.
As of January 1, 2025, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue will have a contract for service with both Graham Fire & Rescue and Orting Fire & Rescue. Voters will be asked to approve a merger of the three departments later in the year. We have already been working collaboratively to improve service delivery, reduce costs, and improve the quality of service to our citizens.
Integral to this collaboration is a brand new cutting-edge labor contract that covers all uniformed personnel. Highlights include:
Four (4) platoons (A, B, C & D Shifts) with no Debit Days, for an average workweek of 42.11 hours. Duty hours shall be 24-hour shifts of duty (0800-0800), with a rotating schedule of one (1) on, three (3) off.
100% employer-paid medical and dental premiums for the employee and any dependents.
504 hours of Paid Time Off (PTO) per year.
A one-time contribution of 2,189 hours into a Short-Term Disability bank which can be used for employee illness or incapacity, the health condition of an employee's child under the age of eighteen (18), or scheduled doctor appointments.
State pension and monthly contributions of $606 dollars to a deferred compensation 457 plan.
Collectively, Central Pierce, Graham, and Orting operate 20 fire stations serving the communities of Parkland, Midland, City of Puyallup, unincorporated North Puyallup, Summit, South Hill, Elk Plain, Spanaway, Graham, Kapowsin, and Orting. Our departments provide fire suppression, emergency medical services (including Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, and hospital transport), technical rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, public information and education, and prevention and code compliance. Our service area borders the cities of Tacoma, Lakewood, Edgewood, Fife, Sumner, and Joint Base Lewis McChord (which is one of the largest military posts in the United States).
In 2023, Central Pierce, Graham, and Orting responded to 44,171 incidents, including 32,010 calls for rescue/EMS and 1,332 fires.
Central Pierce Fire & Rescue is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We want to employ a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We actively work to eliminate racial and other disparities and we welcome candidates with diverse and/or multicultural skill sets and personal experiences. For additional information about Central Pierce Fire & Rescue, visit our website.
Firefighter/EMTs and Firefighter/Paramedics are responsible for protecting life and property by performing emergency aid, basic and advanced life support, as well as performing firefighting work, hazardous materials and fire prevention while maintaining emergency and rescue equipment/apparatus, fire equipment/apparatus and fire department facilities. Firefighter/EMTs and Firefighter/Paramedics also prepare a variety of electronic reports and constantly interact with the public in a positive way.
REQUIREMENTS
- To be eligible to be classified as a lateral Firefighter candidate, you must have been employed for at least 36 of the last 60 months as of June 1, 2025, in a FULL-TIME, PAID position as a Firefighter with a municipal fire department, fire protection district, or the United States Military.
- Must possess a current/valid EMT or Paramedic certification (National Registry or Washington State). Must be attached to the online application.
- Must possess Firefighter I and Firefighter II certifications. Must be attached to the online application.
- Graduation from high school or equivalent and a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of employment.
- Must possess a valid driver's license.
- No felony convictions or disqualifying criminal histories within the past seven years.
- Eligible to work in the United States.
- Must be able to read and write the English language.
- Must be able to meet the District’s adopted minimum physical, medical, and psychological standards for firefighter.
| Application Period: | December 3, 2024 - January 5, 2025 |
| In-person Only Oral Board Interviews: | January 28th - 30th, 2025 |
| Background Investigations: | February 2025 |
| In-person Only Chiefs Interviews: | March 11th - 13th, 2025 |
| In-person Physical, Drug Screen & Zoom Psychological Evaluations: | April/May 2025 |
| Final Offers: | June 2, 2025 |
| Orientation Begins: | June 16, 2025 (Estimated) |
Salary : $105,384 - $117,120
