Fire Fighter Trainee

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

· Ability to wear full protective clothing and equipment, including SCBA, while carrying fire equipment and performing physical tasks

· Ability to remove ladder from fire apparatus

· Ventilate roof with power tools

· Search for victim in limited visibility

· Remove victim or injured partner from the scene

· Extricate victim from vehicle

· Crawl through smoke filled structure pulling the charged hose line

· Ability to hook up to hydrant

· Able to move heavy objects to gain access to fire and/or free trapped persons

· Knowledge of personal protective devices

· Thinking and reasoning ability

· Knowledge of rescue and extrication operations

· Basic mechanical knowledge

· Knowledge of hose practices and ability to hold a charged attack line

· Oral and written communication skills

· Arithmetic ability

· Emergency medical knowledge

· Function as an integral component of a diverse team in dynamic and stressful situations

· Ability to perform and communicate critical, time-sensitive, complex, problem solving during physical exertion and/or in -stressful environments

· Ability to sustain prolonged concentration, problem-solving, and decision-making skills during physical exertion and/or working in stressful environments

· Maintain a harmonious work environment as part of a diverse team

· Interact with the public and colleagues in a professional and respectful manner

Physical Requirements:

All applicants must pass a physical ability test (FPAT) and the NFPA 1582 physical during the hiring process.

Light to heavy lifting and carrying; some crouching, stooping, squatting, crawling, reaching, pushing, and pulling when performing tasks. Must have the agility and physical strength to do prolonged and arduous work under adverse conditions. This includes the ability to lift, move and maintain position on items (e.g., charged hoses) up to 90 pounds; push objects up to 25 pounds; pull objects from 25-50 pounds, and lift or pull victims weighing more than 150 pounds. Ability to perform mental and physical tasks over prolonged periods of extreme physical exertion without a warm-up period, scheduled rest periods, meals, access to medication(s), or hydration. Adequate vision, hearing, and speech required.

Fire Fighter Recruits will be paid, full-time Recruits/students in Recruit School, Monday through Friday from approximately 8:00am through 5:00pm. Recruit School is approximately 6-7 months of rigorous, academically challenging material delivered in a structured classroom environment including textbook instruction, classroom lectures, hands-on learning, and testing, in addition to physically demanding training and daily PT. In order to graduate from the training academy, Recruits must meet all standards established by the department, including but not limited to:

· Attendance in all classes and training functions

· Successful completion of all academic portions of recruit training

· Participation in physical fitness training and achievement of goals set forth by the Fitness Coordinator and Training Staff

· Adherence to all standards, rules, guidelines, and requirements as established by department General Orders and by Training Staff expectations

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

· The Charlotte Fire Department requires its Firefighters to have a valid driver's license as a condition of employment; all applicants are required to have a valid driver's license prior to receiving a conditional offer of employment.

· Must be at least 18 years of age BY the date of application

· Must have a high school diploma, GED, or high school equivalency from an accredited educational institution BY the date of applications

· Must meet medical requirements set forth in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582 Chapter 6: Medical Evaluations of Candidates

Automatic Disqualifiers Include, but are not Limited to:

· Reason(s) other than an ‘Honorable’ discharge from the military; ‘General discharge under Honorable conditions’ will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis

· Admission and/or conviction of felony offense

· Admission and/or conviction of misdemeanor involving moral turpitude

· Use of marijuana/THC (smoke, inhale, ingest, etc.) within 6 months before, or any time after, the date of applications

· Use of any other illicit or illegal drugs within 3 years before, or any time after, the date of applications

· Pattern of illegal drug use, including distribution

· Pattern of theft

· Six or more points for moving violations on driving record during past three years. Three-year period calculated from date of conviction for each violation. Court decisions such as Prayer for Judgment Continued (PJC) will be counted as convictions.

· Conviction of DUI / DWI within the last five years. Five-year period calculated from date of conviction for each violation. Court decisions such as Prayer for Judgment Continued (PJC) will be counted as convictions.

· Prior to receiving a Formal Offer of Employment, candidates will be expected to be in full compliance with the GO 209.01A-Body Art-Tattoo Policy linked on the Charlotte Fire Department website at https://www.charlottenc.gov/Public-Safety/Fire-Department/Work-for-Us#section-3 which includes the following: 1) No tattoos above the shirt collar to include the neck, face, or anywhere on the head, or anywhere below the wrist to include the entire hand (with exception to a single tattoo on the ring finger in place of a wedding band). 2) No tattoos that express hate or defame any group of citizens to include, but not limited to, race, gender, sex, color, or national origin, or any tattoos that are vulgar, profane, drug related, offensive, racist, gang related, or sexually explicit.

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