STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — If you want to become a firefighter in New York City, the application to join the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) is now open.
The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) released the application — which is typically offered every four years — on June 24.
If you meet the basic requirements of the job, you can apply for your exam online at Online Application System (OASys) or at one of the Computer-Based Testing and Application Centers (CTAC).
The deadline to apply is Aug. 8.
The current minimum salary as a firefighter is $54,122 per annum. Incumbents will receive salary increments reaching $105,146 per annum at the completion of five and one half years of employment. All rates are subject to change.
Additionally, employees receive holiday, night shift and overtime pay.
By the date of the appointment, you must have a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent. You also must have 15 college semester credits earned as a result of satisfactory completion of course work at an accredited college or university; or full-time U.S. military service with an honorable discharge; or have been discharged Under Honorable Conditions; or six months of full-time, satisfactory paid work experience.
Applicants must be at least 17 ½ years of age by the end of the application period. You also must not have reached your 29th birthday by the beginning of the application period to be eligible to take this examination. However, you must have reached your 21st birthday to be eligible for appointment.
There are several other requirements listed in the application.
Here’s what the job entails, according to DCAS:
“Under supervision, firefighters assist in the control and extinguishment of fires, in providing pre-hospital emergency medical care, and in the enforcement of laws, ordinances, rules and regulations regarding the prevention, control and extinguishment of fires, as well as perform Fire Safety Education activities; perform inspections and related enforcement duties, such as issuing criminal court summonses and vacate orders, to assure compliance with provisions of the Fire Prevention Code and applicable sections of the Building Code, Multiple Dwelling Code, Housing Maintenance Code, Labor Law and other laws, rules and regulations, within enforcement purviews of the New York City Fire Department; perform inspections of equipment and schedule as necessary the maintenance of various tools and equipment, including but not limited to power tools, company apparatus, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (S.C.B.A) and other personal safety equipment; and perform related work. Some of the physical activities performed by Firefighters and environmental conditions experienced are: wearing protective clothing, such as bunker suit, helmet, boots and breathing apparatus; crawling, crouching and standing, often for prolonged periods, while extinguishing fires; driving fire apparatus and other Department vehicles; climbing stairs, ladders and fire escapes; raising portable ladders; using forcible entry tools, such as axes, sledge hammers, power saws and hydraulic tools; searching for victims in smoke-filled environments; carrying or dragging victims from dangerous locations; connecting, stretching and operating hose lines; locating hidden fire by feel and smell; providing medical assistance to injured or ill citizens; and providing control and mitigation of hazardous materials incidents while wearing chemical protective clothing.”
New York City employs hundreds of thousands of people in its 80 agencies. Taking a test is the way to get started in the hiring process for most of these positions. Application fees range from $40 to $101.
The application fee for the firefighter exam is $30.
For more information about registering for this test, log onto the DCAS website. Go online via the OASys at www.nyc.gov/examsforjobs to apply. To receive monthly exam updates, sign up for the DCAS newsletter at nyc.gov/examsforjobs and click the Exams tab.
All examination and eligible list-related notifications are sent by email only; you will no longer receive notifications via U.S. mail.
On Staten Island, the testing center is located at 135 Canal St., Stapleton. Additional testing centers are located at: 2 Lafayette St., Manhattan; 210 Joralemon St., Brooklyn; 118-35 Queens Blvd., Queens; 1932 Arthur Ave., the Bronx.
After an exam is administered, it generally takes nine to 12 months for an eligible list of passers to be established from which agencies can hire, according to DCAS.
Inquiries regarding the status of an eligible list can be e-mailed to the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services at: LMAcustomerserviceunit@dcas.nyc.gov.