Denton Firefighter Pay and Benefits for a New Hire in 2027

30-second answer. Under the City's FY 26/27 Civil Service Fire Pay Plan, effective January 2, 2027, a new Denton firefighter starts at $88,545.60 a year, Step A (pay plan copy supplied by the Denton Fire Department; the same figures are in the Denton Fire Department recruiting newsletter). Pay steps up on the anniversary date and reaches $110,739.20 at seven years. Certification and education pay are added every month on top of base pay, leave accrues from the first month, and the job carries a defined-benefit pension. The next civil service exam is Saturday, January 9, 2027 (Denton Fire Department recruiting newsletter), and exam registration officially opens in December (Denton Fire recruiting page). The recruit list on that page sends the notice when it opens.

Base pay

The FY 26/27 plan prints the Fire Fighter grade in six steps, and its footnote says step increases "are based on anniversary date."

The plan computes the shift rate from 2,928 annual hours "including FLSA overtime hours" across 26 pay cycles, so the annual figure already counts the overtime built into the schedule. Spread over 26 paychecks, Step A is $3,405.60 gross per check. The hourly columns and the promoted ranks are in the step-by-step pay guide.

Certification and education pay

Denton adds monthly pay for what you hold. Article 11 of the Meet and Confer Agreement sets these amounts, and the City's certification and education pay sheet prints them.

How the pays combine, in the agreement's own words: "Certification and Education pays shall be cumulative," and the up-to-three additional certification pays come "in addition to" the certification, education, specialty and paramedic pays (Article 11, Sections 1 and 2). The pay sheet adds that certification and education pays "are paid cumulatively for the highest degree and the highest certification held by a fire fighter." Pay starts "the first pay period after" you submit proof and the department head verifies it, and you can change which three additional certifications you are paid for if you notify Fire Administration "no later than October 31st of that year."

The fire certifications are a career ladder, not a day-one add-on. The Texas Commission on Fire Protection requires four, eight and twelve years of fire protection experience for Intermediate, Advanced and Master (TCFP Structure Fire Suppression certificate). Paramedic and degree pay do not depend on years in the fire service. Bilingual pay also requires certification under the Department Head's standards and assignment to the bilingual program (Article 11, Section 4).

Two worked examples at Step A, using only the table above:

• Paramedic and an associate's degree: $100 + $90 = $190 a month, or $2,280 a year, for $90,825.60.
• Paramedic, a bachelor's degree, and oral, reading and writing bilingual skills, if assigned to the bilingual program: $100 + $150 + $150 = $400 a month, or $4,800 a year, for $93,345.60.

The full schedule, with assignment pays, is in the certification and specialty pay guide.

Leave

• Vacation. Fire Civil Service employees on the 56-hour workweek accrue 15 hours a month of continuous service (Policy 107.03, Vacation Leave). The policy places no limit on carrying unused hours from year to year and makes it the employee's responsibility to take at least five days of vacation a year. After five years of continuous service, 56-hour personnel receive 6 additional vacation hours a year, and again for every year of continuous service after that.
• Sick leave. Fire Civil Service employees on 12-hour shifts accrue 15 hours a month "with unlimited accrual" (Policy 111.01, Sick Leave). During its term, which runs through September 30, 2027, the Meet and Confer Agreement raises the maximum payout of accrued sick leave at separation to 1,180 hours (Article 10, Section 5).
• Holidays. The City observes 11 holidays. Fire civil service employees can bank and carry over up to 132 holiday hours a year for them, and up to 132 hours may be paid out at termination. Two personal floating holidays a calendar year do not carry over (Policy 107.02, Holidays).
• Longevity. The City pays "$4.00 per month for each year of service with the Denton Fire Department," and the agreement removes the 25-year cap in state law (Article 10, Section 6). The City's benefits overview says it is paid once a year, in a lump sum in November.

The leave guide covers military, mental health and quarantine leave too.

Probation

The Meet and Confer Agreement sets probation by what you hold on your first day (Article 4, Section 9). A new firefighter "certified as both a fire fighter and a paramedic shall serve a probationary period of twelve (12) months." Anyone else serves "up to eighteen (18) months beginning on that person's date of employment as a Fire Fighter." The probation guide has the full text.

Benefits from the City

These come from the City's Employee Benefits Overview for full-time employees, updated December 11, 2024.

• Medical and prescription: UnitedHealthcare, with a choice of the Elm or Oak plan. The City and the employee share the cost.
• Dental and vision: Humana, employee-paid. Dental includes orthodontia coverage for adults and eligible children. A flexible spending account is also available.
• Basic life and AD&D: provided at no cost, 1x annual salary for most positions.
• Long-term disability: provided at no cost, 60 percent of monthly pay up to $5,200 a month after 90 consecutive calendar days of disability.
• Short-term disability: employee-paid, elected within 30 days of hire, 60 percent of weekly pay up to $1,200 a week after 14 consecutive calendar days of disability.
• Employee clinic: Marathon Health provides no-cost medical services for employees, retirees, spouses and dependents ages 2 and up who are enrolled in a City health plan.
• Employee Assistance Program: Optum, six free face-to-face consultation visits per incident, per year.
• Tuition reimbursement: after six months, 100 percent of tuition and required fees up to $5,250 a calendar year, with a two-year employment continuation requirement.
• Time away: up to five days for the death of an immediate family member, and full pay for jury duty.
• 457(b): MissionSquare, traditional or Roth, with a $15 minimum per pay period. The agreement also keeps the IAFF Financial Corporation 457 Plan available (Article 13).

The agreement adds an optional fitness incentive: a one-time $600 payment for a "Superior" rating on the annual physical, or $500 for "Excellent," paid the first pay period in November (Article 8, Section 2).

Retirement

Denton firefighters belong to the Denton Firemen's Relief and Retirement Fund, a defined-benefit pension. Normal retirement is age 50 with 20 years of service, and the benefit is 2.59 percent of the highest 36-month average salary for each year of service (fund actuarial valuation as of December 31, 2023). Twenty years times 2.59 percent is 51.8 percent of that average. Firefighters contribute 12.6 percent of pay, and the agreement has the City maintain its contribution level at 18.5 percent of compensation (Article 12, Section 2). The pension guide has the full plan.

What you need to be hired

To be hired, you need Texas Commission on Fire Protection Basic Firefighter certification plus EMT-Basic, or a paramedic certification or license (City of Denton careers FAQ). You need neither to join the recruit list. The next exam is Saturday, January 9, 2027, and registration officially opens in December (Denton Fire recruiting page). Join the recruit list to be notified when it opens.