How to Become a Firefighter in Miami

The short answer. City of Miami Fire-Rescue and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue are different employers. The City of Miami Become a Miami Firefighter page (read 2026-09-03) does not print a starting salary. It requires you to be at least 18, hold a Florida Class E (or higher) driver license, and hold a valid State of Florida EMT card — "National EMT certification will not be accepted." Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's firefighter job page (read 2026-09-03) prints a Firefighter Trainee start of $44,962.53 and, after the training program, a probationary range of $75,177 to $111,873.75 including the EMT or paramedic incentive, $4,550 hazardous pay, and $1,000 flex benefits. That page also prints "MDFR recruitment period for 2025 is now closed." The Florida State Fire Marshal does not print a statewide academy tuition; Miami Dade College prints an estimated resident tuition of $1,493.71 for its Firefighter Minimum Standards certificate.

This page is the City of Miami how-to. MDFR dollars below are the county's own figures, labeled as county figures. Ready to Serve is not the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County, or the State Fire Marshal.

City of Miami requirements

From the Become a Miami Firefighter page, read 2026-09-03:

• Age: "Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age." No maximum on this page.
• Education: "A standard high school diploma, its equivalent or higher."
• Driver license: "Valid State of Florida Driver's (Class E or higher)"
• Certification: "A valid/current State of Florida EMT certification"; a State of Florida Paramedic certification "is accepted in lieu." Same sentence: "National EMT certification will not be accepted in lieu of State of Florida EMT and Paramedic certifications."
• Tobacco: Non-user of tobacco or tobacco products for at least one year immediately preceding application for firefighter certification, evidenced by a sworn affidavit (F.S.S. 633.412(6)).
• Medical: "The medical examination will be conducted pursuant to current NFPA 1582 guidelines."
• Tattoos: Head, face, neck, and scalp tattoos are "strictly prohibited" and "will be grounds for disqualification from the hiring process."
• Physical: The city's Physical Ability Test. That is the city's PAT, not CPAT.

Residency — two lines on the same page disagree. The County Residence bullet says you must "Reside within the corporate limits of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, or Monroe County throughout the application and hiring process until employed by the City of Miami (current City employees excluded from this requirement)." The Character bullet on that same list says the background check includes "verification of Miami-Dade County residency, or status as a City of Miami employee." Satisfy the narrower line (Miami-Dade County, or already a City employee) unless the city tells you otherwise in writing.

City of Miami steps

The city page, in this order: prepare before you apply; apply online during a recruitment announced on the news page; written exam; orientation (fingerprints, drug screen, background paperwork); PAT; Targeted Selection interview; background and medical (physical, drug, and stress tests); then "you will be invited to join the academy." "Once you have completed the Fire Academy, you will be a City of Miami Firefighter!" That academy line has no week count and no dollar.

Fire listings "will only appear on our job page during a recruitment period, which will be announced on our news page." Positions "close after a sufficient amount applications are received, or within five business days - whichever comes first." That is process, not a dated open door. This article does not treat GovernmentJobs as open.

City of Miami PAT (not CPAT)

The PAT guidelines (read 2026-09-03) name four events. Event 4 "consists of 5 components":

1. Stair climb simulation (pass/fail). 50-pound vest. 20-second warm-up at 50 steps per minute, then a 3-minute test at 60 steps per minute. After the test, 10 pounds come off the vest.
2. Charged hose pull (pass/fail). 21 seconds maximum.
3. Forcible entry and ventilation (pass/fail). 56 seconds maximum. Move the beam 5 feet.
4. Fire extinguishing and rescue (cumulative). 5 minutes 30 seconds maximum. Five components: dry hose drag (two lengths, one at a time); hose-bundle carry up three stories to the fourth floor; tool-bundle hoist; a second bundle climb to the sixth floor; dummy drag.

An earlier version of this article described Miami's test as the CPAT; the city runs its own PAT.

Florida Minimum Standards, and what one Miami school prints

The State Fire Marshal certified-firefighter page (read 2026-09-03): complete the Firefighter Minimum Standards Course (Firefighter I and Firefighter II) at a Certified Training Center, pass the state written and practical exams, and meet Florida Statute 633.412. Eligibility on that page: high school graduate or equivalent, at least 18, background check, good moral character, good physical condition, non-user of tobacco products. "Each training center has a unique course and fee schedule." There is no statewide tuition and no statewide 4-to-6-month clock.

Miami Dade College, two of its own pages, read 2026-09-03. The Firefighter Minimum Standards CTC page prints estimated resident tuition $1,493.71 (tooltip: current resident fees; additional fees may apply), 16.40 credits, and "Estimated time to complete: 1 year" (tooltip: average of 15 credits per semester). The School of Justice certification page prints "a 492-hour course," full-time 3 months (Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), and part-time 5.5 months. Those clocks disagree. This page carries both.

Broward College and Palm Beach State College were named in an older copy of this article. Their fee schedules were not opened for this page.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is a different employer

MDFR's firefighter job page (canonical service page read 2026-09-03) is the county, not the City of Miami.

Pay, as the county prints it. Firefighter Trainee $44,962.53 ($1,729.33 gross biweekly). After the training program (Probationary Firefighter): $75,177 to $111,873.75, which includes base $56,378.14–$86,092.14, EMT or Florida paramedic non-protocol incentive 23.5 percent $13,248.86–$20,231.68, hazardous pay $4,550, and flex benefits $1,000. With Florida paramedic protocol (28.5 percent): $77,995.91 to $116,178.40.

Door. "MDFR recruitment period for 2025 is now closed." The same page still lists Audio/Written Test scheduling Monday, Aug. 18–Monday, Sep. 1, testing Monday, Oct. 6–Friday, Oct. 10, and results "first week of January 2026." Those dates sit under the closed banner and match the 2025 cycle. They are not a 2026 open door.

Hire layer, not the city's. MDFR lists Florida firefighter certification plus EMT or paramedic, CPAT (not the City of Miami PAT), and a swim evaluation "within six months of obtaining probationary status." The county does not print a week count for its training program on this page.

Pay this page will not invent

The City of Miami Become a Miami Firefighter page prints no starting pay. Earlier versions of this article printed academy costs and recruit pay that appear on none of the pages opened for this revision; they are gone. MDFR's published trainee and probationary figures are in the block above. City of Miami dollars wait on a city document.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old do I have to be to become a City of Miami firefighter? The city's Become a Miami Firefighter page, read 2026-09-03, prints "Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age." No maximum on this page. The State Fire Marshal career-firefighter page also prints "Be at least 18 years of age."

Do I need a Florida EMT card, or will NREMT do? The city prints "A valid/current State of Florida EMT certification"; a State of Florida Paramedic certification "is accepted in lieu." Same sentence: "National EMT certification will not be accepted."

Where do I have to live? Two lines on the same city page disagree. County Residence: Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, or Monroe County until employed (current City employees excluded). Character / background: "verification of Miami-Dade County residency, or status as a City of Miami employee." Act on the narrower line unless the city writes otherwise.

What else does the city require before I apply? High school diploma or equivalent; Florida driver license Class E or higher; non-user of tobacco for at least one year immediately preceding application for firefighter certification, evidenced by a sworn affidavit (F.S.S. 633.412(6)); medical exam under NFPA 1582; background including criminal, driving, residency, and "good moral character" as the State Fire Marshal defines it. Head, face, neck, and scalp tattoos disqualify. The physical is the city's PAT, not CPAT.

How long is the Miami fire academy, and what does it cost? The city page invites selected candidates to "the academy" and does not print a week count or a dollar. The State Fire Marshal prints that each Certified Training Center "has a unique course and fee schedule." Miami Dade College's CTC page prints estimated resident tuition $1,493.71; its School of Justice page prints 492 hours, full-time 3 months, part-time 5.5 months.

What does Miami-Dade Fire Rescue pay, and is it hiring? MDFR's job page, read 2026-09-03: Firefighter Trainee $44,962.53; probationary $75,177–$111,873.75 with the named add-ons; paramedic-protocol $77,995.91–$116,178.40. "MDFR recruitment period for 2025 is now closed." Dated test windows still on that page belong to the 2025 cycle.

Next step

Read the City of Miami Become a Miami Firefighter page and watch the city's news page for the next recruitment announcement. If the employer you want is the county, read MDFR's firefighter job page instead — it is a different door. Statewide certification is how to become a firefighter in Florida.