Philadelphia Fire Department Hiring 2026: Firefighter Window Closed, EMT and Paramedic Doors Were Open

30-second answer. The Philadelphia Fire Department last recruited firefighters between July 8 and August 31, 2025, and has not posted the next firefighter application period. The city's job interest form is how you get told when it opens. Two other doors into the same department, Fire Service EMT and Fire Service Paramedic, accepted applications through August 28, 2026. A firefighter recruit is paid $64,982 in the academy and the position tops out at $90,253 a year on the city's published scale.

When is the next Philadelphia firefighter exam?

Not posted. Read live on September 7, 2026, the city's Become a Firefighter page states: "The Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) last recruited firefighters between July 8, 2025, and August, 31, 2025. If you want to be notified when the next application period opens, fill out a job interest form."

Philadelphia recruits firefighters in periods, not continuously. The 2025 period ran roughly eight weeks. If the department keeps a similar cadence, the next window is the thing to watch for, and the interest form is the only official notice channel the page names.

What Philadelphia requires

The residency line is the one that catches out-of-town candidates. One year of established residence inside the city limits before appointment is a hard rule, and it runs on the calendar, so the time to move is before the next window opens, not after.

The exam

The civil service examination is the first step, and the city states that high scorers on the exam are invited to the next phase. The FAQ describes the test itself: "The test consists of six sections: a multiple-choice portion measuring human relations skills; a mechanical reasoning section; a reading test; a math test; and two public safety self-assessments. The test is approximately two hours long."

Academy and pay

The Fire Academy runs about nine months. Cadets are paid the first step of the scale while they train.

The city's own words on progression: after academy graduation you receive a raise, with "scheduled increases in pay to the present maximum of $90,253 a year."

The two doors that were open

While the firefighter window is closed, the same department hires EMTs and paramedics on their own applications.

Fire Service EMT. The city's page states "The City is currently accepting EMT applications through August 28, 2026." You must be a state-certified EMT with a valid Pennsylvania driver's license, and 18 at the time of hire. First-year pay is $54,155.

Fire Service Paramedic. The paramedic page states "The City is accepting paramedic applications now through August 28, 2026, at 11:59 p.m." You must be a state-certified paramedic with a valid Pennsylvania driver's license. First-year pay is $64,982, the same figure as a firefighter recruit.

Both dates have passed as of this read. The pages are worth watching alongside the firefighter interest form, because Philadelphia has run these on their own cycles.

What to do now

1. Submit the job interest form for firefighter. It is the only notice channel the city names.
2. Establish Philadelphia residency if you do not have it. The one-year clock runs to appointment, not to application.
3. Get the Pennsylvania driver's license squared away before a window opens.
4. If you hold an EMT or paramedic certification, watch the EMT and paramedic pages for their next cycle. Those are separate applications into the same department.
5. Study the six-section format. Human relations, mechanical reasoning, reading, math, and two self-assessments, about two hours.