Denton Fire Department
Recruiting Outreach
Firefighter hiring, career resources
Be on the list when registration opens for Denton Fire's next exam.
No certification needed to sign up or to test. Sign up from anywhere in the country. Hire eligibility is on the department listing.
Sign up for recruiting updates- Next exam
- Saturday, January 9, 2027
- Registration opens in December
- Schedule
- 48 hours on, 96 off.
- Firefighter pay
- Step A $88,545.60 through Step F $110,739.20
- Pay plan effective January 2, 2027
Keep going on Ready to Serve
Be first to know when applications open
Exam registration officially opens in December. Sign up now to be on the recruit list, so you are notified as soon as registration opens for the January 9, 2027 Civil Service Examination. You also get monthly Denton Fire Department updates.
What happens next
Join the list
Sign up below for Denton Fire recruiting updates.
Get a reading plan
After signup, answer six optional questions to find guides for your next step.
Stay informed
Watch your inbox in December for the exam registration notice, plus monthly news.
What you should know before you join
Hiring runs through one exam
The civil service exam is free, and you can sit it without a certification. Age is at least 18 and not yet 36 on exam day. The next exam is Saturday, January 9, 2027, and registration officially opens in December. Join the list now and the notice reaches you by email when registration opens.
Two doors decide what you need
To be hired you need TCFP Basic Firefighter plus DSHS EMT-Basic, or a DSHS paramedic licence. You pay for firefighter and EMT school. If you are hired as a paramedic without fire certification, the department pays for fire school.
What it pays
Certified firefighter pay on the FY 2026-2027 Civil Service Fire Pay Plan, effective January 2, 2027, starts at $88,545.60 at Step A and reaches $110,739.20 at Step F.
What the schedule is
Operations work 48 hours on and 96 hours off: five two-day tours in a typical month, about twenty days away from the station.
Testing happens yearly.
The ones who get hired are the ones who saw it coming.
Straight answers to the five most common questions
Each one opens a guide written for that question, built from Denton's published documents. Site-hosted guides, not department publications.
- Is Denton Fire hiring right now, or soon?
Hiring runs through the entrance exam. The next exam is Saturday, January 9, 2027, and registration officially opens in December. The list gets the notice the day registration opens.
- How old is too old?
At least 18 and not yet 36 on exam day, under Section 143.023 of the Local Government Code.
- Do I need a college degree?
No. A high school diploma or GED and a Texas driver's licence. Certifications, not credit hours, decide whether you can be hired.
- Do you have EMS-only positions?
No. Every operations position is a firefighter first. A paramedic hired without fire certification goes through fire academy after hire, at the department's cost.
- What does it pay to start?
Every step from the city's pay plan, Step A through Step F, with the certification and specialty lines in their own guide.
The rest of the questions candidates send, and every Denton guide on this site grouped by where you are, are on the Denton Fire Department listing.
Eligibility requirements
Hire eligibility: To be hired, a candidate must possess either a Basic Structure Fire Suppression Certification from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) plus a current EMT certification or higher from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), or a current Paramedic certification from the Texas DSHS.
Age eligibility: Under Chapter 143 of the Texas Local Government Code, an applicant for a beginning firefighter position must be at least 18 years of age and not yet 36 (ages 18 through 35) as of the date of the entrance exam. Read the statute: Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 143.