Arlington Fire Department

The Arlington Fire Department is made up of 400+ members (About the Fire Department, retrieved 2026-09-03). Firefighters work a 24-hours-on, 48-hours-off rotation at 17 fire stations on three shifts, A, B, and C. Fire Chief Bret Stidham is also Director of Emergency Management. Headquarters is the Ott Cribbs Public Safety Building, 620 W Division Street, Arlington, TX 76011. Phone 817-459-5500. An older about on this listing said 265 career firefighters at 16 stations and named ISO Class 1, Judy Livers (1974), a Pentagon 9/11 response, the Metropolitan Medical Strike Team, and an 1898 founding; those clauses were not on the city pages retrieved 2026-09-03 and are not repeated here.

$105,959

Top of the entry rank

Firefighter 240 month, FY 2026 2912-hour plan. annualized on 2,912 scheduled hours

Source: arlingtontx.gov as of Oct 1, 2025, checked Aug 19, 2026.

Overtime

24-hour shift schedule with overtime per FLSA guidelines

Incentive pay

• Fire Apparatus Operator: $106,390-$111,709/yr
• Fire Lieutenant: $117,922-$123,818/yr
• 12 paid holidays plus accrued sick/vacation

Firefighter (hired on or after January 1, 2015, 2912-hr)

Entry

$78,990.46

12 month

$82,941.53

240 month

$105,958.51

• Adopted FY 2026 firefighter entry is $78,990.46. startingPay uses $78,990, nearest dollar.
• Live recruiting on 2026-08-19 still shows $76,689 to start and trainee $21.82/hour (https://www.arlingtontx.gov/City-Services/Public-Safety/Fire-Department/Fire-Department-Recruitment/Firefighters-Recruitment). Record both. They are not averaged.
• Cite the adopted step plan for startingPay.

Health Insurance

City of Arlington benefits package with comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

TLFFRA Pension

Texas Local Fire Fighters Retirement Act pension with city match at 1:1 to 2:1 ratio; vesting at 5 or 10 years (city's choice)

Paid Time Off

24-hour shift schedule with 12 paid holidays plus accrued sick and vacation leave based on years of service

Wellness & Fitness

On-duty fitness time and department wellness programs

Age

A person is not eligible to take an entrance examination for a beginning position in the Fire Department unless the person is at least eighteen (18) years of age but not forty-six (46) years of age or older as of date of test. The hiring age range for an Arlington Fire Department Suppression position is 18 to 45 years old.

Education

High school diploma or GED

Certifications

TCFP Basic Firefighter + DSHS EMT-Basic or higher

Driver's License

Valid Texas driver's license

Background

CJIS criminal background check required

Citizenship

U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization

Recruit Academy

Comprehensive academy program meeting all TCFP certification requirements

Continuing Education

Ongoing

Annual TCFP CE hours and NREMT recertification requirements

398,400

Population

$320,000

Median home price

97

Cost-of-living index

• Home to AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys) and Globe Life Field (Texas Rangers)
• Entertainment district with Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor
• Centrally located between Dallas and Fort Worth with excellent highway access
• University of Texas at Arlington with 42,000+ students
• Median household income of $73,519 with affordable housing
• Growing arts and culture scene with vibrant downtown revitalization

Applications, testing dates and eligibility decisions are handled by the department. Ready to Serve does not take applications, forward candidates, or speak for any agency.

Official site

https://www.arlingtontx.gov/City-Services/Public-Safety/Fire-Department/Fire-Department-Recruitment/Firefighters-Recruitment↗

Phone

817-459-5500