Austin Fire Department
Protecting the Live Music Capital of the World since 1841
- Location
- Austin, Texas
- County
- Travis County
- Established
- 1841
The Austin Fire 2027 Lateral Class application is closed, and Austin Fire is not accepting academy applications right now (COA Careers and the Austin Fire Hiring Process Updates page, read October 14, 2026).
Hiring status checked Oct 14, 2026. Deadlines change without notice; confirm on the official page.
Record figures
- 1,300
- Sworn personnel
- 53
- Stations
About the department
No document cited for this section.
The Austin Fire Department protects Texas' capital city with over 1,300 personnel operating 53 stations across 7 battalions plus a Special Operations Battalion. AFD serves 885,400 residents across 272 square miles providing fire suppression, advanced life support, technical rescue, hazardous materials response, and water rescue. The department features the nation's first FAA-approved Robotics Emergency Deployment (RED) Team for drone-assisted emergency response.
Pay
Source: Pay plan, checked Aug 30, 2026.
- Overtime
- 24 hours on, 48 hours off with overtime based on hourly rate; Kelly Day rotation
- Incentive pay
- Paramedic certification: +$5,000-$12,000/yr
- Longevity pay: $100/yr per year of service (max 25 years)
- Specialty certifications available
Benefits
No document cited for this section.
- Health Insurance
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and retirees
- Austin Firefighters Retirement Fund
- Defined benefit plan that has provided benefits since 1942. Vested at 10 years of service credit. Retire at age 50 with 10 years of service credit, or at 25 years at any age (AFRF Benefits Guide). Firefighters hired on or after January 1, 2026 earn 3% x years of service x highest 60-month average salary (Texas Pension Review Board, plan 21).
- Paid Time Off
- 24-hour shifts with 48-hour off-time. Holiday, vacation, and sick leave packages.
- Wellness & Fitness
- Annual physicals through Public Safety Wellness Center with comprehensive health monitoring
What a candidate must hold or clear
Eligibility
No document cited for this section.
- Age
- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age but not exceed age 35 on the day the written exam is administered.
- Education
- High school diploma or GED
- Certifications
- Must be eligible for TCFP and DSHS certification; EMT certification may be required
- Fitness
- CPAT (Candidate Physical Ability Test): 8 continuous events including 3-minute stair climb with 25 lbs
- Background
- Drug/alcohol testing, criminal background check, disqualifying tattoo policy
- Citizenship
- U.S. citizen (birth or naturalized) with valid Social Security card
Training and education
No document cited for this section.
- Recruit Academy
16-17 weeks
- 16-17 week academy (480 hours) covering TCFP basic fire suppression requirements with online and in-person components
- Continuing Education
Ongoing
- 12 months CE within renewal period for first-year certificate holders; 40-hour basic wildland firefighter course available
- Officer Development
- Structured promotional pathway through Engineer, Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief
14 recorded
Assignments and specialties
No document cited for this section.
Operations
- Structural Firefighting
- Advanced Life Support
- Wildland Firefighting
- Airport Fire Operations
Technical rescue
- Technical Rescue
- Dive/Water Rescue
- Swift Water Rescue
- High Angle Rescue
Prevention and investigation
- Hazardous Materials
- Fire Investigations
- Drone (RED) Team
Support and community
- Community Risk Reduction
- Public Education
- Honor Guard
Living in Austin
No document cited for this section.
- 961,855
- Population
- $500,000
- Median home price
- 103
- Cost-of-living index
- State capital and 13th-most populous U.S. city with booming tech sector
- Known as the Live Music Capital of the World with 250+ live music venues
- Major employers include Dell, Apple, Tesla, Samsung, Oracle, Meta
- Award-winning public parks system including Barton Springs and Lady Bird Lake
- Top-ranked universities: UT Austin (Tier 1 research institution)
- Year-round outdoor recreation with 300+ days of sunshine
Accreditation
No document cited for this section.
- Held
- NFPA Compliant Operations
Contacting the department
No document cited for this section.
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.
- Recruiting email
- FireEmployment@austintexas.gov
- Phone
- (512) 974-0130
About this record
- Compiled by
- Ready to Serve is a free public resource for first-responder candidates. It is not a government agency, not affiliated with any department listed here, and not a recruiter for any department. Figures come from each department's own published documents, cited with the date they were read.
- Affiliation
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- Unstamped sections
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- Corrections
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