How to Become a Firefighter in Fort Worth, Texas

The short answer. Fort Worth is not currently accepting Firefighter Trainee applications (Firefighter Trainee Information, read 2026-09-03). The next door is a job interest card, not an application. The EMT and Fire interest forms are labeled not an application. The city job board listed 51 jobs on 2026-09-03 and none of them were Firefighter Trainee, EMT Trainee, or Paramedic. Trainee pay on the city's own table is $39,915 ($19.19 an hour). After academy, the adopted FY2026 56-hour Firefighter start is $69,790; the recruiting page names $67,000 after graduation. Age: 18 to 35, and you must not have reached 36 on the day of the entry-level exam. The physical test is Fort Worth's own PAT, not CPAT: a 1.5-mile run in 13:57, then eight events in 5:30. Ready to Serve is not the City of Fort Worth.

An earlier version printed a trainee band that is on no page opened for this revision; it is gone.

Minimum requirements

From Firefighter Trainee Information and the recruitment packet (both read 2026-09-03):

1. Age. 18 to 35. You cannot have reached your 36th birthday by the date of the entry-level exam.
2. Education. High school diploma, G.E.D. certificate, or 12 semester hours of college.
3. Driver license. Valid, current Class C. You will be required to obtain Class B while in training.
4. Residency after hire. Live within 30 minutes of your designated report-in station within six months of employment.
5. Process gates named on the recruiting page. Written test, aerobic capacity run, background check, polygraph, interview, and medical/physical examination.

The recruiting page does not list TCFP or EMT as a hire requirement. The About page says all civil-service personnel are trained as Emergency Medical Technicians-Basic. Packet disqualifiers include felony convictions, a dishonorable military discharge, and being on probation as directed by courts other than Class C misdemeanors.

Hiring process

The application door is closed. Recruiting's "Next Recruitment" line is the interest card. The hiring events page is a past event: applications June 1 through June 16, 2025, test July 2, 2025. Do not treat that page as a live filing window.

Eligibility still hosts the lists from those past exams:

• Firefighter Trainee written exam July 2, 2025 (alpha and eligibility lists posted).
• EMT Trainee written exam December 15, 2025.
• Lateral Lead Paramedic Trainee written exam July 15, 2026 (lists posted). That is a separate door from Firefighter Trainee.

When a class is authorized, the packet says applications are accepted online, Human Resources emails written-exam information, and the exam is run under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 143. Score 70 or higher to land on the list. Honorably discharged veterans get five extra points if they email a Member 4 DD214 to FWFDHiring@fortworthtexas.gov at least 24 hours before the exam; DD214s are not accepted at the test. The list is valid 12 months from the exam date. Candidates are referred in stanines. Fail a mandatory orientation and the packet says your name comes off the list.

The packet order after the written exam: orientation at the Bob Bolen Public Safety Complex, 505 W Felix Street; 1.5-mile aerobic capacity run; Structure Oral Interview (minimum score 60); intake the first Saturday after that interview; background; polygraph; oral interview board; conditional offer; Frontline medical; aerial ladder climb at 70 degrees and an SCBA blackout hose-follow; then recruit training.

Texas EMS Conference November 22–25, 2026 at the Fort Worth Convention Center is a job fair on the recruiting page. It is not an application window.

Physical assessment (not CPAT)

Fort Worth does not print CPAT 10:20 on the pages opened 2026-09-03. Physical Assessment Test:

• 1.5-mile run in 13 minutes 57 seconds, pass/fail. The packet calls this the Aerobic Capacity Run. Miss the time or miss the appointment and you are out.
• Candidates who pass the run return later for the events. The page says "six events" and then lists Event 1 through Event 8: Stair Climb, Equipment Carry, Ladder Raise and Extension, Hose Drag, Ceiling Breach, Roof Breach/Forcible Entry, Rescue, Confined Space Search. Maximum time for those events is 5 minutes 30 seconds, pass/fail.

This page carries the "six" line and the eight named events. After a conditional offer, the packet adds an aerial-ladder climb and an SCBA evaluation before academy.

Fort Worth Fire Academy

The recruiting page does not print a week count. Packet §13 Recruit Training: a Fast Track Academy "is condensed from 8 months to 12 weeks" for recruits who already hold EMS and Fire certifications. Regular academy length on that packet is 8 months. Cadets are paid as Fire Trainee during training.

Salary and compensation

Three City of Fort Worth documents sit on this page. They are not the same row.

• REVISED FY2026 SALARY SCHEDULE, effective October 1, 2025, Fire Civil Service 56-hour table: Fire Trainee job code 1026 / Y17 $19.19 / $39,915. Firefighter Y01/1032 Start (upon academy graduation) $5,816 a month / $69,790 a year. Year 1 $73,237. Year 2 $76,901. Step 11 (14 years from commission) $97,016.
• Firefighter Trainee Information: "Starting Salary: $67,000 after graduation, top out pay $95,000," linking the Salary Projection DOCX.
• That DOCX is labeled FY 2024-2025. It prints Trainee $39,915, Start $67,757, 11–14 years $94,190. The packet reprints those same trainee and graduation cells.

This page carries each figure next to the document that prints it. $69,790 is the adopted October 1, 2025 Firefighter start. $67,000 / $67,757 are the recruiting-page / prior-year cells. Trainee is $39,915 on every document that names a trainee cell. Recruiting also prints: Community Paramedic incentive at 8% of Step 11 Firefighter; longevity $4 per month times years of service, up to 25 years; education $60 / $120 a month after one year commissioned; bilingual $100 a month after a Spanish proficiency test.

Hours after academy

About Fort Worth Fire: operations work week averages 56 hours, three rotating shifts of 24 hours on / 48 hours off.

Size of the department

Two city pages disagree, so both print.

• Recruiting: more than 345 square miles, more than 80,000 calls a year, more than 900 employees.
• About: 360 square miles, more than 110,000 incidents annually (about 60% EMS), 1,049 Civil Service positions and 71 civilian, 45 stations in 8 battalions. Population served: more than 900,000 (2020 Census); fourth-largest city in Texas, 12th in the nation.

Promoted ranks on About: Firefighter, Engineer, Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief.

FAQ

Is Fort Worth hiring Firefighter Trainees right now? No. The recruiting page points you to an interest card. The job board on 2026-09-03 had no Firefighter Trainee, EMT Trainee, or Paramedic posting. The interest forms are not applications.

I see a page that says apply through June 16 for a July 2 test. That events page is marked past. Those dates were June 1–16, 2025 and July 2, 2025.

How much does a Fort Worth firefighter trainee make? $39,915 a year ($19.19 an hour, $3,326 a month) on the FY2026 listing, the FY 2024-2025 DOCX, and the packet. The recruiting page does not print trainee pay.

How much after the academy? The adopted FY2026 56-hour Firefighter start is $69,790. Recruiting names $67,000 after graduation. The linked DOCX prints $67,757. Top of Firefighter is $97,016 on FY2026 step 11, $95,000 on recruiting, $94,190 on the DOCX.

Do I need TCFP or EMT to apply? Not on the recruiting page or the packet. Fast Track (12 weeks instead of 8 months) is for people who already hold EMS and Fire cards. About says civil-service personnel are trained as EMT-Basic.

What is the age limit? 18 to 35, and you must not have reached 36 on the day of the entry-level exam.

Does Fort Worth use CPAT? No. The city's PAT is a 1.5-mile run in 13:57, then eight named events in 5:30.

How long is the academy? The packet: 8 months, or 12 weeks Fast Track if you already hold EMS and Fire certifications.

Start here

File the job interest card and train the 1.5-mile run plus the eight-event PAT. Treat $39,915 as trainee pay and $69,790 as the current Firefighter start, and know the recruiting page still shows $67,000. Ready to Serve is the candidate tracker for credentials, fitness, and application materials.

Related

• Texas firefighter salary 2026 by department
• CPAT vs firefighter physical ability tests
• How to become a firefighter in Texas
• Whether to do fire academy or EMT school first
• How to become an EMT in Texas
• What is TCFP certification
• Fort Worth Fire Department

Sources

• City of Fort Worth, Firefighter Trainee Information. Next Recruitment is the job interest card. Interest forms are not applications. Starting salary $67,000 after graduation, top $95,000. Age 18–35, not 36 by exam. HS/GED or 12 college hours. Class C, Class B in training. 30-minute residency in six months. 345+ sq mi, 80,000+ calls, 900+ employees. Phone 817-392-6870. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of Fort Worth, Fire Trainee Eligibility. Firefighter Trainee exam July 2, 2025; EMT Trainee December 15, 2025; Lateral Lead Paramedic Trainee July 15, 2026. Score 70 or greater. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of Fort Worth, Physical Assessment Test. 1.5-mile run 13:57. Then eight events, 5:30, pass/fail. The page also says "six events." Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of Fort Worth, REVISED FY2026 SALARY SCHEDULE, effective October 1, 2025. Fire Trainee 1026/Y17 $19.19 / $39,915. Firefighter Y01/1032 Start $69,790. Step 11 $97,016. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of Fort Worth, Salary Projection DOCX, labeled FY 2024-2025. Trainee $39,915. Start $67,757. 11–14 years $94,190. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of Fort Worth, Recruitment Packet. Applications only after a class is authorized. Trainee $19.19 / $3,326 / $39,915; upon graduation $5,646 / $67,757. Chapter 143 written exam; 70; veteran +5. List 12 months. SOI minimum 60. Fast Track 8 months to 12 weeks. Phone 817-392-8754. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of Fort Worth, About Fort Worth Fire. 1,049 Civil Service, 71 civilian, 45 stations, 360 sq mi, 56-hour 24/48, 110,000+ incidents, 12th in the nation. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of Fort Worth, Job Board. 51 results on 2026-09-03. Firefighter Trainee 0. Retrieved 2026-09-03. Past event: June 1–16, 2025; test July 2, 2025. Retrieved 2026-09-03.