How to Become a Firefighter in San Antonio, Texas

The short answer. San Antonio Fire Department trainee applications are closed. The Events & Announcements page says so, and a City of San Antonio job-board search for Firefighter Trainee returns 0 jobs (both read 2026-09-03). The Civil Service announcement accepted applications from midnight June 23, 2026 through 11:59 p.m. August 23, 2026. The Job Interest Card is notice only. If you already applied, the written exam is Friday, October 23, 2026, 11:00 a.m. at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market St. Late arrivals are barred. Cadet pay on the June 15, 2026 announcement is $3,853.70 per month during training; Wages & Benefits prints $3,853.66. Those two cells disagree by four cents; act on the dated announcement. After academy, Firefighter Step A on the executed October 1, 2025 table is $5,776 a month ($69,308 a year). The wages page lists probationary pay as $5,348, which is the October 1, 2024 Step A cell. Age: at least 19, and you must not have reached 34, on the day of the written exam. No military age exception. Cards are not required to apply. The physical test is SAFD's CPAT, 10 minutes 20 seconds.

Minimum requirements

SAFD follows Texas Local Government Code Chapter 143. The cadet door does not require TCFP or EMT at application. The academy awards those cards.

Firefighter Trainee (Applicant Phase and the 2026 Firefighter Trainee Written Examination Announcement, both read 2026-09-03):

1. Age. At least 19 years of age, and must not have reached 34, by the date of the written examination. The Applicant FAQ: prior military service does not change those limits.
2. Education. High school diploma or GED.
3. Language. Read, write, and speak English.
4. Record. No felony or crime of moral turpitude; no discharge from the Armed Forces other than honorable (Uncharacterized and Entry-Level discharges may be reviewed individually); no two or more traffic-violation convictions in the 12 months before the written exam; no Class A or Class B misdemeanor, DWI, or DUID in the five years before the written exam.
5. Hepatitis B. Complete the series before the date you enter the Fire Training Academy.
6. Future licensing. You must be eligible for future licensing by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. Those cards are not required at application.

The announcement and the Applicant page do not list U.S. citizenship, permanent residence, or a driver's license as exam qualifications. Do not treat those as published bars on this door.

Hiring process

The application door is closed. Announcements: "Applications are currently closed." The announcement's filing window ended 11:59 p.m. August 23, 2026. NEOGOV has no Firefighter Trainee posting. Fill the interest card for notice of a future cycle. It does not put you on a list. SAFD accepts applications and tests once a year under state law.

If you already filed, the remaining public clocks on the announcement and the Announcements page are:

1. Veteran preference documents, if you did not upload them with the application: certified mail postmarked by October 16, 2026. Documents are not accepted at the exam.
2. Written exam: Friday, October 23, 2026. Registration 9:00 a.m. Exam 11:00 a.m. Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market St. Arrive after 11:00 a.m. and you do not sit. The announcement supersedes other recruiting-site copy.
3. The exam itself (Firefighter Trainee Examination): Civil Service entrance exam, 230 questions, three hours, 70% minimum. No cost. Scores post on the Announcements page 4–6 weeks later. Same score: lowest lottery number ranks higher. Veteran +5 points after a 70 if you served 180 consecutive days and have an honorable discharge (or an honorable-service letter if still on active duty).
4. Eligibility list: one year from approval, or until exhausted.
5. CPAT after you are a candidate. Then cadet school if appointed.

Pay

No $56,000–$62,000 entry band appears on the Civil Service announcement or the wages page. Cadet pay is a trainee cell. Classified firefighter pay is Article 13. Trainees in the initial academy are civilian and are not in the bargaining unit (executed Local 624 agreement, Article 1; term October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2027).

Cadet / trainee (not an Article 13 row):

• Announcement dated June 15, 2026: $3,853.70 per month during training. Twelve months at that cell is $46,244.40.
• Wages & Benefits: Fire Cadet $3,853.66 paid monthly.

After academy / Firefighter Step A (probation through the 18th month):

• Executed Article 13, table in force October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026: $5,776 a month, $69,308 a year.
• Wages & Benefits lists Probationary Firefighter through the 18th month as $5,348 a month. That is the October 1, 2024 Step A cell ($64,174 a year). The wages page has not moved to the 2025 table.

Later firefighter steps on the October 1, 2025 table: Step B (19th through 60th month) $6,386 / $76,630. Step C (from the 61st month) $6,503 / $78,031. Step D $6,627 / $79,528. Step E $6,757 / $81,082. Step D and E have seniority-and-degree rules in Article 13. Do not read Captain $110,688 as firefighter top.

October 1, 2026 (future). Article 13 Section 1: an across-the-board 5% increase. Firefighter Step A becomes $6,064 / $72,774. That is not today's pay.

Education pay on the wages page (and Article 22): Associate $185, Bachelor $290, Master's $310 per month. Longevity: 3% of base per five years, cap 30 years / 18%, plus $8.00 a month on anniversary years that are not multiples of five.

Academy

The city's own pages disagree on length. Carry each.

• Training: "The process of training a Cadet from beginning to end takes 25 weeks." Nearly 1,700 uniformed firefighters. Academy at 300 S. Callaghan Road, San Antonio, TX 78227.
• Cadet Phase: 940-hour, 25 week fire fighting program (Basic Structural Firefighter) plus a 200-hour EMT curriculum (Basic Emergency Medical Technician). Lede: "about six months." FAQ: "approximately five and one-half months." Hours Monday through Friday 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with EMT hours that may vary. Already-NREMT cadets skip the National Registry exam and still sit the five week program and UT Health Science Center tests.
• Applicant Phase: "six month training class is GI Bill eligible."

Do not convert those lines into 26–30 weeks. Cadets are paid during training.

CPAT

Candidate Physical Ability Test: pass/fail, 10 minutes 20 seconds, eight sequential events, 50-pound vest throughout, extra 25 pounds (two 12.5-pound weights) on the stair climb, 85-foot walk between events. Rescue event uses a 165-pound mannequin. Conditioning classes and a CPAT preparation guide sit on the recruiting site.

Hours after academy

Article 15. Fire Fighting and Aviation: average 56-hour week, 24-hour shifts starting 9:00 a.m., 21-day period. The printed grid is 24 on / 48 off. EMS and Communications: average 42-hour week, 24-hour shifts starting 7:00 a.m., 28-day period. Those are not the same rotation. Fire suppression overtime on the 56-hour week is after 159 hours in a 21-day cycle (Article 14 Section 3).

Career progression

The Cadet page: promotional-exam eligibility four years from the date you enter the Fire Academy; exams annually. Assignment doors named there: Emergency Medical Service, Fire Prevention, Arson Bureau, Fire Training Academy, Aircraft Rescue Firefighting, Hazardous Materials, Technical Rescue, Wildland/Urban Interface. Rank titles and the order of promotion change with department practice; confirm the current ladder on the city site.

FAQ

Is San Antonio Fire hiring trainees right now? No. Applications closed 11:59 p.m. August 23, 2026. Announcements still says closed. The job board has no Firefighter Trainee posting. The interest card is notice only.

I already applied. When is the exam? Friday, October 23, 2026, 11:00 a.m., Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Registration 9:00 a.m. After 11:00 a.m. you do not enter. Veteran documents, if mailed, must be postmarked by October 16, 2026.

How much does an SAFD cadet make? The announcement prints $3,853.70 per month during training. Wages & Benefits prints $3,853.66. After academy, current Firefighter Step A is $5,776 a month ($69,308 a year) on the October 1, 2025 table. The wages page lists $5,348 for that row.

Do I need TCFP or EMT to apply? No. You must be eligible for future TCFP licensing. The academy is a 940-hour, 25-week fire program plus a 200-hour EMT curriculum.

What is the age limit? At least 19, and you must not have reached 34, on the day of the written exam. No military exception.

Does SAFD use CPAT? Yes. Eight events, 50-pound vest, extra 25 pounds on the stair climb, 10:20 pass/fail.

How long is the academy? The Training page says 25 weeks. The Cadet page says 940-hour / 25-week fire plus 200-hour EMT, about five and one-half months in the FAQ and about six months in the lede. Applicant Phase calls the GI Bill class six months.

Start here

If you already applied, sit the October 23 exam and watch Events & Announcements yourself — the city says it will not call you. If you missed the window, file the interest card and train CPAT. Treat $3,853.70 / $3,853.66 as cadet monthly pay and $69,308 as current Step A, not as one number. 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
• San Antonio Fire Department

Sources

• City of San Antonio, Events & Announcements. Applications currently closed. Exam Friday, October 23, 2026, 11 a.m., Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. List valid one year from approval or until exhausted. Announcement supersedes other recruiting-site copy. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• San Antonio Fire Fighters' and Police Officers' Civil Service Commission, 2026 Firefighter Trainee Written Examination Announcement, dated June 15, 2026. Salary $3,853.70 per month during training. Age 19 and not 34 by the written exam. Applications midnight June 23, 2026 through 11:59 p.m. August 23, 2026. Exam October 23, 2026, 11:00 a.m. Veteran documents postmarked by October 16, 2026. Eligible for future TCFP licensing. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of San Antonio, Wages & Benefits. Fire Cadet $3,853.66. Probationary Firefighter through 18th month $5,348. 19th–60th $5,913. Beginning 61st $6,021. Education $185 / $290 / $310. Longevity 3% per 5 years to 18%. Language skills $50 per month (recruiting page only). Retirement table 20 years 45% / 27 years 80% / 30 years 86% / 33 years 87.5%. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of San Antonio / IAFF Local 624, Collective Bargaining Agreement effective October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2027. Article 1: trainees in the initial academy are civilian. Article 13: 8% October 1, 2025; 5% October 1, 2026. Firefighter Step A October 1, 2025 $5,776 / $69,308. October 1, 2026 Step A $6,064 / $72,774. Article 15: Fire Fighting/Aviation 56-hour 24/48 from 9:00 a.m.; EMS/Communications 42-hour from 7:00 a.m. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of San Antonio, Applicant Phase. Age 19 and not 34 on exam day. Tests once a year. Six month training class GI Bill eligible. No military age exception. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of San Antonio, Firefighter Trainee Examination. 230 questions, three hours, 70% minimum. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of San Antonio, Cadet Phase. 940-hour, 25 week fire plus 200-hour EMT. About six months / approximately five and one-half months. 300 S. Callaghan Rd., Mon–Fri 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Already-NREMT skip Registry, still sit five-week program. Promotional eligibility four years from academy entry. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of San Antonio, Training. Cadet training 25 weeks. Nearly 1,700 uniformed firefighters. 300 S. Callaghan Road. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of San Antonio, Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). Eight events, 10:20, 50-pound vest, additional 25 pounds on the stair climb, 165-pound mannequin. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
• City of San Antonio NEOGOV, careers search Firefighter Trainee. 0 jobs found. Retrieved 2026-09-03.