Saint Paul Fire Department Opens Hiring

Posted by scottf

March 16, 2010

The Saint Paul fire department opened the hiring list for the first time since the summer of 2005. As of February 8, the city had approved 2,360 candidates for the Firefighter exam. The application period has ended. If you missed the application process you will need to wait until the list is open again.

The written exam was held on Monday, March 8 at the Saint Paul River Center. It began at 8:30am and ran until 3pm. About 1800 would-be St. Paul firefighter candidates were in attendance to take the test. They were all spread out on tables for the 8 hour test session. The test was an aptitude test that covered a broad range of abilities and personality traits that have historically been found to be important to the job of being a firefighter. Some of these abilities or traits include: problem solving, reasoning, verbal expression, and leadership ability. The test also looks for work style preference, attitudes, behaviors, and life experiences that would help the candidate in the role of Saint Paul firefighter. A candidate must pass the written exam with a score of 75% or more to continue onto the physical performance exam.

Candidates that pass the written exam will be called back and the physical performance exams will be held in May or June of 2010. This test will consist of climbing stairs under load, dragging a charged hose line, victim rescue, equipment carry, and forcible entry simulation. The candidate must complete this exam while wearing: a fire turnout coat, a 20 pound weighted vest, fire gloves, an empty air tank, and a fire helmet. In order to pass the exam, candidates must complete the 5 exercises in a maximum of 7:00 minutes.

Applicants who live in Saint Paul on the application deadline, AND have lived in the City for one year prior to the application deadline, will receive 5 additional points on their final passing score. Supporting documentation must be provided at the time of the physical performance exam.