Description/Duties
Update October 16, 2025: The Selection Interviews have been concluded. All documents from the recruitment process will be evaluated and applicants moving forward to the reference check portion of the process will be notified as soon as possible. Please keep an eye on your email for updates and next step instructions. The next recruitment for Mesa's Firefighter Recruit will be announced soon. Specific recruitment opening dates and other information will be posted on MFMD social media and the Firefighter Recruitment - City of Mesa page.
Reference Timeline Of Previous Updates And Information
Update October 6, 2025: All notices have been sent. The most qualified applicants from the Intern Orientation have been invited to the next step in the process- the Selection Interviews. The next recruitment for Mesa's Firefighter Recruit will be announced soon. Specific recruitment opening dates and other information will be posted on MFMD social media and the Firefighter Recruitment - City of Mesa page.
Update October 1, 2025: The Intern Orientation phase of the testing process has ended. Candidates will be emailed their status notices and the most qualified candidates will be invited to the next step in the process- the Selection interview. All notices will be sent by 6pm on Monday October 6, 2025.
Update September 17, 2025: The Intern Orientation phase of the testing process has started. Those who completed the first weekend, a takeaway/next steps email will be sent by Friday September 19, 2025.
Update September 2, 2025: Results from the Written Exam, conducted through National Testing Network from July 31, 2025 through August 25, 2025 have been received. Candidates have been emailed their status notices and the most qualified candidates have been invited to the next step in the process- the Intern Orientation. The Intern Orientation will run the last three weekends in September.
Update July 31, 2025: All notices have been sent- please check email for next steps. Please note that a new recruitment will be opening for the August 2026 Academy in approximately six months. Please keep an eye on our recruitment page Firefighter Recruitment - City of Mesa and social media pages for information on how to apply and what will be required. At this time, we intend to require that a valid CPAT will be required at time of application again. Thank you for your interest in Mesa Fire Medical Department!
Update July 28, 2025: Thank you for your interest in Mesa Fire Medical Department! The application window has now closed. Emails indicating the next steps will be sent on Thursday July 31, 2025.
Update July 17, 2025: Applications Now Open! Be sure to pay close attention to your responses on supplemental questions 5, 6, and 7.
Update: July 14, 2025- Applications are scheduled to open this Thursday July 17, 2025 at 8:00am!
Thank you for your interest in the Mesa Fire and Medical Department!
Please read this entire posting for information and instructions.
Applications will be accepted beginning on Thursday, July 17, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. Arizona time.
The application period will close after 500 applications with a valid CPAT listed in the supplemental questions (or Monday July 28, 2025, 4:00 p.m. Arizona time, whichever comes first). In order for the CPAT to be considered valid, it must have been completed between the dates of January 17, 2025, and the date your application is submitted.
Applications that do not include the Agency, CPAT Number, and Date completed in full on supplemental questions 5, 6, and 7 will be deemed ineligible. If you obtained your CPAT with a Community College, numbers will not be provided by the College. Please list the issuing agency again.
Please pay careful attention to all information and instructions listed below.
An EMT Certification is strongly recommended but not required to apply. MFMD may offer a limited number of successful Firefighter Recruit candidates who do not have their EMT certification an opportunity to join the Department as a Fire Pre-Recruit. Pre-Recruits hired without an EMT certification will attend an MFMD-sponsored EMT course (if they are not already enrolled in their own outside EMT course) and have up to three (3) opportunities following the completion of the course to pass the EMT certification test. The EMT certification must be obtained no later than one week prior to the start of the Academy immediately following completion of the EMT course.
Upon successful performance as a Pre-Recruit and passing the EMT certification within the specified time period, Pre-Recruits will promote to the Firefighter Recruit position and attend the next MFMD Firefighter Recruit Academy. Due to pre-requirements by the college offering the EMT course, selected Pre-Recruit candidates must show proof of a 3.0 high school GPA (or higher) or have an associate’s degree or higher.
We are excited to offer this additional employment opportunity with EMT educational assistance, which creates another pathway for candidates to reach their goal of ultimately becoming a Firefighter Recruit for MFMD!
(Please note, everyone will go through the same recruitment process and then candidates will be divided at the end, creating two separate eligible lists of EMT and non-EMT candidates.)
Prospective applicants are encouraged to view the Firefighter Recruitment page Firefighter Recruitment - City of Mesa to learn more about what to expect in the recruitment process, helpful tips for preparation, as well as the How to Submit a Successful Application video for tips and answers to FAQs about our application process. *For the best viewing experience, it is recommended to watch the application demo video from a desktop or laptop computer. It is also highly recommended to submit your application from a desktop/laptop computer rather than a mobile device.
Firefighter - Recruit is the entry class, as Mesa Fire and Medical Department does not accept lateral transfers of Firefighters from other Departments.
Estimated Timeline of Testing Process
When Applying, Please Keep These Instructions In Mind
How to Complete the Application:
- Applications are only accepted online via NEOGOV applicant tracking system located at https://www.governmentjobs.com and while the recruitment is open.
- If your application is still in progress when the recruitment closes, the application cannot be submitted.
- Applications are not accepted after the recruitment closes.
- Only one application is needed for this recruitment. If you submit multiple applications, only the last application you submit will be considered.
- You should periodically save your application. The application system will time out after a period of inactivity, and any unsaved information will be lost.
- Once an application has been submitted, it cannot be modified.
- To add information you may have forgotten, or change an answer to a question if you made a mistake, you must submit a new application.
- Attachments are not being accepted with this Firefighter - Recruit application.
- Successful completion of the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) with a licensed CPAT agency is required to apply. For the January 2026 Academy, a valid CPAT must be dated between January 17, 2025, and the date your application is submitted.
Name Requirements, Other Application Details, And Next Steps
- All times are Arizona times, so please plan accordingly if you are in another time zone.
- The governmentjobs.com account you use to apply must be your own account and must reflect the same name on your government-issued photo ID.
- Like booking an airplane ticket, the name you enter on your application must match the name on your official, government-issued photo ID which will be required to test. Your photo must reasonably match as well.
- If you change your name during the testing and selection process, proof of your legal name change will be required.
- The email address you enter on your City of Mesa application will be used to send you communication during this recruitment and testing process, so please enter it carefully. You must use an email address that is unique to you and not shared with another applicant.
- To be invited to test, your answers on the supplemental application questions must have truthfully indicated: Yes, you were 18 years of age or older as of Thursday, July 17, 2025; Yes, you had a high school diploma or GED as of Thursday , July 17, 2025; Yes, you already had or could obtain an Arizona Class D (standard) Driver's License by hire date; Yes, you have a valid CPAT at time of application; and No, you did not have an ignition interlock device (IID) at the time of application.
- This information will be verified during the hiring process and falsification of information will result in disqualification. For out-of-state applicants who would be relocating if hired, new Arizona residents can transfer their Drivers License from another state.
- Integrity is highly valued, and it is essential that you be honest and truthful. During the application process, you will also be asked questions related to criminal and traffic violation convictions. The information disclosed in these sections will not necessarily bar you from further consideration. Other factors will be considered such as the nature of the conviction(s), job relatedness, and business necessity.
- Documentation for Preference Points based on veteran or disability status must show that you meet the eligibility requirements (which for veterans includes both the length of service and character of service). Documentation for Preference Points will not be accepted with your application, but will be collected prior to the Written Exam. Please do not email documentation for Preference Points. More information about the submission of documentation for Preference Points will be provided via email by Thursday, July 31, 2025 by 6:00 p.m. Arizona time to applicants who meet the requirements to test.
- After you have submitted your application, you will see a confirmation message on your screen, and you will receive a confirmation email from governmentjobs.com that your application has been submitted. To verify your application submission online, you can also log into your account and click on the Applications & Status tab.
- You can print your application by clicking on Applications > Job Title > Print.
- After the recruitment closes and all applications have been screened, you will receive an email from City of Mesa Human Resources with your status and next steps.
Accessing NEOGOV
- To log in to your existing governmentjobs.com account (remember the name must match your photo ID), go tohttps://www.governmentjobs.com/and click LOG IN.
- If you have forgotten your username or need to reset your password, click LOG IN and then Forgot Username or Reset Password.
- To sign up for a new governmentjobs.com account, go tohttps://www.governmentjobs.com/and click SIGN UP.
- For step-by-step application information and the answers to common questions, go tohttps://www.governmentjobs.com/home/applicationguidehttps://www.governmentjobs.com/home/faq.
- For other governmentjobs.com technical support, call 855-524-5627.
- Local public libraries may provide computer access if needed.
- Be sure not to opt out of email communications from governmentjobs.com since all testing information, invitations to test, scores, etc. will be sent via email. Attempts will not be made to contact you if your email returns as undeliverable or if you have opted out of email communications.
- Applicants are encouraged to opt-in to text messages fromgovernmentjobs.comso they will receive text message updates and reminders about critical information during the testing process.
- We encourage you to check your email frequently and check your junk and spam email settings. If you receive a text message asking you to check your email for important information, please check your email as soon as possible.
All applicants will be notified of their status via email by Thursday July 31, 2025 by 6:00 p.m. Arizona time. If you have not received an email with your status after that time, please contact City of Mesa Human Resources at (480) 644-2783 for assistance (Monday-Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Arizona time; closed Friday - Sunday).
Next Steps after the Application Period: The Written Exam
Applicants who meet the requirements to test will be invited to the Written Exam. The Written Exam will be used to establish the Eligible List of applicants qualified to move forward in the recruitment and selection process for MFMD. For the January 2026 Firefighter Recruit testing process, the City of Mesa’s Written Exam will be offered through National Testing Network (NTN) during the testing window of Thursday July 31, 2025 through Monday August 25, 2025.
There will be multiple testing options offered, including taking the test at one of NTN’s nationwide testing centers as well as a virtual option to take the test at your own private location. Candidates who tested previously with NTN and have current valid FireTEAM and/or Public Safety Self-Assessment (PSSA) Part 1 test scores (PSSA Part 2 is not required for Mesa's testing process) are eligible to submit their existing valid FireTEAM/PSSA Part 1 test scores for Mesa’s Firefighter Recruit testing process without having to test again. NTN test scores are valid for up to one year.
MFMD will cover the full cost of the testing or transfer of valid scores for all applicants invited to test during Mesa’s recruitment process. More information about registering to test and submission of valid existing scores will be provided via email by Thursday, July 31, 2025 by 6:00 p.m. Arizona time to applicants who meet the requirements to test.
Please do not attempt to register for testing for MFMD on NTN’s website at this time. Registration will be invitation-only and the detailed information and instructions to register with NTN will be sent only to the qualified applicants by Thursday July 31, 2025 by 6:00 p.m. Arizona time.
If you are invited to the Written Exam and may require reasonable accommodation due to a disability to participate in the Written Exam, please download the Reasonable Accommodation Request formPublic_Safety_Accommodation_Request.pdfand follow the instructions indicated on the form to submit it for consideration by NTN by Monday August 4, 2025, 8:00 a.m. Arizona time. More information about Reasonable Accommodation Requests can be found in NTN’s FAQ #16 Here.
According to A.R.S. 38-492, Preference Points are awarded to veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States, disabled persons, disabled veterans, a veteran's spouse or surviving spouse under certain circumstances, and veterans with service-connected disabilities. For Preference Points, a copy of your official documentation verifying eligibility for Preference Points (example: DD214, Form FL-802, etc.) will be required. For Veteran's Preference Points, the documentation must indicate both the length of service and character of service.
Preference points are added only to passing scores on the Written Exam.
Documentation for Preference Points will not be accepted with your application, it is accepted once you are invited to the Written Exam and is uploaded into NTN’s testing site. Please do not email documentation for Preference Points with the application. Specific instructions about the submission of documentation for Preference Points will be provided via email by Thursday, July 31, 2025 by 6:00 p.m. Arizona time to applicants who meet the requirements to test.
The Written Exam will be scored by NTN. While performance feedback may be provided by NTN at the completion of your test, you will not receive your score directly from NTN. Your
Written Exam score and your status for next steps in the testing process will be emailed to you by City of Mesa Human Resources by Tuesday September 2, 2025, 6:00 pm Arizona time. If you have questions regarding exam performance feedback provided by NTN, please contact NTN Candidate Support directly by phone at 855-821-3761, or by ticket.
Firefighter-Recruit is a trainee class used to prepare incumbents for performing public safety work involving the protection of life and property and the delivery of Mesa Fire and Medical Department (MFMD) programs. Preparation involves training in fire suppression, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and emergency and nonemergency incident response. A Firefighter-Recruit must demonstrate the ability to use fire suppression and emergency medical services skills in accordance with MFMD standards, as well as engage in fire code enforcement, public education, and station and equipment maintenance activities prior to academy graduation. This class is also responsible for performing related duties as required.
Firefighter - Recruits learn to perform emergency medical treatment and to ventilate burning buildings by opening windows and holes in roofs and floors, position and climb ladders to gain access to the upper levels of buildings, assist in advancing hose lines and making connections to hydrants, direct streams of water on fires, and perform search and rescue operations inside burning buildings, while wearing personal protective equipment weighing approximately 70 pounds that significantly impairs body cooling, in high humidity (up to 100 percent) situations, relying on self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for ventilation, and in environments with extreme temperature fluctuations (400+ degrees Fahrenheit). For the job descriptions for Firefighter - Recruit and Firefighter, see the job description links.
While enrolled in the Mesa Firefighter-Recruit Training Academy, employees are assigned to work 8-hour or 10-hour shifts and 40-hour work weeks, and receive close supervision from a Fire Captain assigned as the Fire Training Officer who reviews and evaluates work in progress and upon completion to ensure conformance to standard operating procedures. Upon successful completion of the academy, Firefighter-Recruits are promoted to the Firefighter classification and begin serving their regular probation period as a City of Mesa Firefighter. Incumbents are then required to work 12-hour or 24-hour shift schedules, although they may be assigned to work 8-hour or 10-hour shifts and 40-hour work weeks while assisting on special projects. New Firefighters receive close supervision from a Fire Captain who reviews and evaluates their work in progress. This class is FLSA nonexempt and has been designated as a non-classified, non-merit system, at-will position.
- As noted above, successful Firefighter - Recruit candidates who do not receive a job offer for a Firefighter - Recruit position in the January 2026 Academy filled from the list, or who do not yet possess an EMT certification (which is required before confirmation of hire as a Firefighter - Recruit), may be offered a position as a Fire Pre-Recruit. Fire Pre-Recruit is a pre-Fire Training Academy training class used to employ, educate, train, and evaluate prospective Firefighter Recruits. Upon successful performance in this class (including passing the EMT testing certification within the specified period of time/attempts if certification is not already possessed), Fire Pre-Recruits will be promoted to the Firefighter - Recruit classification in the following Academy.**
Pay
Firefighter Pre-Recruit Pay $34,958 Annually
Firefighter - Recruit Pay $57,593 Annually
Mesa Firefighter Pay (After Promotion from FFR Academy) $60,562 Annually
Please refer to the links below for the full job descriptions for Fire Pre-Recruit, Firefighter Recruit and Firefighter, which include additional information regarding preferred qualifications and essential functions.
Qualifications & Requirements
Employee Values: All employees of the City of Mesa are expected to uphold and exhibit the City's shared employee values of Knowledge, Respect, and Integrity.
Minimum Qualifications Required.
- Must be at least 18 years of age by Thursday, July 17, 2025.
- Graduation from high school or GED by Thursday, July 17, 2025.
- Possession of a valid Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) with a licensed CPAT agency is required to apply. For the January 2026 Academy, a valid CPAT must be dated between January 17, 2025, and the date your application is submitted. You must include the agency, CPAT number, and date in your response to the supplemental questions. Applications that do not include the Agency, CPAT Number, and Date completed in full on supplemental questions 5, 6, and 7 will be deemed ineligible.
- State of Arizona EMT or Paramedic certification is not required to apply or test but will be required before the start date of the Academy and must be kept current thereafter. Successful Firefighter Recruit candidates who are unable to obtain their EMT certification by the start date of the Academy may be offered a Fire Pre-Recruit position where they must complete an MFMD-sponsored EMT course (if they are not already enrolled in their own outside EMT course) as soon as possible upon hire and have up to three (3) opportunities following completion of the course to pass the EMT certification test. The EMT certification must be obtained no later than one week prior to the start of the Academy immediately following completion of the EMT course. Upon successful performance as a Pre-Recruit and passing the EMT certification within the specified time period, Pre-Recruits will promote to the Firefighter Recruit position in the following MFMD Firefighter Recruit Academy. For State of Arizona EMT or Paramedic certification information, see the Arizona Department of Health Services website athttp://www.azdhs.gov/bems/certification/index.htm.
*MFMD will not reimburse candidates for their cost of attending their own outside EMT school and/or EMT certification testing.
Special Requirements. Must possess a valid Arizona Class D Driver's License by hire or promotion date and must have an acceptable driving record. Must pass a pre-employment physical. Must meet and maintain National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Mesa Fire and Medical Department physical standards. Must meet the qualifications to wear a tight-fitting respirator by passing a medical evaluation in accordance with Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1910.134 by hire date and must maintain certification. Because of the confidential, sensitive nature of information handled, successful completion of a psychological examination is required. Must not be on the Office of Inspector General (OIG) list of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE).
Substance Abuse Testing. Due to the safety and/or security sensitive nature of this classification, individuals shall be subject to pre-employment or pre-placement alcohol, drug and/or controlled substance testing as outlined in City policy and procedures.
Preferred/Desirable Qualifications. Successful completion of Fire Science coursework from a regionally accredited college or university and previous firefighting experience (full-time, part-time, or volunteer) is preferred. Bilingual in Spanish is preferred.
Link To Job Description
Fire Pre-Recruit Job Description: https://apps.mesaaz.gov/jobdescriptions/Documents/JobDescriptions/cs3432.pdf
Firefighter - Recruit Job Description: https://apps.mesaaz.gov/JobDescriptions/Documents/JobDescriptions/cs3919.pdf
Firefighter Job Description: https://apps.mesaaz.gov/JobDescriptions/Documents/JobDescriptions/cs4111.pdf
A Summary of City of Mesa Benefits is linked here.
