Fire Department
Bella Vista Fire Department
Bella Vista, AR · Benton County
The Bella Vista Fire Department protects the city of Bella Vista at the northern end of Northwest Arkansas' Interstate 49 corridor, on the Missouri line in Benton County. The department covers about 47 square miles of Ozark hill country — a community of roughly 30,000 residents built around seven lakes and seven golf courses — from four fire stations staffed around the clock by full-time personnel, answering approximately 4,000 calls a year.
Every firefighter is a licensed EMT or paramedic, and the department has operated the city's ambulance service since 2012, running six ambulances alongside a 107-foot ladder truck, a 75-foot ladder, Class A pumpers, two rescue trucks, and a hazmat unit. Beyond suppression and EMS transport, it fields hazmat and technical rescue teams and has run a community paramedic program since 2015; Bella Vista has re-certified annually as an NFPA Firewise Community since 2002.
The department dates to June 1969, when the Bella Vista Village Property Owners Association organized a volunteer company with a single pumper. It hired its first paid chief in 1972 and transitioned from POA to city control on January 1, 2008 — a year after Bella Vista incorporated as a city — with 33 paid firefighters, growing since to roughly 60. A one-cent sales tax funded the first ladder truck in 2009, Station 4 opened in 2016, and the department opened its own fire training center, with a five-story tower and driver-training area, in 2024.
MissionServing our community with integrity and pride by providing professional, respectable, and responsive care through emergency medicine and fire protection services.
Bella Vista hires both entry-level Firefighter/EMTs and Firefighter/Paramedics and keeps an ongoing eligibility list rather than waiting for vacancies. Candidates apply through the city's Paylocity portal and test through National Testing Network: the FireTEAM written exam plus NTN's candidate Personal History Questionnaire, along with a current CPAT. The department also recruits experienced firefighter EMTs and paramedics, and a written exam or physical fitness test passed for a fire department within the previous 12 months can satisfy those steps. The minimum credential is an Arkansas EMT license or reciprocity eligibility — paramedic preferred, and paramedics start substantially higher. Captain Brandon Earley serves as the candidate contact.
Requirements
- At least 18 years old
- High school diploma or GED
- Valid driver's license
- U.S. citizenship
- Arkansas EMT or Paramedic license, or the ability to obtain one through reciprocity (paramedic preferred)
- Vision within NFPA 1582 parameters or correctable to 20/20
- No felony convictions
- Pass the FireTEAM written exam and a physical fitness test (CPAT)
Hiring process
- Submit a City of Bella Vista application through its Paylocity recruiting portal
- Take the FireTEAM exam through National Testing Network, selecting Bella Vista Fire Department to receive the results
- Complete the candidate Personal History Questionnaire in your National Testing Network account
- Pass the CPAT
- Background check, drug screen, and medical fitness-for-duty physical after an offer
Benefits
Per the department's recruitment listing (April 2025):
- LOPFI retirement
- Health, dental, and vision insurance; city-paid life insurance with optional supplemental policies
- Vacation and sick leave, holiday pay, and an end-of-year holiday pay bonus
- HazMat and Technical Rescue team stipends
- Tuition reimbursement; uniforms supplied by the department
New hires who lack them complete Firefighter I and II, hazmat awareness and operations, and Arkansas EMT certification after hire, with the training provided by the department. The department opened its own fire training center in 2024, with a five-story training tower and driver-training area.
What disqualifies a candidate from being hired by the Bella Vista Fire Department?
Any felony conviction or a failed pre-employment drug screen is disqualifying, and falsifying any information on the application disqualifies a candidate from employment.
Where can candidates take the CPAT for Bella Vista Fire Department?
The local CPAT is administered by the Northwest Arkansas Metropolitan Fire Chiefs' Association, and the department also accepts CPAT completion through any certified IAFF/IAFC organization, including National Testing Network. Results are good for one year and must be current at the time of hire.
Does the Bella Vista Fire Department hire experienced firefighters?
Yes. Alongside entry-level openings, the department recruits experienced firefighter EMTs and firefighter paramedics, and candidates who have passed a written exam and a physical fitness test for a fire department within the past 12 months can carry those results forward.