Oak Park Fire Department

The Oak Park Fire Department protects the Village of Oak Park, a Cook County community of 54,583 residents directly west of Chicago. The career department provides fire suppression, basic and advanced life support, hazardous materials mitigation, and special rescues from three stations, with headquarters (Station 1) at 100 N. Euclid Ave. Three Advanced Life Support ambulances are staffed with paramedics 24 hours a day — two at headquarters and one responding from Station 3 at 900 S. East Ave.

Every Oak Park firefighter is cross-trained as a paramedic, and about 60 percent of the department's calls are medical. In 2024 the department answered 8,925 calls for service, an average of more than 24 a day, and it holds an ISO Class 2 rating.

Beyond emergency response, personnel inspect every commercial and public building in the Village at least once a year, review building plans for fire alarm and sprinkler installations, and run an American Heart Association community training center at headquarters offering CPR/AED classes. Fire Chief Joseph "JT" Terry, a member of the department since 2007, has led it since June 2025.

Oak Park hires firefighter/paramedics through Public Safety Testing (PST) and accepts PST test scores continuously. Candidates pass the PST written exam with a score of 70 percent or higher, submit a Personal History Statement within seven days, and provide a current CPAT card (completed within one year); finalists complete an oral interview, background investigation, psychological examination, medical examination, and drug screen. The resulting eligibility list is good for three years or until it is exhausted, which gives candidates time to finish certifications — applicants not yet licensed as paramedics may enter testing with proof of enrollment in an IDPH-approved paramedic program. The Village anticipated six firefighter/paramedic vacancies for 2026.