Fire Department · Combination
Grants Pass Fire Rescue
Grants Pass, OR · Josephine County
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Department careers page ↗Grants Pass Fire Rescue traces its roots to 1891, when the Grants Pass City Council organized the department and appointed R.P. Williams as its first Chief Engineer. What began as an all-volunteer bucket-and-cart brigade grew through the early 1900s with the city's first motorized pumpers, and by the 1960s the department fielded a dozen paid firefighters alongside thirty volunteers. A 1984 merger folded fire operations into a combined Public Safety department before the city separated Fire and Police back into standalone agencies in 2021.
Today the department runs three fire stations around Grants Pass with 26 full-time firefighters, delivering fire suppression, technical rescue, and emergency medical response to a city of more than 39,000 residents. Fire Rescue has provided professional EMS since 1988, and every first-out engine is staffed with at least two EMT-level personnel carrying Basic Life Support equipment — a reflection of the more than 60% of calls that are medical or rescue in nature. The department partners with Rural Metro Fire, American Medical Response, and Asante Three Rivers Medical Center on the medical side, and maintains an active Firewise/wildfire-preparedness program given southern Oregon's fire-prone landscape.
Grants Pass Fire Rescue hires firefighters through a competitive process that opens applications for a minimum of three weeks (longer if volume warrants) via the city's governmentjobs.com portal, then routes candidates through a written exam and physical agility test administered by the National Testing Network.
Requirements
- Pass the National Testing Network written exam (about 2 hours)
- Pass the physical agility test (ladder climbs, hose work, stair climbs, simulated rescue scenarios) in 4 minutes 48 seconds or less
- Complete an oral panel interview (45-60 minutes, scenario-based)
- Pass a background investigation covering references, credit, criminal history, and employment verification
- Pass a psychological fitness exam
- Pass a medical examination and drug screening
Hiring process
- Submit application and supplemental questionnaire via governmentjobs.com/careers/grantspassor
- Written and supplemental materials are scored (about 1 week)
- Day 1: National Testing Network written exam, then physical agility test for those who pass
- Day 2: Oral panel interview
- Background investigation
- Tentative job offer
- Psychological fitness exam
- Medical examination and drug screening
- Final job offer
New firefighters without prior certification serve a 12-month trial period that includes orientation and skills training, an NFPA Firefighter 1 academy run over five weekends across 10 weeks, a minimum of three months of field training, and task performance testing.
How do I become a firefighter with Grants Pass Fire Rescue?
Applicants submit an application through the city's governmentjobs.com portal during open recruitment windows, then complete a National Testing Network written exam and physical agility test, an oral panel interview, a background investigation, a psychological fitness exam, and a medical exam before receiving a final job offer.
What are the physical requirements for the Grants Pass Fire Rescue hiring process?
Candidates must pass a physical agility test that includes ladder climbs, hose work, stair climbs, and simulated rescue scenarios, completing all components in 4 minutes and 48 seconds or less.
Does Grants Pass Fire Rescue accept lateral firefighter hires?
Yes. Lateral candidates with current certifications skip the recruit academy but still undergo a competency evaluation before being placed in the field.
What training do new Grants Pass firefighters complete?
New hires without prior certification complete a 12-month trial service period that includes an NFPA Firefighter 1 academy (five weekends over 10 weeks), a minimum of three months of field training, and task performance testing.
How many stations and firefighters does Grants Pass Fire Rescue have?
The department operates three fire stations with 26 full-time firefighters serving a city of more than 39,000 residents.