Fire Department · Career
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue
Hillsboro, OR · Washington County
Approximately $30 million annual operating budget; 137 of the department's 146 employees are sworn firefighters.
No active openings right now
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Department careers page ↗Hillsboro Fire & Rescue traces its roots to an 1880 city ordinance that equipped six volunteers with a hand-drawn ladder truck, four ladders, and 36 buckets. The department motorized in the 1920s (its 1924 Stutz pumper is still on display at the main station), professionalized under a succession of chiefs across the 20th century, and absorbed operations from the surrounding Washington County Fire District #2 in the 1980s and 1990s as Hillsboro annexed and grew around it. It is led today by Fire Chief David Downey.
The department is now a 146-person career organization, 137 of them sworn firefighters, operating on an annual budget of roughly $30 million. It runs five engine companies, a truck company, and a command unit, supplemented by non-staffed technical-rescue, brush, and tender apparatus, out of stations spread across 25.67 square miles — most recently adding a sixth station, Station 9 in South Hillsboro. About three-quarters of its call volume is emergency medical rather than fire.
Beyond suppression and EMS, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue fields a Technical Rescue Team trained in confined-space, high/low-angle, structural-collapse, trench, and heavy-machinery-extrication rescue, and trains firefighters to the hazmat-operations level in support of the region's semiconductor manufacturing industry. A Fire Prevention/Community Risk Reduction division handles code compliance, fire investigation, new-development review, and public education across the district.
MissionTo respond to the needs of the community while demonstrating professionalism and excellence in every aspect of our fire and rescue service delivery system.
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue hires Firefighter/EMTs and Firefighter/Paramedics through the National Testing Network's FireTEAM exam and CPAT physical ability test, a City of Hillsboro online application, a one-way video interview, panel interviews, and a final interview with the Fire Chief, followed by a conditional offer, medical exam and background screening, and a formal offer into the department's recruit academy.
Requirements
- At least 18 years of age by the date of appointment
- Good physical health as determined by a medical examination
- Valid state driver's license with a safe driving record
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Passing Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) score
- Oregon or NREMT EMT-Basic license or higher (or ability to obtain Oregon reciprocity)
Hiring process
- Obtain EMT or Paramedic license/certification
- Complete the National Testing Network FireTEAM exam
- Complete the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)
- Apply online during an open recruitment period
- One-way recorded video interview
- In-person/virtual panel interviews
- Final interview with the Fire Chief
- Conditional offer of employment
- Pre-employment medical exam and background screening
- Formal offer of employment and enrollment in the Recruit Training Academy
Benefits
Offers a 5% monthly bilingual incentive premium for demonstrated proficiency in Spanish, American Sign Language, or another language spoken by over 10% of city residents, and grants hiring preference to qualifying veterans and disabled veterans.
All new hires, regardless of prior experience, must complete Hillsboro Fire & Rescue's 16-week, roughly 450-hour Recruit Training Academy and a 12-month, three-phase field probation, earning NFPA Firefighter I/II, Driver/Operator, Wildland Firefighter Type 2, hazmat awareness/operations, and EMS certifications along the way.
Is there an age requirement to apply?
Yes — applicants must be at least 18 years of age by the date of appointment.
What do I need before I can apply?
You'll need an Oregon (or reciprocal) EMT-Basic or Paramedic license, a valid FireTEAM exam score from the National Testing Network, and a passing Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) result completed within the recruitment's accepted date window.
What does the FireTEAM exam cover?
It has four parts — human relations, mechanical aptitude, reading, and math — and takes about two hours, available in person or virtually through the National Testing Network.
How long is the recruit academy?
A 16-week, roughly 450-hour Recruit Training Academy, followed by a 12-month, three-phase probationary period assigned to on-duty crews.
Is there a fee waiver for the FireTEAM test?
No — Hillsboro Fire & Rescue does not currently offer fee waivers for the FireTEAM test; NTN charges its standard base and per-department fees.