Orange County Fire Authority — Irvine, CA
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This promotional opportunity is open to current, qualified, Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), non-probationary firefighter unit members only . No other applications will be considered. ## ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Please click on the following link to view the complete classification specification for Fire Captain. ## MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS EXPERIENCE **: **
At time of application , applicants must have completed probation as a Firefighter and possess at least five (5) years’ experience as a full-time career Firefighter or Fire Apparatus Engineer with the OCFA or a fire agency that the OCFA assumed fire protection responsibility for, or a combination of the two. Qualifying experience as a Firefighter begins at time of hire as either a Firefighter Trainee or Firefighter.
In addition to the years of experience requirement above, an applicant seeking promotion to Fire Captain must meet basic proficiency skills by any one of the following:
LICENSES: Possession of a valid Class C Driver License at time of appointment.
**CERTIFICATIONS (promotion requirement): **
Completion of all of the California State Fire Marshal (CSFM) Company Officer courses listed below is required:
Applicants who have completed all eight (8) CSFM Fire Officer courses (listed below) prior to 01/01/2017 will not need to complete the 5 new CSFM Company Officer courses (listed above). Proof of documentation is required.
To ensure applicants are qualified to open an Engine Boss (ENGB) task book, proof of ENGB qualification or completion of **all ** of the courses listed below is required. Proof of documentation is required.
PERFORMANCE (position requirements at time of application): Standard or higher rating on last two (2) annual performance reviews ## SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION HOW TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION:
To apply, go to www.ocfa.org. Interested personnel are to submit the following:
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
Oral Interview: November 2 - 6, 2026
Non-mandatory Prep Days (One per assessment simulation – the Prep Days are for those candidates who successfully complete the oral interview and written exam with scores of 80% or better): December 7, 9, & 11, 2026
Fire Captain Academy 42: February 19 – April 1, 2027
Written Examination: ** The written examination is scheduled for Thursday, October 7, 2026 ** (B-Shift) . The written examination will focus on current OCFA operational practices and modern management concepts and practices. The written examination consists of information contained in the following materials:
Note: The following link has been created to provide applicants with the study material Fire Captain Study Material . The Firefighter Handbook, Wildland Firefighting, 3rd edition is available in the station library.
Oral Interview: Oral Interviews are scheduled for November 2 – 6, 2026 .
Fire Captain Academy 42: **The mandatory FCA42 is scheduled Monday-Friday, February 5, 2027 – March 18, 2027. ** FCA42 will be comprised of six (6) modules:
WEIGHTS FOR SELECTION COMPONENTS:
Written Exam - 10% The minimum passing score for this selection component is 80%. All candidates who achieve 80% or greater on the written exam will be invited to the oral interview. Candidates' final overall selection component score will include 10% of their written exam score.
Oral Interview - 15% The minimum passing score for this selection component is 80%. Candidates' final overall selection component score will include 15% of their oral interview score.
Fire Captain Academy Eligibility List: Candidates who achieve 80% or greater on the written exam and the oral interview will be placed onto the Fire Captain Academy eligibility list in ranked order based on the combined written examination and oral interview score. The Fire Captain Academy eligibility list will remain in effect for a period of one (1) year from the date of establishment or until all the names on the list are exhausted. The Fire Captain Academy eligibility list may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties.
Candidates on the Fire Captain Academy Eligibility list not placed in FCA42 may be invited to the future Fire Captain Academies if available during the life of the Fire Captain Academy eligibility list.
Fire Captain Academy – 75%
Candidates must achieve a minimum passing score of 80% on each component of Module 5. Candidates who fail the Fire Captain Academy Assessment Center will be returned to the field and NOT invited to Module 6.
**Fire Captain Promotional Eligibility List: ** The Fire Captain promotional eligibility list will be established in rank order based on the combined written examination, oral interview, and Fire Captain Academy Assessment Center scores.
Promotions will occur in rank order.
The Fire Captain promotional eligibility list will remain in effect for a period of 1 year from the date of establishment or until all the names on the list are exhausted. The Fire Captain promotional eligibility list may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties.
**AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) ACCOMMODATION: ** In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, anyone who needs an ADA accommodation for the purposes of employment testing should contact Brad Stephens, Senior Human Resources Analyst at (714) 573-6816 or bradstephens@ocfa.org at least 72 hours prior to any portion of the examination process.
CHANGE IN SCHEDULING/PROCESS: If there is a change in the selection process, Human Resources will notify all affected candidates.
QUESTIONS: All questions regarding this recruitment should be addressed to Brad Stephens, Senior Human Resources Analyst at (714) 573-6816 or via email at bradstephens@ocfa.org.
NOTE : The provisions of this publication do not constitute an express or implied contract. Any provision in this publication may be modified or revoked without notice.
**EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: ** The Orange County Fire Authority is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.
Please note: This summary reflects the benefits for shift employees assigned to a 56-hour average duty week. For benefits information related to staff assignments (40-hour workweek), please refer to the OCPFA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Orange County Professional Firefighters Association (OCPFA) Local 3631: This classification is represented by the OCPFA Local 3631. Please visit http://www.ocfirefighters.org for more information.
Merit Salary Increases Employees are eligible for an initial merit salary increase (1 to 4 steps) on the first day of the pay period following completion of fifty-two (52) weeks of service, and thereafter annually based on their work performance and until they reach the top of their 12-step salary range.
Health Benefits Pursuant to a Health Plan Agreement, the Authority contributes to the OCPFA medical benefit trust fund for health insurance and other related benefits. Brown Insurance Services (BIS) is the administrator for these benefits. The current contribution to the medical benefit trust fund will continue through 3/1/2028 in the amount of $2,199.49/month for "actively employed" enrollee members of the unit.
Retirement All regular OCFA employees are members of the Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS) - a defined benefit retirement program. Employees are enrolled in one of the following retirement formulas based on date of hire.
Legacy Safety Members: Employees hired on or after January 1, 2013 who establish reciprocity with OCERS are enrolled in the 3% at age 55 retirement formula (Plan R). Please visit OCERS to view compensation and benefit limits. https://www.ocers.org/post/compensation-and-benefit-limits
New Safety Members: Employees hired on or after January 1, 2013 without reciprocity are enrolled in the 2.7% at age 57 retirement formula (Plan V). Please visit OCERS to view compensation and benefit limits. https://www.ocers.org/post/compensation-and-benefit-limits
For more information about OCERS retirement, please visit OCERS, or view the Retirement Plan HERE.
Deferred Compensation Employees may voluntarily participate in the Authority’s deferred compensation plan. This plan is provided by Nationwide Retirement Services and allows for pre- and post-tax deferrals. This plan is 100% employee funded.
**Retiree Medical Savings Plan ** Employees participate in an employer sponsored retirement Healthcare Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) with a contribution of 3.0% of base salary. Firefighter Trainees and Handcrew Firefighters do not participate in this benefit.
OCPFA Supplemental Retiree Medical Plan Employees contribute 1.0% of their base salary towards the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association (OCPFA) Supplemental Retiree Medical Plan Trust Fund.
Social Security Orange County Fire Authority employees are not covered under the provisions of Federal Social Security (OASDI); therefore, they are not required to contribute 6.2% of salary towards Social Security.
Medicare Employees contribute 1.45% to Medicare. Employees whose wages exceed $200,000 in a calendar year shall contribute an additional 0.9%.
Educational Incentive Pay Employees with college-level semester units or a bachelor’s degree are eligible for educational incentive pay as follows:
The maximum educational incentive pay an employee shall receive is 7.5% of base salary. To receive educational incentive pay, the employee must submit a written request to receive the educational incentive pay and submit satisfactory proof of qualification (for example, grade cards, transcripts, and/or other verification from an accredited, college-level educational institution). Employees must provide official transcripts for verification.
Hand Crew Firefighters are not eligible for educational incentive Pay.
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Pay Employees (other than Firefighter Trainees) who maintain an active State of California EMT certification will receive, in addition to their regular salary, seven (9%) percent of each employee’s base salary per month, prorated on an hourly basis for regular hours paid.
Other Specialty Pays Employees who move into special assignments at OCFA, or who possess specialized skills, may be eligible for other specialty pays. Please refer to the OCPFA MOU and Side Letter Agreements for further details.
Tuition Reimbursement Tuition reimbursement is $2,000 per fiscal year to cover certain expenses associated with academic pursuits.
Holidays Employees in the Firefighters Unit observe 13 holidays within the calendar year:
Shift employees receive 11.2 hours holiday pay of which 0.7 hours is designated to a Union Time Bank for Union release time.
Vacation Vacation accrual is based on hours of completed continuous service (regular hours) exclusive of overtime. For shift employees:
Sick Leave Sick leave is is based on hours of completed continuous service (regular hours) exclusive of overtime. For shift employees:
Uniforms The Authority provides uniforms to employees.
Flexible Spending Account (FSA) The OCFA offers regular, limited-term, and probationary employees both a Medical and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), which allows you to contribute pre-tax dollars into an account that can be used throughout the year on qualified medical or dependent care expenses. Participants pay fewer taxes and take home more money. For 2022, the maximum employee contribution is $2,750 for eligible medical expenses. The maximum employee contribution is $5,000 for eligible dependent care expenses.
WEFIT Program The WEFIT Program is mandatory/non-punitive. The OCFA shall provide all five (5) of the following aspects of the WEFIT Program:
Pet Discount Program OCFA has partnered with United Pet Care to offer a pet healthcare program. This program helps employees reduce the cost of escalating veterinary bills at an affordable rate. All pets are eligible regardless of their age or medical condition.
Benevolent Association Employees have the option to join OCFA’s Benevolent Association which was created to “Take Care of Their Own.” Included in your $8.00 per pay period cost is $10,000 Member Death Benefit, $4,000 Dependent Death Benefit, $30,000 Annual Scholarships for Members and Dependents, Hardship Grants/Loans, Annual Picnic for Members, Holiday Ball, and Retiree Tribute. In addition, Discount Offers- Recreation/Amusement Parks, fitness 19 and 24-Hour Fitness gym membership, discount movie tickets, Angels Baseball game with tailgate party, etc. Membership also allows access to very good supplemental insurances of many types, including, Long Term Disability, Long Term Care, various AFLAC (ICU, Cancer, Accident Injury, CSFA membership, Living Trusts and more. The Family Auxiliary and KIDS Fund (provides monetary assistance only to kids of members), both operate under the Benevolent Association.
Updated 07/2026
This benefit summary is intended to provide an easy way for current and prospective employees to access fringe benefit information, including voluntary options. This summary is intended to be accurate, but it is not an official plan document, and has no legal or binding effect as an expressed or implied contract, or otherwise, and does not alter or amend any provision of the Memoranda of Understanding, Personnel and Salary Resolution, retirement contract, insurance policy contract, or any other official document of the Orange County Fire Authority, including Standard Operating Procedures and General Orders. All insurance benefits described in the summary are subject to the terms and limitations of the Orange County Fire Authority's insurance contracts with individual insurance providers. _ _Should you have any questions pertaining to information in this summary, please contact the Human Resources Department at (714) 573-6800.