Recruit and Lateral Firefighter and Firefighter/Paramedic bei City of Grand Junction

RECRUIT AND LATERAL FIREFIGHTER AND FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDIC

New to the City of Grand Junction Team? Receive 40 Hours Paid Time Off upon hire!

REQUIRED:
•    Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) certification MUST be valid through September 5, 2025, OR obtained by December 7, 2025.
•    Colorado EMT certificate OR National Registry EMT certificate on or before March 2, 2026.

About the Position:
Are you looking for a change of pace, a career that makes a difference, and a place you can call home? The Grand Junction Fire Department is experiencing unprecedented growth, and we are excited to welcome the next generation of community servants to join our family!

Firefighters and Firefighter/Paramedics respond to emergency and non-emergency calls, working with their assigned station crew to provide basic or advanced life support care to patients. Additional duties include performing fire prevention, fire suppression, and emergency rescue operations. Upon graduation from the Fire Academy, the Grand Junction Fire Department has a 48/96 work schedule.

Academy Pay:
Firefighter:    $25.00
Firefighter/Paramedic:    $33.50
Academy pay is based on actual hours worked with the typical schedule of 44-48 hours per week.
    
Upon Fire Academy Graduation:
Firefighter:    $25.00
Firefighter/Paramedic    $33.50 (Hiring Bonus of $2,000 paid upon graduation and successful completion
of Mesa County Protocols.)
Upon graduation from the Academy, pay is based on actual hours worked on a 48/96 schedule.
    
Lateral Pay:    
Firefighter:    $25.00 – $31.91
Firefighter/Paramedic:    $33.50 – $35.54 
Academy pay is based on actual hours worked with the typical schedule of 44-48 hours per week.
    
Upon Fire Academy Graduation:
Firefighter:    $25.00 – $31.91
Firefighter/Paramedic:    $33.50 – $35.54 (Hiring Bonus of $4,000 paid upon graduation and successful completion of Mesa County Protocols.)
Upon graduation from the Academy, pay is based on actual hours worked on a 48/96 schedule.

About the Grand Junction Fire Department:
Guided by our mission of Taking Care of People & Property, GJFD strives to be trusted, respected, and valued in every interaction with the community- whether in times of emergency response or through daily engagement. Personnel are expected to embody the Department’s core values of Dedication, Integrity, and Professionalism. Learn more about our department's mission, vision, and values by visiting our website: https://www.gjcity.org/166/Fire-Department.

What You'll Do:
•    Attend, participate, and successfully complete all skill blocks of the fire academy; learn and complete Mesa County Protocols; meet all job performance indicators to operate as a Firefighter or Firefighter/Paramedic.
•    Perform various EMS and firefighting activities to protect life, property, and environment.
•    Respond to a variety of emergency and non-emergency calls including emergency medical response, fire suppression, traffic collisions, hazardous materials incidents, building collapses, wildland fires, technical rescue, and extraction.
•    Operate a variety of fire suppression and life-saving equipment. 
•    Perform station and equipment inspections and maintenance.

To view the full Firefighter job description, click here.
To view the full Firefighter/Paramedic job description, click here.

This position is a safety-sensitive position, which means you will be subject to random drug screens due to the nature of the work performed.

What We're Looking For:

Firefighter:
•    Colorado EMT certificate OR National Registry EMT certificate on or before March 2, 2026.  
•    CPR certificate on or before March 2, 2026.

Firefighter/Paramedic:
•    Colorado EMT-P certificate OR a National Registry EMT-P certificate on or before March 2, 2026. 
•    PALS certificate OR PEPP certificate on or before March 2, 2026.
•    ACLS certificate on or before March 2, 2026.  
•    CPR certificate on or before March 2, 2026.

Lateral Firefighter or Lateral Firefighter/Paramedic:
•    Minimum 3 years’ experience in a full-time paid position on an all-hazards fire department.  
•    Firefighter II certification (ProBoard or IFSAC Accredited) or equivalent.
•    Hazardous Materials Operations certification (ProBoard or IFSAC Accredited) or equivalent.  
•    Current State of Colorado Driver’s License or ability to obtain.
•    Driver Operator Utility Certification (ProBoard or IFSAC) or ability to obtain within first year of employment.
•    Proof of completion of an emergency vehicle operator program (i.e. VFIS, CEVO, EVOC or other equivalent internal department program).
•    Current State of Colorado or National Registry EMT or Paramedic Certification.
•    Current CPR card.
•    Current ACLS (Paramedics only).
•    Current PALS or PEPP (Paramedics only).

General (for all positions):
•    Must successfully complete a Candidate Level NFPA - 1582 Physical. 
•    Color perception resulting in the ability to use imaging devices.
•    High school diploma or equivalent.
•    Must be 18 years of age upon time of hire.
•    Ability to pass a thorough background check.
•    Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) certification good through September 5, 2025.
    *If you do not possess a current CPAT certification, you must obtain one by December 7, 2025.

Notice to Applicants:
In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, we kindly request that you do not include the dates of your education to include years of attendance or graduation on your application, resume or attachments.

Important Notice:
During the course of the application and hiring process, you will be asked to disclose information about your past activities. The below list of critical admissions, which may be cause for disqualification from employment with the Grand Junction Fire Department, is provided to applicants, Computerized Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA) Technicians, and others involved in the recruitment process.

It is important that you be completely honest and forthright about this history. While a critical admission may or may not disqualify an applicant from a job, the discovery of misleading or deceitful information provided by the applicant is an immediate cause for disqualification.
•    Any felony investigation or conviction.
•    Any conviction for a crime of violence, specifically assaults, domestic violence, etc. 
•    Any conviction for a "hate crime" such as ethnic intimidation.
•    Perjury conviction.
•    Any theft conviction regardless of value of item.
•    Theft from current employer or a previous employer.
•    Drug use (including marijuana) and/or current alcohol abuse.
•    An alcohol or drug conviction including but not limited to DUI/DWAI, depending on recency.
•    Hit and run accident conviction.
•    Being under or having been under driving restraint, cancelation, suspension or revocation of driving privileges in Colorado or any other state.

Please note: The listed critical admissions are not the exclusive basis for disqualification. The City reserves the right to disqualify any applicant who may or may not have any one or all of the foregoing admissions.

Assessment Process:
The assessment process will include the components below.
•    Physical Ability Test: CPAT certification MUST be valid through September 5, 2025, OR obtained by December 7, 2025.
•    Phone Interview
•    Oral Board Interview
•    Computerized Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA)
•    Fingerprints/Background Investigation
•    Suitability/Psychological Evaluation
•    Executive Interview
•    Pre-employment drug, medical, and psychological evaluation screening

***If you are selected to participate in the assessment process for a Firefighter or Firefighter/Paramedic position, you will be contacted via email. Please check your email regularly for communication about this recruitment. ***

Tentative Assessment Dates:

Phone Interviews:
•    September 15 - September 17, 2025
•    October 6 - October 10, 2025
•    October 20 - October 24, 2025

Oral Boards:
•    October 13 – October 17, 2025
•    October 27 – October 31, 2025

Executive Interviews for Finalists:
•    December 8 - December 11, 2025

Tentative Recruit Orientation Day:
On December 13, 2025, the GJFD will offer a voluntary Recruit Orientation Day. This day is highly recommended as it provides a realistic day in the academy. We will cover a variety of topics such as bunker drills, ladders, search, SCBA, hose advancement, and bunker fitting. We have had tremendous feedback about this day and the events even from people who have some prior experience in the fire service.

Tentative Fire Academy Start Date:
•    March 2, 2026

Additional Information:
CPAT Testing | Firefighter Jobs | National Testing Network
CPAT at NTN. National Testing Network provides convenient, professional administration of the Candidate Physical Abilities Test (CPAT) for firefighter candidates.
www.nationaltestingnetwork.com.

Explore the Area:
Grand Junction, Colorado is the gateway to the mountains and canyonlands of western Colorado and eastern Utah. Centrally located between Denver, CO (250 miles east) and Salt Lake City, UT (270 miles west), Grand Junction is surrounded by 1.2 million acres of public land. Residents enjoy world-class whitewater rafting on the Colorado and Green Rivers, golfing, fishing, skiing and snowboarding, and exploring mountain bike and hiking trails through the Colorado National Monument and the Grand Mesa National Forest. Grand Junction has a robust downtown and hosts multiple art, music, food, and market events annually. With a population of over 150,000 in Mesa County (65,000 within the City limits) we have many of the big town amenities without the big town stresses such as traffic and trail congestion. With an average of 245 days of sunshine, Grand Junction is the perfect place to work and play.

Learn more about our area on Visit Grand Junction's website and Instagram!

At the City of Grand Junction, we proudly operate as an Equal Opportunity Employer, purposely building an inclusive workforce representative of various cultures, perspectives, and experiences. We believe in respect for all and do not discriminate based on hair, race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

If you have questions or need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please contact our Human Resources office at 970.244.1512.

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