Frequently Asked Questions

1.             Under the Careers tab on top, select Current Job Opportunities.

2.             On the top of the screen, you will find a search box titled “Search to Activate Job Alerts for Future Opportunities”.

3.           In the search box, enter the keyword or title of the position you are interested in. The system will show 0 opportunities and a message in red that states there are no matches for your criteria.

4.            To the right of the message in red, you will find a blue bar that shows an envelope and a title next to it that states “Activate job alerts for this search”. Please click on that bar.

5.            If you never applied with us before, please register to receive job alerts.

6.            If you already have an account with us, please click on the Sign In link to complete your job alert.

7.            After you Register or Sign in, complete the job alert by clicking on the Create blue button.  

8.            You will be redirected to the main screen that will have a message highlighted in green stating “You have successfully created a job alert”.

Yes! We have many military veterans that work with SMFR. We also have a partnership with the Hero to Hero program. To learn more about their process, please visit their website: https://www.herotohero.org/application.

At this time, we do not have plans to have a lateral academy. Experienced Firefighters and Firefighter/Paramedics, need to go through our regular academy. We recognize experience after graduating academy.

To qualify for experienced Firefighter pay, applicants must have at least 3 years of paid experience as a Firefighter (within the last 12 months) with a full-time fire service agency whose primary responsibility is fire protection and emergency medical service along with a 400-hour academy. 

To qualify for experienced Paramedic/Firefighter pay, applicants must have at least 3 years of paid experience as a paramedic (within the last 12 months) with a full-time fire service agency whose primary responsibility is fire protection and emergency medical service or 3 years of full-time paramedic experience in an emergency medical services or medical field. 

The minimum qualifications for all candidates must meet is:

• High school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED) 
• Must be 18 years of age by the date of hire 
• Valid FireTEAM test scores 
• Valid CPAT certificate
• Possess or be able to obtain a Colorado driver’s license Possess and maintain an acceptable driving record in accordance with SMFR’s Driving Records Policy
• Must be able to pass a pre-employment background check, criminal history review, physical, fitness/wellness assessment, medical evaluation, drug screen and psychological exam. 

PARAMEDICS

• Must be 21 years of age by date of hire
• Current Colorado State Paramedic Certification or National Registry Paramedic Certification.
• Current American Heart Association ACLS Provider.
• Current American Heart Association CPR Provider.

An EMT-B certification is not a requirement in order to apply. If a candidate is selected for hire without an EMT-B certificate, the candidate must attend and successfully pass the EMT-B course hosted by South Metro Fire Rescue. A candidate that does not pass the EMT-B course will be eliminated from the hiring process.

Candidates are required to have a valid CPAT certificate through the date of hire. There are numerous testing sites in Colorado. Please see the links below for some agencies that offer a CPAT test. Out-of-state candidates can get their CPAT from various agencies in their area. However, be advised that all tests need to be accredited through the IAFF.

Denver Fire         Aims Community College         National Testing Network

Please be advised that your FireTEAM scores are valid for one year. A CPAT will also expire after one year. Please ensure they align with our hiring timelines. If we don't have any current openings, your test scores and CPAT may expire by the time we open our hiring process. 

After completing your Firefighter probationary task book (about one year), please let your chain of command know you would like to pursue Paramedicine. Budget permitting, we would send you to paramedic school to start that transition to becoming a Paramedic. 

During the academy, we will work with the recruits on how to get their certifications transferred or obtained in the State of Colorado.  

When South Metro Fire Rescue has an open recruitment for an academy, a hiring timeline will be posted along with the start date of the academy. Please sign up to receive email notification of our job announcement by selecting to receive email alerts. To sign up, please visit our job postings page and click on notify me.

Yes, please click on the "How Do I" on the top section of our website and select Ride Alongs under the Requests section to schedule. Please note once a hiring cycle starts, ride alongs will be discontinued until the close of the hiring cycle.

All communication throughout the hiring cycle will be sent to the email address that you provided to the National Testing Network when the FireTEAM test was taken. Please be sure to enter your email address correctly on your application and check your email frequently, including your junk or spam email folder. All applicants will be notified of their status via email at each phase of the hiring cycle. 

Please refer to our Careers page. This provides the most up-to-date information on what each academy will include whether it's for firefighters only or a mix of firefighters and firefighters/paramedics. 

Please follow this link from SMFR's Wellness Division to get more information regarding a fitness program and an explanation of the VO2max test.

https://wellness.southmetro.org/public-posts/smfr-candidate-fitness-program-8-weeks/