How to get hired at DeKalb County Department of Fire & Rescue Services
DeKalb County hires Firefighter Recruits with no prior experience required. EMT, Firefighter I and II, and Hazmat certifications are earned during roughly 36 weeks of training. Candidates apply through the County's HR job portal, send in required documents, and take a Physical Agility Test. The county advises setting a job alert to be notified when recruit applications open.
Apply / get notifiedOfficial recruitment page
Minimum requirements
- No previous experience required src
- U.S. citizen src
- High school diploma or GED src
- Valid driver's license, with no more than 5 moving violations in the past 3 years and no DUI in the past 3 years src
- No felony conviction in the past 10 years and no domestic violence conviction src
- No illegal drug use within 12 months, no drug sales, and no pending criminal charges src
- No dishonorable military discharge src
- Submit a birth certificate, driver's license, Social Security card, diploma or GED, transcripts, resume, tattoo policy acknowledgment, and photos of any tattoos src
Certifications
- EMT: not required
- Firefighter I/II: not required (academy provided)
Source: official page
Tests
- DeKalb County Fire Rescue Physical Agility Test (PAT) (physical): Based on fireground tasks. The linked guide is dated June 2019. src
Hiring process
- Set a County HR job alert
- Apply online and submit required documents
- Application processing (30-45 days)
- Physical Agility Test
- Background verification
- About 36 weeks of training
Source: official page
Starting pay
Starting $55,000/yr, rising to $55,692 after graduation src
Academy
About 36 weeks of training leading to EMT, Firefighter I/II, and Hazmat Awareness/Operations certifications src
Checked 2026-11-05 against the department's official pages (linked). Hiring windows open and close quickly; always confirm on the official site before you apply. See every academy, EMT program and test site in Georgia.