How to get hired at Lexington Fire Department

Written by a career firefighter · Updated 2026-11-04

Lexington hires Fire Recruits once a year through Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG), aiming for about 30 to 50 candidates. The process takes about 12 months. Phase 1 is a city written exam, the CPAT given by the Kentucky Fire Commission, and a six-person oral panel. Phase 2 is a polygraph, background check, conditional offer, and psych, medical and drug screening. Applicants must be 19 to under 35 and able to earn Kentucky EMT and paramedic certification.

Official recruitment page

Minimum requirements

• At least 19 and under 35 by the application closing date src
• High school diploma or GED src
• Eligible to obtain Kentucky EMT and paramedic certification src
• No suspended or revoked license, no 12+ points on your driving record, and no DUI in the past three years src
• No felony convictions, no job-related misdemeanors within four years of sentence expiration, and not on probation src
• Drug-use limits, including no controlled-substance use within 12 months before the deadline and no drug sales in the past five years src
• Must pass a polygraph, a medical exam by a city-selected physician, a psychological exam and the physical agility test src
• A dishonorable military discharge disqualifies src

Certifications

• EMT: unknown
• Firefighter I/II: not required (academy provided)

Source: official page

Tests

• LFUCG Recruit Firefighter written exam (written): Prepared by LFUCG HR; 70% needed to advance. Optional NFSI study guides are mentioned. src
• CPAT (physical): Given by the Kentucky Fire Commission; a CPAT card from the past 12 months is accepted src
• Oral interview (oral): Six-person panel; written and oral scores are combined, plus preference points (for example, 2% for military) src
• Polygraph (other) src

Hiring process

1. Apply online (or submit a position-of-interest form between recruitments)
2. Written exam
3. CPAT
4. Oral panel interview
5. Polygraph
6. Background investigation
7. Fire chief recommendation
8. Conditional offer
9. Psychological exam
10. Medical exam and drug screen
11. Fire academy

Source: official page

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 Kentucky.