How to get hired at Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire

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

Pittsburgh hires firefighter recruits through civil service recruitment periods posted at pghjobs.net. Candidates take a written exam and a firefighter physical ability exam, both with optional prep sessions, and are ranked on an eligibility list. Veterans, Pittsburgh Public Schools graduates and City residents can earn preference points. The final steps are a background check with hair drug screen, Fire Chief review, a medical exam and the Fire Academy.

Apply / get notifiedOfficial recruitment page

Minimum requirements

• Minimum age 18 at application src
• Valid Pennsylvania Class C driver's license, held when filing or before employment starts src
• Live within 60 minutes' normal driving time of the downtown City-County Building before employment and throughout it src
• Pass a background investigation and drug screen, including hair analysis src
• Pass a medical exam, including a stress test, after a conditional offer src

Certifications

• EMT: unknown
• Firefighter I/II: unknown

Tests

• City civil service written exam (written): Optional prep session with CCAC src
• Firefighter Physical Ability Exam (physical): City test with a prep session; CPAT not mentioned src

Hiring process

1. Apply online during a recruitment period
2. Submit preference point documents
3. Written exam prep session (optional)
4. Written exam
5. Physical ability test prep session
6. Physical Ability Test
7. Ranking on the eligibility list
8. Background packet, investigation and drug screen
9. Fire Chief review
10. Conditional offer and medical exam
11. Fire Academy

Source: official page

Starting pay

Firefighter recruit $25.75/hr ($53,560/yr) 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 Pennsylvania.