How to get hired at Polk County Fire Rescue

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

Polk County Fire Rescue hires certified Firefighter-EMTs and Firefighter-Paramedics. Candidates first pass the CPAT and FireTEAM tests through National Testing Network, upload documents, and then apply on the county job portal when a recruitment is open. The county also runs paid recruit programs (Rescue Ready Recruits and PRTP) for Polk County residents without certifications, with training paid by the county.

Apply / get notifiedOfficial recruitment page

Minimum requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent (foreign degrees must be evaluated at the applicant's cost) src
• Valid Florida Class E or higher driver's license and proof of vehicle insurance src
• Acceptable driving record (limits on points, DUI/drug convictions, suspensions and serious violations over 36 to 48 months) src
• Firefighter-EMT: Florida Firefighter Certificate of Compliance, Florida EMT certification and BLS CPR card src
• Firefighter-Paramedic: Florida Paramedic certificate, Certificate of Compliance and AHA ACLS card (ITLS/PHTLS and PALS preferred) src
• NIMS courses ICS-100, ICS-200, IS-700 and IS-800 src
• Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC) or equivalent 16-hour course src
• Recruit programs (Rescue Ready Recruits, PRTP): age 18+, high school diploma or equivalent, and 2 years of continuous Polk County residency; PRTP also requires low income (50% of Area Median Income or less) and no current FL firefighter/EMT certification src

Certifications

• EMT: required at application
• Firefighter I/II: required

Source: official page

Tests

• CPAT (physical): Through National Testing Network; must be taken within 1 year before applying src
• NTN FireTEAM (written): Through National Testing Network; select Polk County Fire Rescue to receive scores src
• Paramedic screening exam (written): Paramedic candidates only src

Hiring process

1. Take CPAT and FireTEAM through NTN (send scores to Polk County Fire Rescue)
2. Upload supporting documents to NTN
3. Apply on county job portal during open recruitment

Source: official page

Academy

Rescue Ready Recruits: paid hourly program covering EMT, Florida Firefighter certification and then paramedic (paramedic finished within about 25 months of hire). PRTP: county-paid FF/EMT/paramedic training with a 2-year repayment agreement if you leave voluntarily. 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 Florida.