Firefighter Entrance Exam (Hiring Immediately)

Salary : $47,625.60 - $61,245.36 Annually
Location : Fire Admin.-Texarkana, TX
Job Type: Firefighter - Fire
Job Number: 00570
Department: Fire Department
Opening Date: 03/05/2026
Closing Date: Continuous

Firefighter Entrance Examination Application

City of Texarkana, Texas

Fire Department Human Resources
220 Texas Blvd. 220 Texas Blvd.
Texarkana, TX 75501 Texarkana, TX 75501
(903) 798-3994 (903) 798-3533
Thank you for your interest in the Texarkana, Texas, Fire Department. This department is a modern, full career fire agency. We offer an excellent employment opportunity for beginning firefighter positions, with competitive pay, benefits, and retirement.

The information that follows is important to understanding your eligibility for this position and the hiring process. Please read it carefully. If you are interested in competing for a position in this department, please complete the Entrance Examination Application and include all applicable documentation.

Position Information

This position involves serving the citizens of Texarkana through providing response to incidents involving firefighting, rescue, hazardous materials, emergency medical, and other emergency response services.

Also included in the position responsibilities are participating in fire prevention activities; training; equipment and station maintenance; and public education. The Texarkana Fire Department does not operate a transport Emergency Medical Service.

Salary

STARTING ANNUAL SALARY IS $47,625.60

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical Competence: Demonstrates a mastery of skills from current position; these skills include but not limited to EMS; Firefighting and Rescue situations; able to accept tasks and assignments in both emergency and non-emergency situations by your supervisor and have the skills necessary to complete those tasks; continuous self-development in order to maintain skills.; always show positive effort and expertise during training exercises and assist with the development of others; qualified work in position above current job 1 year from date of employment.
Initiative: Takes initiative and ownership of assigned projects; seeks opportunities to improve the service delivery system by proposing new programs and revising existing programs.
Maintenance: Maintains station, grounds, equipment, and apparatuses in a state of readiness; keeps station, equipment, and apparatus presentable at all times; takes initiative to repair discrepancies based on qualifications; promptly reports discrepancies according to established guidelines; teaches others proper preventative maintenance for station, equipment, and apparatuses.
Team-Work: Takes responsibility for own performance - both successes and failures; follows departmental/city policies/procedures; avoids participation in the perpetuation or rumors and speculation; does not share confidential information with peers or the public; consistently projects a positive attitude and professional image through appearance and actions (does not make negative statements about other departments or disparaging remarks about others).
Organizational Consistency: Provides service delivery consistent with City and Department policies, procedures, practices, and expectations; promotes organizational consistency by effectively communicating with internal and external customers; models behavior that promotes organizational consistency; seeks to verify service delivery efforts are consistent with other shifts.
Emergency Response: Performs firefighting activities including laying and connecting of hose lines; holding nozzles and directing fire streams; raising and climbing of ladders; performing forcible entry, salvage, and overhaul; ventilating heat and smoke; extricates victims from burning buildings.
Responds to emergencies, including fires, rescues, hazardous material spills and leaks, accidents, medical problems, and other emergencies.
Performs rescue activities including operating extrication tools, raising and climbing ladders, and performing firefighting activities related to rescue.
Performs hazardous material response activities, including isolating spill site, evacuating potential victims, recognizing and identifying materials involved, extricating victims, decontaminating victims and responders, and confining or containing chemicals involved.
Performs emergency medical activities including treating patients with injuries or medical conditions, stabilizing the spine, establishing an airway, assisting with ventilation, performing CPR, extricating patients from dangerous sites, and carrying patients from site of injury or illness to ambulance.
Physical Fitness: Achieve and maintain an acceptable physical fitness level.
Fire Prevention: Performs fire prevention activities, including educating the public through fire prevention classes and demonstrations, inspecting buildings for fire code compliance and the correction of hazards, and assisting in the investigation of fires to help determine cause and origin.
Participates in fire drills, attends classes in firefighting, emergency medical, hazardous materials, and related subjects.
PERIPHERAL DUTIES

Dons protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus.
Performs other job functions as assigned by the appropriate supervisor.

Eligibility Requirements
The eligibility requirements to be a City of Texarkana, Texas Firefighter are established by the City of Texarkana, Texas Civil Service Commission and the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 143. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Be at least 18 to 35 years of age at the time of testing.Must have reached 18 years of age as of the date of the exam, and not have reached 36 years of age as of the date of appointment.
2. Be able to prove legal eligibility to work within the United States and work in this position within the State of Texas.
3. Be able to read, write, and speak the English language.
4. All applicants for beginning firefighter positions in the City of Texarkana, Texas Fire Department shall possess a high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate (GED) by the date of the exam to be eligible to take the entrance exam.
5. Must possess a valid driver's license.

No certifications are required to take the entrance exam. However, City of Texarkana Local Civil Service Rules allow preference in hiring to be given to individuals who possess Texas Commission on Fire Protection certification as a structural firefighter, Texas Department of State Health Services certification as an Emergency Medical Technician, and prior full-time, career fire service experience.

Your chances for employment will be greatly enhanced if you possess both firefighter and EMT certifications.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, feel, or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

The employee is occasionally required to frequently lift and/or move up to one hundred (100) pounds. The employee is occasionally required to walk, sit, talk, or hear.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee frequently works in outside weather conditions. The employee occasionally works near moving mechanical parts; and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes, or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, extreme cold, extreme heat, and vibration.

The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet at the station and loud at an emergency scene.

TO APPLY:

Complete an online Entrance Examination Application at the City of Texarkana, Texas Website at ONLY ONLINE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION APPLICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED. If you are having trouble with the NEOGOV Applicant tracking site, please call the NEOGOV technical support number at 1-855-524-5627.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Texarkana, Texas will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your needs. For any special requests, please call Human Resources at 903-798-3533.

The City of Texarkana, Texas is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of genetic information in compliance with GINA, race, sex, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, age, or disability in hiring, conditions, or termination of employment.

Final applicants for employment with the City o