West Des Moines, IA

Full-Time Fire Fighter Employment:

The City of West Des Moines Fire Department employees full-time and part-time fire fighters. The full-time positions are civil service positions. See the City of West Des Moines Human Resources page for more information about civil service positions. The fire department strives to maintain a current certified civil service list, when employment opportunities exist, that qualified applicants can be chosen from. The certified list normally is valid for 12 months, and the process to create a list typically takes place in the spring of each year. The following steps are necessary:

1. Complete Candidate Profile on the City of West Des Moines Human Resources web-site.

2. When an opening is announced and listed on the web-site, you MUST apply for the posting.

 ***If interested in a full-time position, you are only allowed to apply for a position that is posted, however you may maintain an online application (candidate profile) with the City.  You would still need to apply for the position once it is posted.***

3. Some qualifications that may need to be met, include: 
    a. High school graduate, at a minimum 
    b. Pass a written civil service examination 
    c. Pass a criminal background check 
    d. Pass an oral interview process 
    e. Pass a medical/physical examination, including drug tests 
    f. Pass a physical abilities assessment (strength, flexibility, coordination) 
    g. Pass fire fighter and EMT-B certification training


4. You may also register, on the Human Resources website, for eUpdates which will notify you by email each time a job posting is added to the City of West Des Moines Human Resources website.


For questions on how to complete a candidate profile or apply for a posting, refer to the FAQ's or Instructions Sheets that are available on the HR website.

Part-time Fire Fighter Employment:

The City of West Des Moines Fire Department employees full-time and part-time fire fighters. The part-time positions are normally filled in late summer of each year before our fire academy begins in the winter. Depending on when you initiate an interest, you may have to wait until the next annual recruitment process to begin. We are always interested in additional part-time applicants who are physical fit and have time to devote to training and emergency responses.  The following steps are necessary to move forward with your interest:


1. Submit a candidate profile on the City of West Des Moines Human Resources website.

 
2. When an opening is announced, complete the employment application on the same website.

 
3. Some qualifications that may need to be met, include: 
   a. High school graduate, at a minimum 
   b. Pass a criminal background check
   c. Pass an oral interview process
   d. Pass a medical/physical examination, including drug tests
   e. Pass a physical abilities assessment (strength, flexibility, coordination)
   f. Participate in evening training, twice a week for three months to obtain State of Iowa Fire Fighter Certification
   g. Pass fire fighter and EMT-B certification training

 
4. You may also register, on the Human Resources website, for eUpdates which will notify you by email each time a job posting is added to the City of West Des Moines Human Resources website, which includes the paid-on-call fire fighter position.

Applicants who wish to add their names to the notification list of upcoming testing procedures should email their name, address, telephone number, and email address here.

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