Firefighter Trainee Class

Trainee Class #40

Howard County Fire & Rescue Services is an EMS-based combination fire and rescue service that partners highly-trained career and volunteer personnel to provide a full range of emergency response services and community risk reduction programs. Comprised of 9 bureaus and various specialized teams—including Emergency Operations, Logistics, The Fire Marshall, Special Operations, and Tac‑Medic— the Howard County Fire Service offers a wide range of career options.

Howard County Fire & Rescue is also one of the few career fire services that operates and manages its own paramedic program. Additionally, promotional opportunities are more easily attained through the Department’s Leadership, Education, Assessment, and Development (LEAD) Program. To add to its appeal, HoCo Fire resides within one of the top counties in the country!

Howard County is located between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD with a residential population of 310,000 citizens. The County’s main population center, Columbia/Ellicott City, MD, is ranked in Money magazine’s "America’s Best Places to Live." It is the only community ranked among Money's top ten best places to live each year for the past decade. The County’s school system is highly ranked in the state.

The library system is ranked in the top one percent of the nation’s libraries.

The County provides an excellent benefits package and retirement plan.

Applicants who have a National Registry Paramedic Certification or Provisional National Registry Paramedic Certification seeking to serve a county rich in diversity and quality of life are encouraged to apply.

This is firefighting and emergency response work at the entry level, learning basic firefighting, emergency vehicle driving, rescue and emergency medical techniques and methods. An employee in this classification is assigned to and must satisfactorily complete a series of required training classes held predominately at the James Robey Public Safety Training Academy.

• Attend and satisfactorily complete all prescribed courses of training;
• Study fire prevention, fire protection, emergency medical techniques, rescue techniques, and any other subjects that may be required;
• Demonstrate basic life support skills as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and, if qualified, at the Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic (EMT‑P) level;
• Demonstrate basic mechanical proficiency using hand tools;
• Participate in daily physical fitness and conditioning exercises;
• Participate in regular, hands‑on demonstration of skills in all training courses;
• Independently read and write;
• Successfully execute tasks while working as a member of a team.

• Must possess a valid Motor Vehicle Class C Operator's driver's license issued by the State of residence;
• Possess a High School Diploma or GED;
• Must provide documentation of eligibility to legally work in the United States;
• Must be eighteen (18) years of age on or before December 15, 2025.

Persons selected for this training class and all future training classes shall not use tobacco products in any form throughout the term of their employment whether on or off duty. Any use of tobacco products during the term of employment shall constitute grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination.

• Conviction or found guilty of, entered a plea to or received probation before judgment for any felony or sex offense.
• Conviction or found guilty of, entered a plea to or received probation before judgment for any offense involving larceny, fraud, concealment, bad checks, embezzlement, perjury, or similar offenses involving dishonesty.

• Current driver's license suspension.
• Driver's license suspension within past 12 months.
• Conviction or found guilty of, entered a plea to or received probation before judgment for drunk driving or driving under the influence within the past five years.
• Conviction or found guilty of, entered a plea to or received probation before judgment for a misdemeanor hit and run.
• Conviction or found guilty of, entered a plea to or…