4,000 Applicants Take Pasadena Firefighter Exam

About 4,000 hopeful applicants showed up to take a written test to become a Pasadena Firefighter Trainee at the Pasadena Convention Center on Monday, vying for only about 10 job openings, city officials said. A yearly salary of $69,000 awaits the chosen applicants.

It is the first time that the department is hiring firefighter trainees since 2009. The Department currently has 180 employees.

Examinees with the highest scores will be interviewed in several weeks for another screening, followed by a one-on-one interview with Pasadena Fire Chief Calvin Wells. Applicants who will top the exam and interview will undergo background check before getting hired.

“We are not sure exactly how many spots are open,” Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian told the Pasadena Weekly. “We have had several lateral promotions within the department. I would say we have 10 positions open, or less. It is extremely competitive. We have had several retirements in the last several years, and a lot of other departments are seeing the same thing.”

The job description provided by the city states that for a four-month period, the trainee will receive a monthly salary of $4,121 without medical benefits. The trainee will become a Firefighter I after graduation and will be earning $4,222 to $5,297 a month. The salary will increase to $5,754 after the probationary period, the Weekly reported, citing the city’s website.

The Pasadena Fire Department currently consists of 180 full time employees, with 153 shift personnel, and 27 Bureau / Administrative personnel.

The City froze the hiring of Firefighter trainees in 2009.

Many seek jobs inside the Pasadena Fire Department because there is opportunity for advancement and overtime pay, Derderian told the newspaper.

“Some of the firefighters we hired back in 2009 have already started to move up in the ranks of the department,” Derderian told the Weekly. “There is always the chance of overtime because of the activities at the Rose Bowl and special events.”