EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY- Full-Time Firefighter Paramedic / Single Role Paramedic / Part-Time Firefighter EMT - Click here for Application

Pacific County Fire District No. 1

Fire Operations

The personnel of Fire District 1 are trained to respond to varying types of incidents. These include fire, medical, motor vehicle accidents, and hazardous material spills. The District has two engine companies that are staffed 24 hours a day; one engine is at the north end of the peninsula, and one engine at the south end of the peninsula.

Fire Training: The firefighters of Pacific County Fire District 1 train to the requirements of NFPA standards. These requirements include training with SCBAs, hazardous materials, confined spaces, pump operations, and structural and wildland fire behavior. Volunteer firefighters and Career firefighters are held to the same training standards. Firefighters participate in weekly drills on Monday nights at alternating stations. Daily training is also scheduled during each shift.

The Washington State Fire Training Academy, located near North Bend, WA, serves local communities and state agencies by providing live fire training to fire and emergency response personnel. Pacific County Fire District 1 participates in training at the North Bend facility, as well as the Fire Response and Research Center, located on the MERTS Campus in Astoria, OR. Other live fire trainings are conducted at acquired structures in our own community.
Volunteer Firefighter Academy is 200+ hours. Classes are held evenings and weekends over a 17-week period. This course will provide you with basic structural firefighting skills and will prepare you for certification as a Firefighter 1. The course is a combination of academics, hands-on, rescue exercises and live-fire scenarios. Upon completion of the Firefighter Academy, new firefighters will be closely mentored and supervised by their Station Officers. This ensures that members are fully capable of operating safely in the firefighting environment.

Firefighting as Career

Those interested in a career of firefighting can enter the field in several ways. Current employees have become firefighters with various working and educational experience. The following are recommendations that will help prepare you for a career in the fire service:

Volunteer Experience: Experience as a volunteer firefighter provides hands-on exposure to situations that are regularly encountered by career firefighters. For information on how to become a volunteer firefighter for Fire District 1, click here. Volunteer Application PDF

College Courses: Many applicants have gone through the Fire Sciences programs at Clatsop Community College, Chemeketa Community College, Portland Community College, or Bates Technical College. Individuals receive their Associates Degree in Fire Science, and are given hands-on, practical education that will prepare them for work in the fire service.
Paramedic Training: The resources of individuals certified as Paramedics are now in greater demand by many fire departments. Individuals may become certified as a paramedic through a two-year program which is offered by institutions such as Tacoma Community College, Northwest Regional Training Center, OHSU, and Chemeketa Community College.