Thousands apply for Pasadena Firefighter trainee positions

By SHEL SEGAL
It hasn’t happened since 2009, but the gates are finally opening back up.
The Pasadena Fire Department is looking to hire new firefighter trainees and held its first testing session Monday at the Pasadena Convention Center. Judging by the number of applicants, the department will have its pick of the crop.
“We are testing over 4,000 applicants for firefighter trainees,” said Lisa Derderian, public information officer for the department. “Out of that 4,000, approximately 10 will make it out and go to the firefighter academy. It’s a very competitive field. It’s not just a job, it’s a career. There’s very little turnover, which is a good thing. But in the last couple of years we’ve had a lot of retirements. So, we’re now at the point where we do need to fill those positions.”
So, what can these applicants expect from the testing process.
“The first step is to make sure they have a good solid education,” Derderian said. “The top scorers of this move on to an interview panel. Then they move onto another interview panel with the chiefs. We’ll probably interview a couple hundred. Then they go through a psychological test and medical test and there’s a background check. They also need to show by that point they have taken a physical agility test. Then they have a 16-week firefighters’ academy. And there’s no guarantee that they will pass that.”
She added the department is also looking for people who can adapt to a firefighters’ way of life.
“It’s just a very competitive field and demanding job,” Derderian said. “But you spend more time in a fire station than you would at home.”
With approximately 180 fire personnel in the city with eight fire stations, Derderian said the pay for a firefighter trainee is $4,000 per month, along with full benefits. She added Pasadena always gets many firefighter applicants.
“We’re a very attractive city,” she said. “We have the Rose Bowl. We have UCLA football games. We have the Rose Parade and game. We tend to be a more attractive city than others as far as this is where someone wants to work.”
Arcadia resident Ryan Cooper said he has applied with other departments, including Los Angeles, Brea and Fullerton. He added the initial test was something he thought he could handle.
“It wasn’t too bad,” the 22-year-old said of the three-hour exam. “It was a little different than some of the others I’ve taken. It was pretty easy.”
Mireya Bermudez, a 22-year-old from Santa Monica, was one of just 12 females who took the test. She agreed with Cooper that the test wasn’t the usual exam.
“It was different than I expected,” said Bermudez, who is a paramedic out in San Bernardino County. “I thought it was going to have like standard math, English, mechanical aptitude questions like you see on most firefighter tests. But this one was more personality based.”
(Shel Segal can be reached at ssegal@beaconmedianews.com).

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