Employment Information

Step 1 - Requirements

You first must meet the following requirements to be eligible to take the civil service exam:

• Must be at least 19 years old when the application is due and younger than 32 years old at the date of the examination
• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must have a High school diploma

Step 2 - Civil Service Exam

The second step is to register to take the civil service exam. The civil service exam is held every 2 years. The next civil service exam will be in the spring of 2014. For more information and exact exam dates please view this Massachusetts Civil Service Information. The civil service exam consists of 2 parts, the written exam, and the physical exam.

You must take and pass both the written and physical exams in order for your name to appear on the eligible list.

Step 3 - Additional Steps

Upon passing the civil service exam you are now eligible to become a firefighter. There are additional steps that can greatly improve your chances of being hired.

One of the biggest steps to increase your chances is to become a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). There are multiple EMT-Basic courses on the south shore. For a complete list of accredited courses in MA please view this list of Massachusetts Accredited EMT Training Institutions.

After completing the EMT-Basic course, the next course to take is the paramedic course. This course can be taken at many of the same sites the EMT-Basic is offered.

Additional Requirements

Applicants must also be a non-smoker. Before the offer of employment applicants will also be subject to extensive background checks. A drug test and psychological exam are also issued.