Becoming A Lateral Firefighter

Applicants must meet all of the employment requirements and minimum qualifications established by the Department of Safety, Fire Department and the Denver Civil Service Commission.

In order to qualify as a Lateral Firefighter, at the time of application, applicants must be:

• Currently employed as a full time paid firefighter employed by a state, county, or municipal fire department;
• OR a retired firefighter who voluntarily separated (within the last 12 months) from full time paid employment from a state, county, or municipal fire department;
• OR a former paid firefighter who separated (within the last 12 months) as a result of lay-offs from full time employment by a state, county, or municipal fire department;
• WITH a minimum of three years (full-time) paid firefighting experience while employed full time by a state, county, or municipal fire department. (Academy training does not count toward the three-year experience requirement.)
  
  

Lateral applicants will be required to submit all applicable training records and three (3) years of current or most recent department evaluations.
At the time of application, applicants must possess and provide copies of the following certifications/accreditations:

• State Firefighter II certification (must meet ProBoard/IFSAC accreditation);
• Hazardous Materials Operations certification (must meet ProBoard/IFSAC accreditation);
• Current State of Colorado or National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification;  and
• Current Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification (must meet Healthcare Provider or Professional Rescuer qualification).

Certifications can be emailed to:
csc.entry.fire@denvergov.org

At time of appointment, applicants must also possess and provide a copy of a Current Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) certification.  Per the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), CPAT certifications are only valid for a twelve month period of time from date of issuance. 

Applicants must not have any job performance issues resulting in a negative or “needs improvement” status or evaluation in the past 24 months and applicants can have no disciplinary actions in their current or former department resulting in lost time in the past 24 months.

Additional information on the application process and qualifications can be found from the Informational Booklet.

Required Forms:

• Background History Packet
• Job Release and Waiver Forms
• Lateral Firefighter Addendum Form