Recruiting: Join the Bryan Fire Department
About Bryan Fire Department
The Bryan Fire Department serves the City of Bryan, Texas, a diverse community of 85,000 located in the heart of the Texas Triangle with easy access to the Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan areas.
Bryan firefighters follow four pillars of work every day that keep them safe and successful. These include:
- Round-trip ticket: Ensuring all firefighters go home at the end of their shift
- Customer service: Providing the best firefighting and EMS service to the customers of Bryan.
- Training: Focusing on training to ensure all personnel are capable of maintaining the first two goals.
- Reevaluation: As a forward-leaning, progressive department, consistently evaluating to better themselves.
As one of the leading departments in the nation, BFD is an ISO Class 1 department, has accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services and is Best Practice Certified by the Texas Fire Chiefs Association.
Salary and Benefits
Click on each section to view details
Now offering up to $15,000 signing bonus!
Salary
- Starting Firefighter (base pay plus minimum FLSA overtime) salary is: $62,499
Additional overtime opportunities available - Firefighter Cadets make $20 per hour during the recruit academy.
- Fully certified Firefighter/EMTs make $26.65 per hour during initial training.
Fire Pay Scale
- Firefighter: $62,499 to $85,300 per year. Firefighter tops out at 15 years.
- Fire Apparatus Operator: $76,700 to $98,000 per year
- Fire Lieutenant/Deputy Fire Marshal – Lieutenant: $92,300 to $112,800 per year
- Fire Battalion Chief – Battalion Chief: $111,300 to $132,000 per year
- Assistant Fire Chief: $120,100 to $138,200 per year
Additional Pay Opportunities
Firefighters have the opportunity to earn additional pay in several ways:
Longevity Pay
Earn $4 per month per year employed with the Bryan Fire Department, up to $100 per month
Assignment Pay
Earn 20% of base pay per shift for an ambulance assignment
Certification Pay
Earn up to $4,500 per year (paid monthly) for holding any of the following certifications:
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Structural Fire Protection
Basic Structural Fire Protection: $0
Intermediate Structural Fire Protection: $75
Advanced Structural Fire Protection: $100
Master Structural Fire Protection: $150
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Aircraft Rescue Fire Protection
Basic Aircraft Rescue Fire Protection: $25
Intermediate Aircraft Rescue Fire Protection: $50
Advanced Aircraft Rescue Fire Protection: $75
Master Aircraft Rescue Fire Protection: $100
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Hazardous Materials
Hazardous Materials Technician: $50
Hazardous Materials Incident Commander: $25
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EMS
EMT Basic: $0
EMS Instructor: $25
EMT Intermediate: $50
EMT Paramedic: $150
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Fire Service Instructor
Fire Instructor I: $25
Fire Instructor II: $50
Fire Instructor III: $75
Fire Instructor III-M: $100
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Fire Officer
Fire Officer I: $25
Fire Officer II: $50
Fire Officer III: $75
Fire Officer IV: $100
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Wildland Fire Protection
Basic Wildland Firefighter: $25
Intermediate Wildland Firefighter: $50
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Fire Inspector
Basic Fire Inspector: $25
Intermediate Fire Inspector: $50
Advanced Fire Inspector: $75
Master Fire Inspector: $100
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Fire Investigator
Basic Fire Investigator: $25
Intermediate Fire Investigator: $50
Advanced Fire Investigator: $75
Master Fire Investigator: $100
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Arson Investigator
Basic Arson Investigator: $25
Intermediate Arson Investigator: $50
Advanced Arson Investigator: $75
Master Arson Investigator: $100
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Other
Driver/Operator – Pumper: $25
Driver/Operator – Aerial: $25
Incident Safety Officer: $25
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Peace Officer
Basic Peace Officer: $50
Intermediate Peace Officer: $75
Advanced Peace Officer: $100
Master Peace Officer: $125
Benefits
Bryan Firefighters are eligible for all the standard benefits provided through the City of Bryan, including:
- Health Plan including dental coverage (co-pay plan)
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Life Insurance
- Long Term Disability
- TMRS Retirement Plan: 7% of salary at 2:1 city match
- Optional 457 Deferred Compensation Plan
- Employee Assistance Program
Bryan Fire Department-specific benefits
- The Bryan Fire Department is a Civil service agency
- Work 10 days per month, based on a 24/48 shift schedule
- Vacation and Holidays: 324 to 384 hours accrued annually
- 180 hours of sick leave accrued annually
- All uniforms and equipment provided
- College tuition exemption, per Texas Education Code, Section 54.014
- Annual physical and cancer screening
- Established mental health/peer support program
Requirements
Applicants to the Bryan Fire Department must meet the following requirements:
- Be between the age of 18 and 40 on the date of hire
- Possess a high school diploma or GED
- Be a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization
- Have good moral character, a stable employment history and no history of any conduct which may affect the suitability of firefighter/paramedic work.
- If not certified when hired, must sign a Repayment Agreement with the city to reimburse costs of tuition for Firefighter and EMT courses in the event that the candidate voluntarily separates from the city within four years.
Applicants may not have been convicted of a felony or Class A misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the past 10 years.
Application Process
The process to become a Bryan Firefighter involves several steps:
1. Written civil service exam
Successful applicants must score a 70 or higher on this exam to pass to the next step. Additional points are added to a passing score for applicants who meet the following criteria:
- Active military or honorably discharged veterans: Additional 5 points added to a passing score
- Texas certified Firefighter/Paramedic: Additional 5 points added to a passing score
- Texas Department of State Health Services certified Paramedic: Additional 3 points added to a passing score.
2. Physical fitness assessment
All candidates must pass a physical fitness assessment that includes the following:
- Run/walk 1 mile in 12 minutes. You can run, walk or do a combination of both, however you cannot stop forward movement. This task will be separate from all other tasks. Should you pass this assessment, you will report to the BFD drill field for the remaining tasks.
- Climb to the top of a platform without stopping, with the ladder fully extended at 80 degrees. You will be tied off with a safety line. Exception: Gloves and helmet only.
- Carry a 50-foot section of a double-jacketed, 3-inch hose from the base of the training tower to the fourth floor and back down to the base.
- Using a hand-over-hand technique, raise the fly of a 35-foot extension ladder to maximum height.
- Pick up the nozzle end of a 1 ¾-inch hose and drag the hose 75 feet to a pre-positioned area. Make a 90-degree turn and continue an additional 25 feet. Then, place the nozzle in a box, kneel on one knee and pull the remaining 75 feet across the finish line.
- Crawl through a 12-foot-long tubular obstacle
- Standing at the fourth story of the training tower, pull a 35-pound equipment bag that is attached to a ½-inch rope to the top of the railing. You must use a hand-under-hand method. The rope cannot touch the railing, and once you begin, you must continue upward movement of the bag.
- Walk 25 yards, pick up a 165-pound rescue mannequin and carry it back to your starting point without stopping. Mannequin buttocks cannot touch the ground.
- Using an 8-pound sledgehammer, move a Keiser sled to the opposite end in 22 hits or less.
- Pick up a positive-pressure fan and walk 25 yards without setting it down.
3. Interview panel
Candidates will participate in an individual interview with a panel of various Bryan Fire Department personnel and a representative from the City of Bryan Human Resources Department.
4. Background check
Applicants with Class B misdemeanor convictions (including deferred adjudication, pre-trial diversion, probation) in the past 10 years, or Class A misdemeanor or felony convictions at any time, are ineligible for hire.
5. Job offer
Conditional, pending a medical and drug screening.
6. New Hire Medical and Drug Screening
Basic medical exam and drug screening to assess if you are medically fit for duty.
The Academy
The Bryan Fire Department conducts its own paid in-house fire academy taught by BFD personnel, setting it apart from many agencies in our region. At the end of the 24-week academy, BFD cadets will graduate to become certified Firefighters through the Texas Commission of Fire Protection and certified EMT-Basics through the Texas Department of State Health Services and national EMT registry.
In the academy, Cadets receive hands-on training in the guidelines, methods and practices of the Bryan Fire Department. Skills taught include:
- Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
- BFD Fire Tactics
- Firefighter Safety and Survival
- Apparatus Familiarization
- BFD Engine Company Operations
- BFD Ladder Company Operations
- Rescue Skills and Guidelines
- MAYDAY/RIT
- BFD Communications
- High Rise Operations
- BFD Station Operations
When you complete the fire academy, you go straight on to shift work with the BFD. Our in-house academy ensures you get to active duty quicker than if you trained at a general fire academy.
Fully certified Firefighters who are hired by the BFD may be eligible for a shortened 6-week academy.
Special Assignments
Operations
Generally, BFD firefighters are assigned to a station for day-to-day operations. This includes responding to 911 calls and conducting training.
Technical Rescue
BFD’s Technical Rescue Team receives specialty training for rope rescues, confined spaces, trench rescues and water rescues. This team is the regional rescue team for a 7-county area in the Brazos Valley.
Hazardous Materials
This team operates as the hazardous materials specialists of the BFD. They use specialized equipment to mitigate the effects of hazards from things like chemicals and corrosive liquids, through offensive methods.
Fire Marshal’s Office
Members of the Fire Marshal’s Office are certified peace officers. Their duties include inspections, investigations, code enforcement, public education and fire prevention.
Field Training Officer
FTOs work closely with the EMS Chief and Medical Director to ensure we are keeping up with the latest medical trends. They are the voice of the paramedics in the field to bring concerns to administration for review. The continually help train the paramedics in areas that they may be struggling with on a day-to-day basis.
Wildland Team
This team assists with fighting grass fires, forest fires and brush fires. They are also deployed through TIFMAS mutual aid agreements to various locations throughout the region, state and country.
Drone Team
Members of the Drone Team are FAA-certified drone flyers and assist on incident scenes, fire investigations and missing persons cases.
Apply Now / Get Info
Ready to be a part of a forward-thinking, high-quality department? Then apply now or sign up to be notified about the next application window and entrance exams.
Contact Us
Have questions about the application process or being a BFD firefighter? Contact our Recruiting Team.
BFD Recruiting Team
BFDrecruiting@bryantx.gov
979-209-5960
