Arlington Heights Fire Department - Firefighter
Last updated on September 01, 2026
PST Partner Agency since August 19, 2026
Vacancies: 4
Testing Deadline: November 12, 2026.
Important Information
****Arlington Heights is an Equal Opportunity Employer***
The Arlington Heights Fire Department accepts applications on a continual/rolling basis for the position of Firefighter and is actively hiring for vacant positions.
The next Entry-Level Final Eligibility list will be certified by the Arlington Heights Board of Fire and Police Commissioners the week of December 14, 2026. ALL TEST RESULTS AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY 11:59pm on November 12, 2026, for review and in order to earn your place on the Preliminary / Initial Eligibility List. Initial eligibility list will be established the week of November 23, 2026. Candidates on the Preliminary / Initial Eligibility List will be given 10 days to apply for preference points starting November 27, 2026. ALL PREFENCE POINT DOCUMENTATION MUST BE SUBMITTED BY 11:59PM ON December 6, 2026, concluding the 10-day preference point window. Any applicant who does not meet the above deadline may be considered for future eligibility certification. The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners reviews applications multiple times throughout the year.
Entry-Level Candidates: Your Path to Appointment
- Apply and test — Complete the written examination and submit your application with all required documentation as soon as possible. You must include a current, valid CPAT card and approved Ladder Climb card from a licensed agency to qualify for placement on an eligibility list (all CPAT and Ladder Climb testing costs are your responsibility).
- Complete all examination elements — Testing components, passing scores, and relative weights are established by the Board of Fire and Police Commission at the beginning of each testing process.
- Establishment of the Preliminary / Initial Eligibility List - If you pass the examination with the required percentage, you will be included on the Preliminary / Initial Eligibility List.
- Claim your preference points — Those who appear on the Preliminary/Initial Eligibility List will have 10 days to elect military preference points under 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-8 and any other preference points identified by the Commission. Follow the instructions to elect points — they are not applied automatically.
- Earn your place on the Final Eligibility List — After preference points are awarded, you'll be ranked by combined examination score and preference points, regardless of when you tested. Your name remains on the list for 24 months.
- Certification and selection — Eligibility lists are certified through the Board of Fire and Police Commission on an as-needed basis. When a vacancy is filled from the list, appointment is made from the ten highest-ranked candidates.
Community Information
Department Information
Commonly Asked Questions
Job Description
Area Information
Hiring Status
Salary Information
Benefit Information
Required Documents
| Document | Description | Example Files | Required | Preference Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School Diploma | Read Description | None | ||
| College Transcripts/Diploma | Read Description | None | ||
| Drivers License | Read Description | None | ||
| Proof of Citizenship or legal eligibility to work in the US | Read Description | None | ||
| CPAT Certification |
Any verifiable CPAT with Ladder Climb event within one year of your written exam date is accepted. Read More |
None | ||
| DD214 |
Those who were engaged in the active military or naval service of the United States for a period of at least one year and who were honorably discharged therefrom, or who are now or may hereafter be on inactive or reserve duty in such military or naval service - Five (5) points. (Please note, inactive/reserve duty status is in lieu of an honorable discharge, not active-duty time served.) Read More |
None | ||
| EMT Certification | None | |||
| Paramedic Certification | To be eligible for preference points, the candidate must have either EMT-Paramedic from the Illinois Department of Public Health or Nationally Registered Paramedic from National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) and be in good standing with current EMS System. Copy of certification uploaded as proof for five (5) points. | None | ||
| OSFM Basic Operations Firefighter Certification | Copy of Basic Operations Firefighter course completion and IL-OSFM Certification uploaded as proof for three (3) points. | None |
Arlington Heights Fire Department - Firefighter Requirements
| Category | Requirement | Required at time of... | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test | Hire | ||
| Written Examination |
Yes, required |
||
| Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) |
Yes, required as described below Any verifiable CPAT with Ladder Climb event within one year of your written exam date is accepted. Please upload CPAT certification to your PST account. |
||
| PST Personal History Statement | Yes, required within 14 days of passing required exam(s) | ||
| Minimum Age | 21 | ||
| Maximum Age |
Applicants must be under 35 years of age, unless exempt from the age - 35 hiring requirement as permitted by 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1- 6(d), 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6.3(c) and 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-14 |
||
| Citizenship | Legally Eligible to Work in the US | ||
| High School Grad/ GED | Yes | ||
| Driver's License Required | Yes | ||
| Felony Conviction(s) as an Adult |
Has not been convicted of a felony, or any misdemeanor that, in the judgment of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, renders the applicant unsuitable for the applied-for position. |
||
| Ability to Read, Speak & Write the English Language | Yes | ||
| Vision Requirements | Correctable to 20/20 | ||
| Other Preference Points |
Candidates who achieve a passing score on the written examination are eligible to claim preference points. A maximum of thirteen (13) points may be claimed. Preference points are offered in the following categories:
|
||
| Multiple Scores from Same Applicant | We consider the highest score received within the past one year | ||
| Request/Access Scores | On an as-needed basis as vacancies occur | ||
Arlington Heights Fire Department - Firefighter Disqualifiers
The following are automatic and potential disqualifiers. Applicants should not apply to our agency if they indicate any of the automatic disqualifiers. Potential disqualifiers will be considered on a case by case basis.
| Category | Disqualifier | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment |
|
||
| Other |
|
Contact Information
Arlington Heights Fire Department - Firefighter
Website
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Agency Test Requirements
Written Examination: Yes, required
CPAT: Yes, required as described below
PST Personal History Statement: Yes, required within 14 days of passing required exam(s)
Other Village of Arlington Heights positions
Police Officer
Lateral Police Officer
COVID-19 UPDATES
5/6/2020 Update:
TESTING IN WASHINGTON STATE CANCELED THROUGH MAY 31, 2020
All pre-employment tests in Washington State have been canceled until May 31, 2020 unless government restrictions are eased. With recent updates, facility closures, and government guidelines, this step is necessary and could be modified at any time. The health and safety of our customers, our staff, and their families is of the highest priority.
We will continue to evaluate developments and make changes to this policy as necessary. When we do resume testing, there will be plenty of events for everyone to test. We are in regular communication with our public safety agency partners, assessing alternatives to the traditional testing model and our testing policies. Any future updates will be posted on the PST website and our Facebook page.
4/1/2020 Update:
If you have tested with PST in the past 12 months, there may be additional positions you are now eligible to add. Several departments have temporarily changed their testing policies due to the suspension in testing that COVID-19 has caused. Please login to your PST account and navigate to the ‘New Positions’ page to see what departments you can add! We will regularly update that page in your account as departments send updates.
FUTURE TEST REGISTRATION
We know that there will be testing in the future - we just don’t know when! We want you to be prepared for when testing begins again so we have created test events on our calendar that you can register for that will place you in a queue to be first notified. These tests are not “real” test events, they are essentially a holding area. You will be able to “reschedule” out of that event to any other event date/location at no cost. Registering now will also give you time to work on your Personal History Statement (PHS) so that your data will be ready and up-to-date to send to your departments once testing resumes.
To sign up for this placeholder event, select the June 15, 2020 test date in your category (police, fire, 911 dispatch, corrections, etc.).
You may also click on the test event of interest below to sign up:
Law Enforcement & Corrections Written and Physical Ability Test
Please check back here frequently and ‘Like’ our Facebook page to stay updated.
PST staff are working remotely and are available by email at contact@publicsafetytesting.com. We anticipate a high email volume and will respond as quickly as possible.
