Discover Wenatchee

Located in the heart of North Central Washington, Wenatchee offers an incredible place to live, work, and raise a family. Surrounded by the Columbia River and Cascade Mountains, the area provides year-round recreation including hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing, hunting, golfing, and skiing at nearby Mission Ridge.

The Wenatchee Valley features excellent schools, parks, trails, community events, and a growing selection of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. With four distinct seasons, abundant sunshine, and destinations such as Leavenworth and Lake Chelan nearby, Wenatchee offers an outstanding quality of life.

Build your fire service career in a community where you can work hard, play hard, and truly enjoy where you live.

Wenatchee Valley Fire Department

The Wenatchee Valley Fire Department (WVFD) has a proud history of serving North Central Washington dating back to 1895. In 2022, Chelan County Fire District 1 and Douglas County Fire District 2 merged to form the Wenatchee Valley Fire Department Regional Fire Authority.

Today, WVFD serves approximately 81,000 residents across 211 square miles, including Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Rock Island, Malaga, and surrounding areas of Chelan and Douglas Counties. Our approximately 120 career and volunteer members operate from seven staffed and three volunteer fire stations and respond to more than 6,200 emergency calls annually.

Our mission is simple: Save lives and protect property. WVFD provides fire suppression, emergency medical services, water and technical rescue, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, public education, inspections, and fire investigations. We are committed to professional service, fiscal accountability, and continuous improvement, including our pursuit of accreditation through the Center for Public Safety Excellence.

JOBTITLE: Firefighter

REPORTS TO: Captain

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 1, 2023

POSITION PURPOSE

Protect life and property by performing firefighting, emergency aid, hazardous materials, and fire prevention duties. Maintain fire equipment, apparatus, and facilities.

SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIPS

Work under the General Guidance of a Fire Captain. Follow recognized chain of command in the absence of a Fire Captain. Work is reviewed by observation of results obtained through oral, written and physical performance evaluations.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following statements are illustrative of the essential functions of the job and do not include other nonessential or peripheral duties that may be required. Wenatchee Valley Fire Department retains the right to modify or change the duties or essential functions of the job at any time.

Performs firefighting activities including driving fire apparatus, operating pumps and related equipment, laying hose, and performing fire combat, containment and extinguishment tasks.

Responsible for ensuring an adequate supply of water and pressure for extinguishing fires, when in driving position.

Responsible for the station, field and emergency operation and maintenance of the emergency fire apparatus.

Responsible for emergency readiness; ensures the mechanical readiness of the apparatus and equipment, i.e., oil check, lights, siren, etc., when in driving position.  

Performs a variety of rescue duties; attends to the public under stressful conditions; administers varying degrees of first aid to injured persons; removes trapped accident victims; administers approved medications to victims as needed. 

Ventilates buildings; raises ladders or aerial ladders/platforms and rescues occupants of buildings; operates power tools and equipment; provides emergency power and lighting.

Participates in fire drills, attends classes in firefighting, emergency medicine, hazardous materials, and related subjects.

Operates radio and other communications equipment.

Participates in the inspection of buildings, hydrants, and other structures in fire prevention programs.

Maintains fire equipment, fire apparatus and facilities. Perform minor repairs to departmental equipment.

Perform general maintenance work in the upkeep of fire facilities and equipment; cleans and washes walls and floors; cares for grounds around station; makes minor repairs; washes and hangs and dries hose; washes,  cleans, polishes, maintains, apparatus and equipment.

Presents programs to the community on safety, medical, and fire prevention topics.

Performs salvage operations such as throwing salvage covers, removing water and debris.

Assists in department supervisory and administrative activities as assigned.

Instructs various classes to career and volunteer staff.

Manages specific programs pertinent to emergency readiness as assigned.

Assists in supervising and training new recruits as assigned.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

MINIMUMQUALIFICATIONS

Must be eighteen (18) years of age or older at time of hire.

High School Graduate or GED equivalent.

Must possess or be able to obtain at the time of hire, a valid Washington State Driver’s License without record of suspension or revocation in any state.

Must possess or obtain within one (1) year of hire date an approved Emergency Vehicle Incident Prevention (EVIP) certification.

Must possess or obtain within one (1) year of hire date a Washington State Emergency Medical Technician Basic (EMT-B) certification.

Must possess or obtain within one (1) year of hire date an IFSAC/Pro Board Hazardous Materials Operations Level certification.

Must possess or obtain within one (1) year of hire date IFSAC/Pro BoardFirefighter I certification.

Must possess or obtain within one (1) year of hire date a NWCG Firefighter Type 2 (FFTII) qualification.

No felony convictions or disqualifying criminal history.

Successfully complete the Washington State Fire Training Academy, Wenatchee Valley Fire Department Academy or equivalency as determined by the Fire Chief.

Ability to read, write and effectively communicate orally the English language.

Must meet Departmental physical standards. All employees hired after September 1, 2011, must demonstrate their ability to fulfill the district’s established physical fitness standards in order to maintain employment.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Working knowledge of driver safety; modern fire suppression and prevention and emergency medical services principles, procedures, techniques, and equipment.

Working knowledge of first aid and resuscitation techniques and their application as demonstrated through State EMT Certification.

Ability to learn the operation of fire suppression and other emergency equipment.

Ability to learn and apply standard firefighting, emergency aid, hazardous materials, and fire prevention techniques.

Ability to perform strenuous or peak physical effort during emergencies, and training activities for prolonged periods of time under conditions of extreme heights, intense heat, cold or smoke.

Ability to act effectively in emergency and stressful situations.

Ability to follow verbal and written instruction; ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.

Ability to establish effective working relationships with employees, other agencies, and the general public.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED

Emergency Medical equipment, fire apparatus, fire pumps, hoses, and other standard firefighting equipment, ladders, radio, pager, personal computer, phone, calculator.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee infrequently required to sit; talk or hear; stand; walk; use hand to finger, handle or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employees occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste and smell.

The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work is performed primarily in stations, vehicles, and outdoor settings, in all weather conditions, including temperature extremes, during day and night times. Work is often performed in emergency and stressful situations. Individuals are exposed to hearing alarms and hazards associated with fighting fires and rendering emergency medical assistance, including smoke, noxious odors, fumes, chemicals, liquid chemicals, solvents and oils.

The employee occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and in high, precarious places and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, risk of electrical shock, and vibration.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, except during certain firefighting or EMT emergency scene activities when noise may be loud.

Wenatchee Valley Fire Department - Firefighter has 6 vacancies.

The deadline to test for the next hiring cycle is October 01, 2026.

Continuous Recruitment

2026 Pay Schedule. Changes are subject to the latest collective bargaining agreement. 

Vacation, Sick Leave, Medical, Dental, HRA/VEBA, LEOFF 2 Retirement, 457 Plan