The Willowick Fire Department is staffed daily by part-time employees. Each day is subdivided into three shifts staffed by six on-duty personnel. The Department offers part-time employment opportunities to individuals at different career levels. Younger candidates find the experience rewarding and beneficial as a starting point for securing a career in firefighting. Some candidates benefit from the additional income while working in the field they are trained for. Still others, who have careers established outside of the fire service, find it extremely rewarding to be a firefighter as a second means of income. Regardless of an individual’s reason for working, there exists a consistent theme. All members of Fire Department are dedicated to serving the Community of Willowick by dedicating their spare time away from family and full-time employment.
As a Willowick Firefighter you are provided Civil Service classification. Firefighters are hired through a non-competitive exam whose standards allow for immediate placement. The qualifications for appointment are:
Qualifications to appoint:
- Citizen of the United States
- Shall reside in Lake County or one of the contiguous counties.
- Minimum of 19 years of age to forty-five (45) years of age or older as of the date of examination.
- Corrected vision to 20/20 with glasses or contact lenses.
- High School diploma (or equivalent)
- Ohio Driver’s License
- EMT-Basic State of Ohio certification
- Firefighter I State of Ohio certification
Appointed firefighters serve a minimum 18 month probationary period in order to complete further certification requirements (i.e., paramedic, NIMS 700, 100, 200). If all required certifications are achieved the probationary firefighter will be promoted to Firefighter 1st Class. All newly promoted firefighters shall maintain their paramedic certification as a condition of employment.
Firefighters with paramedic certification are paid an additional $1.50 an hour. The Willowick Fire Department also offers a longevity wage scale for tenured employees. The wage increase is applied at 5 year intervals up to 20 years. Additionally, firefighters are eligible for healthcare benefits if they work over an average of 30 hours per week during a 1 year period.
We provide our firefighters an excellent opportunity to prepare for a career in firefighting. Our recruit training program allows our firefighters to maintain their certification training requirements, achieve much needed knowledge and experience, and prepare them for a career in firefighting.
The greatest benefit of working for the Willowick Fire Department may well be your inclusion into a large firefighting network. The Willowick Fire Department employs a majority number of career firefighters who work in many of our surrounding communities. Your experience and work ethic will be on display for those departments who look to hire full-time career firefighters. A great many of firefighters are hired full-time by career departments and continue to work part-time with us.
Applications can be picked up at the Fire Department during normal business hours. The application can also be downloaded here.
Thanks again for your interest in the Willowick Fire Department. We look forward to assisting you in reaching your goals.