Columbia River Fire & Rescue
Civil Service Commission
270 Columbia Blvd.
St Helens, OR 97051
Firefighter/Paramedic

About our Fire Districts: All three Fire Districts are combination career/ volunteer Fire Districts located in Columbia County and provide ALS transport services for their community.

The county borders the Columbia River, Clatsop, Washington and
Multnomah counties. There is unlimited water recreation possibilities (i.e., wind surfing, fishing, water skiing, motor boating and sailing) and close proximity to the Portland metro area.

Travel time to the Pacific Ocean is one to one and a half hours and two hours to the slopes of Mt. Hood. Columbia County is rural and heavily wooded for good hiking, camping and hunting or just enjoying the great outdoors. Columbia County is an exceptional place to live or raise a family.

Fire District Demographics

Clatskanie Fire District: 135 sq miles, population of 1800, 3 stations with career staffing operating from the Clatskanie station. Staffing consists of 9 shift employees, 6 intern firefighters, Fire Chief and 25 volunteers.

Columbia River Fire & Rescue: 200 sq miles, 7 stations with career staffing operating from the Rainier, Fairgrounds and St. Helens stations. Staffing consists of 36 shift employees, 2 Division Chiefs, Fire Chief, 2 ½ full time mechanics and 60 volunteers.

Scappoose Fire District: 100 sq miles, 4 stations with career staffing operating from the Scappoose station. Staffing consists of 9 shift employees, 3 intern firefighters, 2 Division Chiefs, Fire Chief and 35 volunteers.

Together we are establishing an eligibility list for the position of Firefighter/Paramedic. We are seeking highly qualified and dedicated individuals to join us in providing quality, professional emergency services. Appointments are for positions in civil service, and will be made upon merit, efficiency, and fitness, which shall be ascertained by testing, examination, and investigation of qualified personnel.
Salary per Month Start Top
$4416 – $5072 Clatskanie Rural Fire District
$5456 – $6620 Columbia River Fire & Rescue
$5292 – $6301 Scappoose Rural Fire District

Type of Work: The protection of life and property, fire control and suppression, fire prevention duties, maintenance of fire department facilities and equipment, provide Advanced Life Support emergency medical care, transport patients by ambulance, and other duties as assigned.

Essential Requirements: Candidates must have the ability to learn and use firefighting techniques, to learn and implement the proper use of firefighting apparatus, to learn and use medical aid techniques, to work harmoniously with other employees and to
understand and follow oral and written instructions and work as a team member.

Candidates must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, including but not limited to the use of hand tools, the ability to climb ladders, handle hose, lift heavy objects and to do prolonged and arduous work under adverse conditions.

Excellent Benefits: Oregon Public Employees Retirement, Medical/Dental to a negotiated cap, Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, Uniforms, Employee Assistance Program, Deferred Compensation Program, Sick Leave, Vacation, Holidays.

Employment Qualifications: Applicants must pass a post-offer, pre-hire medical examination and drug screen. All new employees must not use tobacco products during work hours.

Minimum Qualifications:
 Be a legal resident of the United States and at least 18 years of age.
 High school graduate or have obtained a GED certificate

 Oregon State certified Paramedic on date of job offer: for non-Oregon certification, the Oregon State Health Division will determine equivalences – phone: 971-673-0533 or website http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/ems.

Applicants are responsible to obtain forms or information from this agency. Please start this process as early as possible.

 Successful completion of all components of the selection process

 Possess a valid insurable driver’s license and have a driving record that meets the hiring Fire District’s driving standards.

 Meet the mental and physical requirements of the position and the Columbia River Fire & Rescue Civil Service Commission.

Desired Qualifications:
 Associates Degree in Fire Science or EMS
 Bachelor’s Degree
 Firefighter 1 or 2 certification: (NFPA, IFSAC, Pro Board)
 Apparatus Driver/ Operator certification (NFPA, IFSAC, Pro Board) Exceptions to the Paramedic Qualifications: A Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (NREMT-P) may test, but must get an Oregon State Provisional certification before employment, and must pass the first available Oregon
State Paramedic test to continue employment.

Qualified Fire District volunteers or Paramedic students may test prior to receiving the required Paramedic certification, providing other eligibility conditions have been met. Fire District Volunteers or Paramedic students will not be eligible for employment until they have provided the necessary Paramedic certification to the Chief Examiner

Application: Applications for this opportunity will be accepted during regular business hours from 8:00 a.m., November 26, 2013 until 4:00 p.m., January 16, 2014 (Pacific Time).

Application forms may be picked up in person at any of the Districts’ Offices or downloaded from the Fire Districts web sites http://www.crfr.com or http://www.srfd.us or www.clatskaniefire.org .

Applications and supplemental information must be received before 4:00 p.m., January 16, 2014 (Pacific Time) at the following

Location:

Columbia River Fire & Rescue
270 Columbia Blvd.
St. Helens, OR 97051

The information provided in the application will be screened upon receipt and verified before we offer employment. The Fire District cannot be responsible for material that is illegible or missing as a result of transmitting or which may be lost through the mail.

Selection Process:
1) Applicants must submit – a job application, and photocopies of: current government issued ID, current Paramedic certification and proof of educational requirements as indicated in the application checklist, by the close date. Applications and supplemental information must be received before 4:00 p.m., January 16, 2014 (Pacific Time)

2) Complete the FireTEAM written examination administered by National Testing Network (NTN) no later than Thursday, January 16, 2014 (some accommodation for out of state candidates may be made on a case by case basis). Registration for this exam is through NTN. The candidate must indicate Columbia River Fire & Rescue Civil Service Commission as a point of application at the time of testing with NTN. Their website is: http://www.nationaltestingnetwork.com/. The fee for testing is $40 (unless you’re currently registered for testing through NTN, then its $7)

3) Submit documentation of successful CPAT testing, no earlier than June 30, 2013, or later. Candidate must provide documentation through NTN of successful completion of
CPAT by Thursday, January 16, 2014 (some accommodation for out of state candidates may be made on a case by case basis).

Only documentation from NTN will be accepted as evidence of successful CPAT completion. The candidate must indicate
Columbia River Fire & Rescue Civil Service Commission as a point of application at the time of testing with NTN. The fee for CPAT testing is $125.

4) Interviews and any further testing will be scheduled post-Civil Service approval of the availability list and as openings are filled.

Updated information can be found at: http://www.clatskaniefire.org, http://www.crfr.com or http://www.srfd.us. For candidates not residing in a
state that has a National Testing Network location near them, please contact the Division Chief Chris Lake at 503 543-5026 for assistance.

5) Once a conditional job offer is made, Physical Exam, Drug Test, Criminal Background and Reference Checks will be conducted prior to job offer becoming formalized.

The Columbia River Fire & Rescue Civil Service Commission is establishing a hiring list for current and anticipated firefighter/paramedic vacancies in 2014. Applicants must take the FireTEAM written examination and CPAT in accordance with schedules established by the National Testing Network (www.nationaltestingnetwork.com). Those candidates who have met the above criteria will be considered by the Columbia River Fire & Rescue Civil Service Commission for additional testing.

Equal Opportunity Employer – Women, Minorities and Disabled individuals are encouraged to apply. ADA accommodations will be provided upon request.

This announcement is not an implied contract and may be modified or revoked without notice.