Firefighter/Paramedic

The work involves responsibility for fighting fires, responding to other emergency situations and acting as the primary care giver in the emergency care of the sick and injured being treated by the fire district. An employee in this class will be expected to perform the duties of a firefighter or a paramedic based on the daily assignment by the officer in charge. An employee in this class may also be required to drive motorized fire apparatus and other emergency vehicles as well as perform routine fire station maintenance. Overall supervision is received from higher level fire personnel, such as a Fire Chief, Director of Emergency Services, and/or EMS Administrator. Day-to-day operational direction is received from the Fire Lieutenant in charge. Supervision of the work of others is not a normal feature of this class.

On or before January 9, 2027, to be eligible for this examination, applicant must meet the following minimum qualifications: Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and certification by N.Y.S. Dept. of Health as an Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic (EMT-P);

A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the following areas: Ability to learn and apply information These questions test for the ability to learn new information and apply it to answer questions effectively. Candidates will read information presented in a Training Lesson and then answer questions regarding the information and procedures covered in the Training Lesson. All information needed to answer the questions will be provided in the Training Lesson, and candidates will be able to refer to the Training Lesson when answering the questions. Some of the questions may require candidates to combine information from different portions of what has been learned in the Training Lesson. No prior knowledge of any specific job or subject matter is needed. Basic arithmetic This section requires candidates to use basic arithmetic (add, subtract, multiply, divide) to find a missing value in a table of numbers. Candidates will not need to refer to the Training Lesson or any other section of the test to answer the questions in this section. All information needed to answer each question will be contained in this section. No knowledge of firefighting or any other job is required. Candidates should bring a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. Candidates will not be permitted to use the calculator function on their cell phone. Reading comprehension These questions test for the ability to understand written materials (e.g., sentences, passages) and answer questions about the information presented. Candidates will be provided with reading passages, followed by questions related to each passage. Each question will require candidates to demonstrate that they have read and understood the information contained in the passage. Situational judgment This section tests for the ability to identify appropriate and effective responses to work-related challenges. Candidates will be presented with several scenarios that reflect the types of challenges one could encounter in a work environment. They will then be asked to rate the effectiveness of a number of possible responses to each scenario.
Test guide:
A Guide for the Written Test for Firefighter is available at the New York State website: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm. Candidates not having access to a computer or the internet may request copy of the test guide from the municipal civil service office conducting this examination using the contact information found elsewhere on this announcement. The use of calculators is RECOMMENDED for this exam.

At this time most agencies give preference in appointment to candidates who are residents of their district for at least 30 days prior to the date of certification of the eligible list. Such residence preference is the policy of each individual fire agency and not subject to the control of the Dutchess County Department of Human Resources.

The eligible list established as a result of this examination will be used, when appropriate, to fill vacancies as they occur in all fire districts under the jurisdiction of the Dutchess County Department of Human Resources.