Ready to make a positive change? 

Ready to start a career that is much more than a job? 

Ready to join... not just a team... a family?

Then join the West Lafayette Fire Department! 

Benefits for Certified Firefighters and Lateral Transfers

• 2024 Competitive Salaries:
  • Certified Firefighters and Lateral Transfers start at $68,236
  • Pension Base:  $77,496.60 
• Longevity Pay after 5 Years
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan with a Matching Component 
• Membership in the INPRS Pension 
• Tuition Reimbursement/Collegiate Partnerships
• Free Membership to a State-of-the-Art Wellness Center Exercise Facility 
• Free Health Clinic for Employees and Families
• On-Site Tactical Trainers
• Medical, Dental,  and Vision Insurance with a Generous HSA City Contribution
• Specialty Teams (Tactical Rescue, Water Rescue, and Hazmat)
• Advancement Opportunities after 5 Years of Service
• Vacation Awarded in the First Year of Employment

Certification Requirements

• Indiana Firefighter I and II
• EMT-B
• Hazmat Awareness and Operations

Requirements

To be considered for the West Lafayette Fire Department, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

• Per I.C. 36-8-3.5-12, Sec 12 (a) (1), applicants must be a US citizen.
• Applicant must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age at the time of appointment. 
• Eligibility ends on the applicant's Fortieth (40) birthday.
• Indiana law (I.C. 36-8-4.75) provides for a waiver of the maximum hiring age restrictions that apply to the appointment and hiring of police and firefighters who are 20-year veterans of the armed forces and not more than forty (40) years and six (6) months of age. This law provides that an individual appointed as a police officer or a firefighter as the result of the waiver is eligible to become a member of the 1977 Police and Firefighter's Pension and Disability Fund (1977 Fund).
• Applicant must be a high school graduate with a high school accredited diploma or equivalency diploma (G.E.D.).
• Applicant must hold a valid driver's license.
• Applicant shall have reliable transportation into the jurisdiction of the member's department and telephone service for department communication.
• Applicant is disqualified if dishonorably discharged from the military.
• Applicant must possess the following vision standards: corrected binocular vision not worse than 20/30; corrected vision of the worse eye not worse than 20/50; uncorrected binocular vision not worse than 20/100 (exception: long-term successful users of soft contact lenses do not have to meet this uncorrected standard); the ability to distinguish colors of red, green, and amber, and have no pathology of the eyes (as set forth by the Indiana Public Retirement Fund-PERF).
• Applicant must have no convictions for felony crimes. 
• Applicant must be able to successfully complete an extensive physical agility test.
• Applicant must be able to pass a thorough background investigation.
• Applicant must submit to at least two (2) oral interviews.
• Applicant must successfully pass a polygraph test.
• Applicant must be of good moral character; must not have abused any drug/narcotics within two (2) years prior to August 27, 2024 (will be confirmed during the polygraph examination). 
• Applicant must not have been convicted of illegal delivery of drugs for monetary or material gain.

 Process

All West Lafayette Fire Department applications MUST BE returned to the City of West Lafayette Human Resources Department. Applications are available through the City of West Lafayette website here.

1. Complete and Submit Application
   ^{Applications must be received by the West Lafayette Human Resources Department by the advertised deadline. No late applications will be accepted.}
2.  Complete Physical Ability Test (Not required for Lateral Transfers)
   ^{Applicant must obtain the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) certification by August 27, 2024. CPAT certification from any authorized site is accepted.}
3.  Interview 1 - West Lafayette Fire Department Hiring Committee 
   ^{Accepted applicants will interview with the West Lafayette Fire Department's Hiring Committee. The top candidates will move forward in the hiring process. Those applicants not selected will be notified by email that they are not moving forward.}
4.  Interview 2 - West Lafayette Fire Department Hiring Committee
   ^{The top candidates will interview a second time.}
5.  Compilation of Hiring List
   ^{The West Lafayette Fire Department's Hiring Committee will score each application after both interviews are completed and create a hiring list in the order of total scores.}
6.  Offer of Employment
   ^{The Human Resources Department will contact applicants by email and inform them of the order of approved hiring list. An offer of employment by the Fire Chief will be extended on an as-needed basis.}
7.  Polygraph and Background Check
   ^{Upon acceptance by the applicant, the West Lafayette Fire Department will begin a thorough background investigation and schedule a polygraph examination. All information obtained during the polygraph and background process will be forwarded to the Hiring Committee for review who will determine whether the applicant will continue in the hiring process. Failing the polygraph will result in disqualification.}
8.  Interview
   ^{The candidate will then interview with the Fire Chief and Pension Board.}
9.  Physical and Psychiatric Examinations
   ^{After the Pension Board interview, the department will schedule a physical and psychiatric examination as required by the Indiana Public Retirement System's (PERF) 1977 Police and Firefighter's Fund. Results are forwarded to the state's PERF review board who determines whether to pass, pass with exceptions, or fail the applicant.}
10.  Hire Date
    ^{Once applicant has passed all required testing, a date will be given to begin employment.}