How to Become a Firefighter in Massachusetts

Who can apply

• In a civil service city or town, you must be at least 19 by the application deadline to take the entry exam (MGL c. 31, s. 58).
• In a civil service community that has not accepted MGL c. 31, ss. 61A and 61B, you cannot be certified for an original firefighter appointment if you are 32 or older by the exam application deadline.
• You do not need to live in Massachusetts to take the civil service exam. Once appointed, you must live in the city or town, or within 10 miles of it, within nine months (a union contract can widen this).
• No one who smokes any tobacco product can be appointed as a city or town firefighter. A firefighter appointed after January 1, 1988 who smokes is first offered a cessation program; a second violation can be cause for dismissal (MGL c. 41, s. 101A).
• The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy is post-employment: you must already be a firefighter with a department to attend.

Step by step

1. If you want a civil service department, apply for the Municipal Firefighter Examination through the Civil Service Unit when it is announced.
2. Pass both parts of the exam: a written test and the Entry-Level Physical Ability Test (ELPAT). Your name then goes on the eligible list.
3. When a department reaches your name, complete its employment packet, background check and interview. Non-civil service departments hire on their own.
4. After a conditional job offer, pass the medical exam and the Initial-Hire Physical Ability Test (PAT).
5. Your fire chief sends a Career Recruit application package to the MFA; you create a profile in the DFS Learning Management System and complete a Recruit Fitness Orientation.
6. Complete the MFA Career Recruit Firefighter Training Program (or your city's own academy, which some large cities run) and pass its final exam.
7. MFTC certifies graduates to Firefighter I/II and Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: No state statute found that requires every firefighter to complete a set academy; MFTC certification is voluntary. In practice, new firefighters are trained after hiring: the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy (the state's fire training agency under the Department of Fire Services) runs the Career Recruit Firefighter Training Program for new firefighters from any city or town, and some larger cities train at their own facilities. Your fire chief must apply for you. The package needs a signed application, a DFS LMS student ID, protective clothing under 10 years old, pages 1 and 8 of the HRD medical form (less than one year old at class start), and a passing PAT result within one year of full-time appointment (the ELPAT does not count). All training days are mandatory; an unexcused absence or missing more than 5% of the curriculum can get you dismissed.

Exam: Not required statewide; required to be hired by a civil service department. Civil service departments hire from the Municipal Firefighter Examination: a written test (cognitive ability, work styles and life experience sections) worth 50% and the ELPAT worth 50%. You must pass both to get a score and a place on the eligible list. To graduate the Career Recruit Program you must pass the critical skills and score at least 70% on the Firefighter I questions and 70% on the Firefighter II questions of the final exam. MFA also runs open written certification exams twice a month, booked through the DFS LMS.

What it costs in Massachusetts

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

Good to know in Massachusetts

Certification is voluntary: MFTC is the sole certifying agency for fire service personnel in Massachusetts. Its certification is voluntary, but some fire departments require certain levels.

Civil service vs. non-civil service towns: Many, but not all, Massachusetts fire departments hire from the civil service list. Upper age limits vary by community, so check with the departments you want.

Eligible list: If your name is reached, the department asks for the eligible list and the Civil Service Unit sends names. Passing a later exam can extend your eligibility.

PAT retake: If you fail the initial-hire PAT, you get one more try for each conditional offer.

EMT: The state does not require EMT certification to be hired, but DFS strongly recommends EMT or paramedic training because firefighters respond to many more medical calls than fires.

Local residency preference: On a civil service eligible list, a town can ask that people who lived there for 1 year before the exam be placed ahead of others with the same standing. Since November 20, 2025, applicants who earned a public high school diploma in that town (or lived there when they got it) get the same preference. Towns under 75,000 people may also ask to prefer candidates living within 10 miles.

Sources

• Mass.gov - Becoming a Firefighter in Massachusetts
• Mass.gov - Massachusetts Fire Service Certification System
• Mass.gov - Enroll in MFA Career Recruit Firefighter Training Program
• MFA - Career Recruit Application Process Instructions
• MFA - Rules and Regulations for the Career Recruit Firefighter Training Program
• Civil Service - Your Fire Career in Massachusetts Begins Here
• Civil Service - 2026 Municipal Firefighter Examination
• MGL c. 31, s. 58 - Municipal police officers and firefighters; qualification
• MGL c. 41, s. 101A - Police officers or firefighters; tobacco smoking
• MGL c. 6, s. 165 - Massachusetts fire training council