Candidate Information

The City of Dalton Fire Department is a career department comprised of over 90 professional firefighters. Detailed information regarding current job openings and the application process can be obtained from the job postings on this website.

Potential employees must go through a rigorous hiring process to ensure the highest quality candidates are selected.  Applicants must pass a polygraph examination, pre-employment physical including pulmonary function test,  as well as local, state, and federal background checks. An extensive interview process is also included in the pre-employment screening. Candidates must be at least 21 years old and possess a high school diploma or equivalent. 

Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council mandates that a candidate physical agility test be successfully completed by all candidates seeking employment as a career firefighter.  The following is a brief overview of the Dalton Fire Department candidate physical agility test that must be completed during the application process.

Candidate Instructions for Physical Agility Test

1. The candidate shall wear gloves, helmet, and a self-contained breathing apparatus during the entire test. An SCBA face piece will be donned by the candidate upon completion of exercise 1. The face piece will be worn throughout the remaining 5 exercises and shall not be removed or in any way displaced from the proper position.

2. The candidate may not run during the test.

3. Time will begin at the starting of the first exercise and shall stop when the candidate completes the last exercise. (The candidate may pause during the test but time will continue to expire.)

4. The candidate may ask that instructions for all or any single exercise be read again but time will continue to expire if the test has already begun.

5. The candidate must complete the entire test in seven minutes or less.