Download a Complete Application Packet
Thank you for your interest in the Carver Fire Department.
The Carver Fire Department is a “call” Fire Department. This means that its members respond to fires from their homes or jobs when needed. The Town pays each member an hourly wage when he/she responds to an emergency call.
The Carver Fire Department is made up of 81 active “call” firefighters who respond to 3 fire stations. We respond to approximately 450 calls for assistance per year.
The department has 3 Pumping engines, 4 Brushbreakers, 1 Tanker truck, 2 Rescue trucks, 1 Boat, 1 Hovercraft, 1 Squad, and 1 reserve Engine and Brushbreaker.
Carver is about 10 miles long and 4 miles wide with a fire station in each part of town. It also has a main road, Route 58, running the entire length of town. Because of the way the town is shaped, most people live within 3 miles of a fire station. Because we have 3 well placed fire stations and a good road network, firefighters are able to respond from their homes or jobs to the fire station and then to the emergency scene with the appropriate apparatus in an average time of 5.7 minutes or less, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In other parts of the country, there are many towns and some cities protected by call or volunteer fire departments. In fact, 76% of all firefighters in the United States are call or volunteer. We feel that as long as the Carver Fire Department can keep an active roster of dedicated well trained call firefighters, the call system will serve the needs of the community well into the future saving the taxpayers millions of dollars.
Because some of our older firefighters are retiring and others are moving out of town, we are always looking for new members who are interested in performing an exciting and rewarding job for the Town of Carver.
First of all you must be a minimum of 18 years of age, have a high school diploma or GED, and be in good physical condition. You must possess a valid Massachusetts drivers license and be a Carver resident or have permanent employment within the Town that will allow you to respond to Fire Department calls.
You must then take a written test which is given once a year. The test was developed by the International Personnel Management Association. It was written for entry level firefighters and assumes no prior firefighting training or experience.
A list will be established for each of the three fire station response districts of those living within the boundaries of given districts who passed the test with a grade of 70% or better.
When an opening in a response district occurs, candidates will be chosen from the list for that particular district. The decision to make a conditional offer of employment to an individual will be made, taking into consideration the following factors :
- exam score past training and experience
- availability interview results
Once a conditional offer of employment is made, you must:
- Sign a no smoking form indicating that you do not smoke any tobacco products and are aware that as long as you are a Carver Firefighter, smoking either on duty or off duty is prohibited by the Mass. General Laws
- Pass a Massachusetts Criminal History Systems Board background check
- Pass a medical examination to Massachusetts Human Resources Division standards which includes drug testing (paid for by the department)
- Pass a physical abilities test to Massachusetts Human Resources Division standards (paid for by the department)
- Pass the Carver Fire Department 80 hour recruit training course which includes first aid, CPR, and basic fire fighting skills.
During the entire above process you will receive NO compensation.
After successfully completing the above steps, you will become an employee of the town and will be assigned to a fire company. Protective clothing and a pager will be issued to you. From this point on you will be able to respond to calls with your company and you will receive hourly pay for responses to calls. A Station Trainer will be assigned to work with you until you become proficient with the equipment and apparatus in the station.
You must then pass future periodic medical and physical ability exams in order to remain a firefighter.
