Firefighter Job Opening Trinidad

[encorehunter]

I'm not sure if this is the right place, mods move if you need to.

We have a new position opening for a 16th person on our department. This is a floater position for now and will have the option to move to a fixed position if someone leaves.

The requirements at this time are EMT-B or higher. We do our own academy for firefighter training. As of now, you will have to move within 20 minutes of City Hall in Trinidad, but we are working on doing away with that ordinance. We are a small fire department of 15 firefighters plus the chief. We average around 1500 calls a year, mostly medical. We do not transport, we have a separate ambulance service for that.

http://trinidad.co.gov/pages/careers/default.html

Scroll down to find the posting.

[encorehunter]

Bumping this up. Rumor has it we haven't had very many applicants. Housing here is pretty easy to come by. I might even have an extra house or two laying around.

[fitz19d]

If almost be interested but am 0%qualified. Probably why I ended up now where I do nothing.

[Richard K]

I'm not sure if this is the right place, mods move if you need to.

We have a new position opening for a 16th person on our department. This is a floater position for now and will have the option to move to a fixed position if someone leaves.

The requirements at this time are EMT-B or higher. We do our own academy for firefighter training. As of now, you will have to move within 20 minutes of City Hall in Trinidad, but we are working on doing away with that ordinance. We are a small fire department of 15 firefighters plus the chief. We average around 1500 calls a year, mostly medical. We do not transport, we have a separate ambulance service for that.

http://trinidad.co.gov/pages/careers/default.html

Scroll down to find the posting.

Wow. get EMT certified and you could earn $13.72 an hour at a hazardous occupation while in some areas you can make $15 per hour flipping burgers. Where are our priorities?

[stenz]

How in the hell is Trinidad keeping people paying them $13.72 to be a firefighter? To retain quality people you need to pay them.

[stodg73]

Remember, they only work 56 hours per week, and have 112 hours off. Work one, off 2. Equals out to 10 days per month, with a kelly day thrown in every 6 weeks.

[encorehunter]

Your average 40 hour per week worker puts in 2140 hours per year. We put in 2920 hours per year. We do not get overtime for those additional hours. We get 6-7 kelly days per year, along with 4 personals, plus sick time and vacation time. I do agree with the flipping burgers comment. You can add on 3 certification pay upgrades at .30 per certification. Medical and wildland certs can be stacked for up to .73 per cert. In other words, if you are a medic and a wildland engine boss you will be starting with a $1.46 raise.

We also have a great retirement plan through FPPA. We have lost several guys to departments up north because of bbc.co the pay. We have guys here that I would put up against any in the state. When we had the Franch apartment fire, the CBI asked how many guys we had on it. We said 11, he said up north, they would have 50-100 guys and not be able to save what we did. We get a lot of hose time, not a lot of rehab, but the job gets done.

[fitz19d]

Cost of living actually lower? Might help, but I think you run into a guy by the time he has the prereqs is probably like 24 and ends up married/gf that doesn't want to move. My job gets regional pay, and the differences are a joke sometimes. (800/m ish less in Fort Collins area despite housing being every bit as bad as Denver.)

[Goodburbon]

I'm certified.

If they Doubled the pay and paid overtime I'd entertain the Idea. For $13, there's no way I'd even consider declaring bankruptcy and uprooting my family. And I love doing that kind of work.


Good luck.

[Monky]

Trinidad can't afford to pay anymore than that. The town is dead basically. Sorry to say encore but there is no industry beyond marijuana down there.


Sent by a free-range electronic weasel, with no sense of personal space.

[encorehunter]

A lot of us do have second jobs. A few work at the ambulance service as well. The only cert you need is the basic, which can be completed in under 4 months.
I agree the industry down here is lacking.

[stenz]

Test with Denver or West Metro. 50k to start

[encorehunter]

Test with Denver or West Metro. 50k to start

Excellent job when they hire. You will be competing against a few thousand applicants. We had one of our guys get hire eff on there, but thankfully turned it down. We would have lost one of our best wildland guys to them.

[encorehunter]

We are hiring again. It sounds like they are looking to hire 5-6 employees. Jan 1 we go to a 48/96 hour shift. Starting pay is around $50k per year. I do not believe there are prereqs now, but you will need to get you emt-b in one year, we will train you for FF-I, FF-II and HAZMAT awareness and Ops. Trinidad has grown a lot in the last few years.

https://www.trinidad.co.gov/fire-department

https://www.trinidad.co.gov/jobs

[encorehunter]

One other thing is we have an excellent retirement plan. After probation, you end up with 6 vacation days a year and 4 personal days. That equates to about 1 month off after your probation period. Also, there are three mandatory Kelly shifts, which give you 10 days off in a row.

[Reut'nSheut'nTeuton]

Age restrictions? I would be 52. Discounting total unassisted pull ups, I can complete Murph in reasonable time.

[XJ]

Vaccine requirements? Asking for a much-younger relative :)

[encorehunter]

As of now there are no age restrictions and no vaccine requirement. Our combat challenge for the physical is intense, but you have 6 minutes to complete it now, I believe. When I tested, it was 4 minutes and "easily" doable in that time.
5 flights of stairs in bunker gear with air pack and a high rise hose pack, hand over hand pull one section of hose up 4 flights of stairs, use sledge hammer on sled to simulate chopping a roof, drag a charged hose line around 100 feet and spray water, carry/drag 200 pound dummy 50 feet.

[eddiememphis]

...carry/drag 200 pound dummy 50 feet.

That's not very nice.

Maybe he should be referred to as an "Inert American"?

[Reut'nSheut'nTeuton]

How soon is the chief looking to fill the position? I am under contract out of state until late May. Doesn't mean I can't travel there to test. I have rudimentary Spanish and already a PERA account to boot!

[encorehunter]

So far I don't know of any applicants. It says open until the 31, but they will probably have to extend it.

[encorehunter]

Our retirement is FPPA through Fidelity. After probation, the city puts in 10.5% while we put in 8%. We recently rejoined our original union, and are IAFF local 6. Trinidad was one of the first cities to join the IAFF when it first began in 1918. Trinidad was the first paid fire department in the state, beginning in 1892. There is a lot of history with the department.

[Reut'nSheut'nTeuton]

Thank you for your attention to my questions. I did not see an application link on city's official homepage. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Mr. Encore.

[encorehunter]

At the bottom of the page, there is a download application link. You can fill that out and then email it to hr@trinidad.co.gov.

[def90]

Keep in mind cost of living in Trinidad is low. I hunt and stay down there every year, yes, pot tourism seems to be their main squeeze for the local hotels but if you are looking for a small town life it might not be that bad, great christmas parade, lol. Great hunting down in that area of the state, easy drive to the springs or Denver for entertainment, and 20 minutes or so from the NRA Whittington Center. The downtown has potential, too bad no one has gone in there and bought some of it up for pennies on the dollar and turned it in to something.

[encorehunter]

You can't buy buildings downtown as they have all sold. There is a Hilton being built down by the river now. There has been a LOT of money invested in Trinidad over the last few years. Several investors have seemed to take an interest here. One investor is building 55 townhouses on main street, a second is building 90 single family dwellings by Allendale next to Fishers Peak State Park.
The coal mine has reopened and supposedly has a 30 year contract to sell the coal.
I would just like a Home Depot or Lowes so I don't have to drive to Pueblo all the time.

[Reut'nSheut'nTeuton]

People are leaving cities. Topic for another thread.

[DDT951]

I think one reason applicants are not coming in is pay.

As an example, I am paying assemblers $22/hr. More paid time off than you have posted. (by the way Jan 1, 2022 paid time off goes away in Colorado an becomes vacation).

Under $14 an hour and wanting EMT cert? Why would someone do that?

[encorehunter]

It is starting at over $16 an hour now, it will be over $17 an hour in January with our raise. I'm not sure where you got $14 an hour. Advancing to an engineer is going to be $19 an hour, then Captains are around $25 per hour.

As for paid time off, one month to start I thought was good. I am up to about 3 months off with my years of service. Our schedule, you take 2 shifts off and get 10 days in a row off.

I know this job isn't for everyone. Long hours and not great pay, it can be dangerous, but we make it as safe as possible.

[encorehunter]

With insurance and retirement, it makes it much more lucrative. Starting, you have $1.70 an hour additional going to your retirement. Personally, I'll take a little less now to be more comfortable at retirement. Most of us are looking at retiring by 55, some of us sooner, some a little later.

[Goodburbon]

McDonald's in Salida starts at $17/hr. As the state minimum wage and premium area wages rise jobs like this will become harder and harder to staff. I don't like it, but its the truth.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[encorehunter]

We are hiring again here at the fire dept. Starting wage is just over $17 per hour. Requirements are yous EMT-B. We train you for Fire I, Fire II and wildland during an academy. Pay raise after you get off probation. We are working 48/96 hour shifts now, no residency requirements. Trinidad is growing quickly right now, becoming "The gateway to Colorado."

[encorehunter]

https://www.trinidad.co.gov/jobs/1292/?fbclid=IwAR39yXKxT7_i0WfT1bvoh_asgY40zPwbyGTWkND4 qdREqAhOepAUIQtSmRI

With us working 2920 hours per year, starting pay is just over $50k. Yearly raises, certification pay and a great retirement makes it a good career to look in too.