How to Get Hired at Sacramento Metro Fire: The Firefighter/Paramedic Process
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (Metro Fire) is one of the largest fire agencies in California — it serves over 720,000 residents across the Sacramento region from roughly 40 stations. Recent entry-level hiring has been Firefighter/Paramedic only, through district recruitments posted on GovernmentJobs. Here is the general path and how to prepare. Confirm current openings and requirements on the official site, metrofire.ca.gov.
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When does Sacramento Metro Fire open applications?
Closed Checked : The 27-1 window ran July 8 to 31, 2026.
Metro Fire posts three-to-four week windows tied to academy numbers, with no set month. Every entry posting since 2019 has been Firefighter/Paramedic, and the July 2026 one also took paramedic students in good standing. These postings asked for an application and CPAT, with no FCTC written.
| Posting | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| Firefighter/Paramedic 24-1 | Jun 6, 2023 | Jul 7, 2023 |
| Firefighter/Paramedic 25-2 | Mar 13, 2025 | Apr 14, 2025 |
| Firefighter/Paramedic In Progress 27-1 | Jul 8, 2026 | Jul 31, 2026 |
Get told when it opens: Subscribe to firefighter postings (job interest card) on Metro Fire's jobs portal. governmentjobs.com · Official recruitment page: metrofire.ca.gov
Basic requirements
- High school diploma or equivalent and a valid California driver's license
- A paramedic license (California or National Registry). Every entry posting since 2019 has been Firefighter/Paramedic, and the 27-1 posting also took paramedic students with a letter of good standing
- A CPAT from within the last year
- No FCTC written on recent postings. The application and CPAT get you to a panel interview and an EMS assessment
The selection process
- Watch for an open recruitment — Metro Fire posts firefighter and firefighter/paramedic openings on its careers page and GovernmentJobs. Openings can be short.
- Meet the testing requirements — a current CPAT. Recent Metro Fire postings have not required an FCTC written, unlike most Sacramento-area departments.
- Interviews — panel interview, then chief's interview for finalists.
- Background, medical, and psychological evaluation — including criminal history, fingerprinting, credit, and drug-history review.
- Metro Fire Recruit Academy — an in-house academy covering essential and advanced fireground skills before station assignment and probation.
Knowing the process is step one. Being ready for each gate is the rest. Tailboard covers the written, the physical, and the oral board for one hiring season.
How to prepare
- The EMS assessment: postings list it after the panel interview, so expect paramedic-level questions. Keep your drug math sharp and run timed practice tests.
- The CPAT: Metro Fire's region runs CPAT through licensed testing sites — train with the CPAT training plan and know all 8 CPAT events.
- The oral board: a district this size interviews at volume, and generic answers wash out. Rehearse the firefighter oral board and be ready for situational and ethical questions. Start with the firefighter oral board questions panels ask most.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Sacramento Metro Fire?
Metro Fire is among the largest fire agencies in California, serving more than 720,000 residents across the Sacramento region from roughly 40 stations, with a full spectrum of suppression, EMS, rescue, and aviation programs.
Does Sacramento Metro Fire require a paramedic license?
Recently, yes. Every Metro Fire entry posting since 2019 has been Firefighter/Paramedic, and the July 2026 posting also accepted paramedic students with a letter of good standing. The last Firefighter/EMT posting we found closed in January 2019. Check the classification on the current posting before applying.
Does Metro Fire run its own academy?
Yes. Hired candidates attend the Metro Fire Recruit Academy, which trains recruits in essential and advanced fireground and EMS skills before they are assigned to stations on probation.