Wilton and the Wilton Fire Department have joined with 10 other Connecticut towns to help give a start to anyone interested in pursuing a career as a firefighter. The communities are offering an Entry Level Testing program for men and women interested in a Fire Service career.

This consortium of Fire Departments is currently accepting applications through a testing company, ‘IO Solutions.’ Applications must be submitted online directly through IO Solutions. The application period closes May 4, 2018.

Fire Service careers are tremendously rewarding and a great opportunity for those who have a desire to provide emergency services to the public. Firefighters work in a team oriented environment to make a difference in the lives of those who call for help

There are three goals of this program:

  1. Reduce testing cost for applicants:  Typically applicants must participate in independent testing processes each requiring an application fee and a written and oral examination. This is costly and time consuming for applicants. The consortium will charge a single fee and applicants take one written and oral examination to qualify for up to 10 departments.
  2. Reduce the testing cost for municipalities:  Historically, municipalities conduct independent tests for firefighter applicants, a time-consuming and expensive process for department and human resource staffs. The applicant pool is essentially the same and communities test and retest the same individuals. Now the management of the test process is shifted to a private vendor and the cost is covered by the applicant’s application fee.
  3. Improve Diversity:  The participating towns are working to increase diversity of women and minorities in the applicant pool through broader recruitment. A diverse fire service statewide is best suited to meet the needs of the communities we serve.

The individual fire departments and communities make the final candidate selection per local hiring rules; this may include a separate interview by the local Fire Department, Fire Commission or human resources department.

In addition to Wilton, the other participating Fire Departments include Branford Fire Department, East Hartford Fire Department, Fairfield Fire Department, Farmington Fire Department, Mansfield Fire and Emergency Services, Naugatuck Fire Department, New Canaan Fire Department, North Haven Fire Department, South Fire District Middletown, and Westport Fire Department.