Effingham County Fire / Rescue


Recruitment of Personnel


1.1 Each prospective firefighter must complete the application found in appendix A before being considered for an appointment to the department.

1.2 Applications will be reviewed and decided upon by the Department Chief, Station Captain and entity’s chief administrative official, and / or a member of the entity’s governing board.

1.3 Applications must meet or agree to meet the following requirements:

  1. be 18 years of age
  2. have not committed a felony within 10 years (except as provided for in The Official Code of Georgia Annotated Section 25-4-8)
  3. be in good physical condition as determined by the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training council Minimum Physical Fitness Requirements (Appendix B)
  4. be of good moral character as determined by investigation or review committee
  5. complete within twelve months an approved basic firefighter course conducted through the Georgia Fire Academy
  6. have and maintain a valid Georgia Driver’s License
  7. Maintain an activity level of 2 hours per month, 10 months per year minimum
  8. Volunteers must maintain principal residence in Effingham County

1.4 After an application has been accepted, the prospective firefighter will be allowed to join the department for a six-month probationary period. During the probationary period, the prospective firefighter must work toward completing an approved basic firefighter course, attend all training meetings and learn to identify and properly use all equipment found on the vehicles at his assigned station. During this probationary period, the prospective firefighter may respond to calls, but may not take an active role in the suppression of fires; he may, however, assist by retrieving equipment, et cetera.

All prospective firefighters shall be supplied with the personal protective gear necessary for them to respond to incidents, and are required to use it during all responses and maintain it in good condition at all times.

Probationary firefighters may not be issued an emergency light permit and are encouraged, in the event of a call, to report to their station and respond with their department. If a prospective firefighter must respond in his own vehicle, he shall do so by abiding by all traffic laws and shall park his vehicle well away from the incident.

The prospective firefighter should use this probationary period to familiarize himself with department policies and procedures, including communication conventions and fireground tactics.

1.5 At the end of the six-month probationary period, the prospective firefighter must:

  1. demonstrate familiarization with all policies found in this standard operating procedure
  2. identify and be able to use all tools and equipment on the department’s apparatus
  3. demonstrate the ability to properly don and use all protective equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus

1.6 At the end of the probationary period, the Department Chief, Station Chief, and entity’s chief administrative official, and/or a member of the entity’s governing board shall meet to review the applicant’s performance and will decide to accept the candidate, extend the probationary period or reject the candidate’s application, based on the prospective firefighter’s performance of duties.