Spokane Fire Department hiring 48 new firefighters

SPOKANE, Wash. - The Spokane Fire Department is looking to hire nearly 50 firefighters and the addition won't cost taxpayers. The money is all coming from a federal grant.?

Recruits in the Spokane Fire Department must complete strenuous tasks in simulated building fires. Breaking down doors and dragging dummies are just some of the tests included in the 13 week fire academy.

Spokane Fire Department's Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer says it's going to be tough to find 48 new recruits.

"We've been short since 2004. We had lost 48 positions. This restores us to where we were in 2004," he says.

While firefighters must be physically fit, Schaeffer says that isn't all it takes.

"It's a position of public trust. We do have them go through a strenuous psych test. We want to make absolute sure when we hire that they stay for 30 years and not make a front page story," said Schaeffer. "We feel really confident that we will get the 48."

If you would like to apply to be a firefighter, just click here.