Fire Captain

Fire Captain Position

This promotional opportunity is open to current, qualified, Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), non-probationary firefighter unit members only. No other applications will be considered.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: At time of application, applicants must have completed probation as a Firefighter and possess at least five (5) years' experience as a full-time career Firefighter or Fire Apparatus Engineer with the OCFA or a fire agency that the OCFA assumed fire protection responsibility for, or a combination of the two. Qualifying experience as a Firefighter begins at time of hire as either a Firefighter Trainee or Firefighter. In addition to the years of experience requirement above, an applicant seeking promotion to Fire Captain must meet basic proficiency skills by any one of the following:

• The applicant is a current Fire Apparatus Engineer with the OCFA
• The applicant is on the current Fire Apparatus Engineer promotional list
• The applicant has completed the formalized OCFA Fire Apparatus Engineer Development Series (Class 1-4)
• The applicant has completed the California Fire Service Training & Education System (CFSTES) Driver Operator 1A and 1B; In lieu of CFSTES Driver Operator 1A and 1B, the applicant may complete the new series of Fire Apparatus Drive/Operator classes which includes the following: Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator Pump, Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator Aerial, Fire Apparatus, Driver/Operator Tillered, Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator Wildland and Fire Apparatus, Driver/Operator Water Tender

Licenses: Possession of a valid Class C Driver License at time of appointment.

Certifications (promotion requirement):

• Applicants must attach all certificates at time of application.
• Failure to submit proof of documentation by the deadline will result in disqualification from the Fire Captain recruitment process.

Completion of all of the California State Fire Marshal (CSFM) Company Officer courses listed below is required:

• Company Officer 2A – Human Resources Management
• Company Officer 2B – General Administrative Functions
• Company Officer 2C – Fire Inspections and Investigations
• Company Officer 2D – All Risk Command Operations
• Company Officer 2E – Wildland Incident Operations
• Instructor 1 – Instructional Methodology

Applicants who have completed all eight (8) CSFM Fire Officer courses (listed below) prior to 01/01/2017 will not need to complete the 5 new CSFM Company Officer courses (listed above). Proof of documentation is required.

• Fire Command 1A or Command 1A
• Fire Command 1B
• Fire Instructor 1A or Training Instructor 1B
• Fire Instructor 1B or Training Instructor 1A
• Fire Investigation 1A
• Fire Management 1
• Fire Prevention 1A or Fire Prevention 1
• Fire Prevention 1B or Fire Prevention 1

To ensure applicants are qualified to open an Engine Boss (ENGB) task book, proof of ENGB qualification or completion of all of the courses listed below is required. Proof of documentation is required.

• I-300 – Intermediate ICS (In-person course only)
• IS-800 B, C, or D – National Response Framework, an Introduction
• S-215 or Company Officer 2E – Wildland Incident Operations
• S-230 and S-231 – Engine Boss (Single Resource)
• S-290 – Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (online course is NOT valid for this process)
• RT-130 - Annual Wildland Fire Safety Refresher

Performance (position requirements at time of application): Standard or higher rating on last two (2) annual performance reviews

Schedule of Events

• Last Day to Submit Online Application, Résumé, and Required Certifications: Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM (noon)
• Written Examination: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 (B-Shift)
• Oral Interview: November 2 - 6, 2026
• Non-mandatory Prep Days (One per assessment simulation – the Prep Days are for those candidates who successfully complete the oral interview and written exam with scores of 80% or better): December 7, 9, & 11, 2026
• Fire Captain Academy 42: February 19 – April 1, 2027
• Fire Captain Academy 43: April 30 – June 10, 2027

Written Examination: The written examination is scheduled for Thursday, October 7, 2026 (B-Shift). The written examination will focus on current OCFA operational practices and modern management concepts and practices. The written examination consists of information contained in the following materials:

1. OCFA Truck Manual, Volumes I, II, and III
2. OCFA Engine Company Operations Manual
3. OCFA First Due Guide
4. OCFA General Orders
5. OCFA Standard Operating Procedures
6. Progressive Discipline Guide (Outlines the Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act
7. Incident Response Pocket Guide
8. OCPFA Memorandum of Understanding
9. Firefighter Handbook, Wildland Firefighting, 3rd edition (OCFA Cat #B9)
10. OCFA Structural Firefighting Handbook (Command Procedures)

Oral Interview: Oral Interviews are scheduled for November 2 – 6, 2026. Fire Captain Academy 42: The mandatory FCA42 is scheduled Monday-Friday, February 5, 2027 – March 18, 2027. FCA42 will be comprised of six (6) modules:

• Module 1: Structural Strategy and Tactics
• Module 2: Human Resources / Employee Relations
• Module 3: Wildland and All-Risk Strategy and Tactics
• Module 4: Review
• Module 5: Academy Assessment Center
• Module 6: Administration & Leadership

Weights for selection components: Written Exam - 10% The minimum passing score for this selection component is 80%. All candidates who achieve 80% or greater on the written exam will be invited to the oral interview. Candidates' final overall selection component score will include 10% of their written exam score. Oral Interview - 15% The minimum passing score for this selection component is 80%. Candidates' final overall selection component score will include 15% of their oral interview score. Fire Captain Academy Eligibility List: Candidates who achieve 80% or greater on the written exam and the oral interview will be placed onto the Fire Captain Academy eligibility list in ranked order based on the combined written examination and oral interview score. The Fire Captain Academy eligibility list will remain in effect for a period of one (1) year from the date of establishment or until all the names on the list are exhausted. The Fire Captain Academy eligibility list may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties. Fire Captain Academy – 75%

• Module 1: Structural Strategy and Tactics
• Module 2: Human Resources / Employee Relations
• Module 3: Wildland and All-Risk Strategy and Tactics
• Module 4: Review
• Module 5: Academy Assessment Center
• Module 6: Administration & Leadership

Candidates must achieve a minimum passing score of 80% on each component of Module 5. Candidates who fail the Fire Captain Academy Assessment Center will be returned to the field and NOT invited to Module 6.

Fire Captain Promotional Eligibility List: The Fire Captain promotional eligibility list will be established in rank order based on the combined written examination, oral interview,