How Much Time Does it Take to Become a Firefighter?

posted Feb 10, 2016, 1:14 PM by System Administrator   [ updated Aug 27, 2019, 6:41 AM ]
All members of the Department to become MN Certified Firefighters as well as First Responders (Emergency Medical Responders). There are (4) core courses required and they are:
  • Firefighter I
  • Hazardous Materials
  • Firefighter II
  • EMR (First Responder) or higher (e.g. EMT)
There is some variation, but in general the time required for those core courses is about 160  hours of classroom time. 

Classes are generally done in the evenings in local fire departments,meeting 2 times a week. New members are expected to completed this training in the first 2 years as a members, but most attack it and complete it within the first 6 months. 

While we want to get everyone trained and productive as quickly as possible, we recognize there are limits to schedules and make our best efforts to accommodate everyone, within reason.