Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue personnel will be participating in several recruitment events in the months ahead, offering unique experiences that give people an inside look at what it’s like to be a firefighter.
TVF&R will have an exhibit booth and crew ready to answer questions and meet with high school students at the NW Youth Careers Expo on March 19 at the Oregon Convention Center. Nearly 7,000 students from about 70 high schools across Oregon and Southwest Washington are expected to attend and participate in hands-on learning, demonstrations, mock interviews, and career workshops.
TVF&R is also gearing up for its second annual Career Day on April 20 at our Training Center in Sherwood.
Career Day offers an opportunity for adults who may be interested in a career in the fire service to learn more about job requirements and TVF&R. It includes hands-on experiences in primary firefighter responsibilities as well as presentations about station life, career and volunteer opportunities, the hiring process, emergency medical services, fire prevention, public safety education, and more.
Between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. that day, participants will rotate through activity stations and have a chance to talk with education partners from several colleges and universities about their respective emergency medical services and fire science programs.
The application period opened February 25, and TVF&R will select 35 participants for Career Day. The deadline to apply is March 24 but may close prior to that date if the district receives enough applications for consideration.
Candidates interested in applying for TVF&R’s Career Day must be 18 or older and can apply here.
Women and girls in high school and college are invited to participate in two recruitment events tailored for them.
The first is the Oregon Tradeswomen Career Fair on May 17 and 18, held at the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center in Portland, which promotes success for women in the trades through education, leadership, and mentorship.
The second is the Portland Metro Fire Camp held June 28-30 at the Portland Fire & Rescue Training Center and August 2-4 at TVF&R’s Training Center in Sherwood. This is the second year TVF&R will co-host the second week of Fire Camp, which is led by professional female firefighters from multiple agencies across the West Coast.
This free camp is designed to instill confidence and build leadership and team skills in young women ages 16 to 20 through hands-on firefighter training. The camp itinerary consists of various stations and scenarios each day such as taking hydrants, hose practices, controlling nozzles, turret and standpipe evolutions, rope operations, ladders, search and rescue, extrication, forcible entry, emergency medical skills, nutrition, physical fitness, and interview techniques.
Portland Metro Fire Camp is accepting applications.