Fire Department · Career
Lake Havasu City Fire Department
Lake Havasu City, AZ · Mohave County
Department-wide staffing totaled 100.5 FTE positions in FY2025-26 (including administration, prevention, EMS, training, and support services) organized under a Fire Chief and two Deputy Chiefs (Operations and Administration); minimum daily shift staffing
No active openings right now
Watch this department to be notified when Lake Havasu City Fire Department is hiring, or check their careers page.
Department careers page ↗Lake Havasu City Fire Department traces its roots to August 11, 1966, when it was founded as the volunteer Lake Havasu Volunteer Fire Company operating out of the old airport on the Island. The department added its first paid staff in 1970, growing into a combination career/volunteer model, before dropping paid-on-call staffing entirely in 2006 to become a full career department. Along the way it added marine rescue capability with a fireboat in 1996 and, in 2014, refreshed its engine fleet with five new Pierce apparatus. Peter Pilafas has served as Fire Chief since 2020, the eleventh chief in department history.
Today the department, now branded Lake Havasu City Fire, Rescue & EMS, runs six stations covering more than 46 square miles of city limits and surrounding unincorporated Mohave County, with a seventh station under construction at 3850 McCulloch Blvd N for a planned 2027 opening. Alongside structural fire response, crews handle 911 ambulance transport, hazardous materials response, technical/confined-space rescue, desert search and rescue, and Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) standby at Lake Havasu City Airport, plus fireboat-based water rescue on the lake itself. The department holds an ISO Public Protection Classification of Class 2, effective November 1, 2024, and logged 10,040 total incident responses in 2025.
The department is investing heavily in its own pipeline: a new Career Technical Education EMS program launched at Lake Havasu High School in July 2025, a Firefighter/Paramedic Apprenticeship Program reached full implementation in January 2026, and the department has partnered with Mohave College's Fire Program to host fire academies at Fire Station 2's training grounds.
MissionThe Lake Havasu City Fire Department will safely protect life, property, and the environment by providing professional, efficient, and cost effective services.
Lake Havasu City Fire, Rescue & EMS recruits firefighter/paramedics through a defined local career pathway rather than a single fixed hiring bar: candidates typically start with a high school diploma or GED, complete an EMT-Basic program, work through a roughly year-long paramedic program and a 16-week college-based fire academy, and can now enter formally through the department's Firefighter/Paramedic Apprenticeship Program, which reached full implementation in January 2026. The department has also built local feeder programs, including a Career Technical Education EMS track at Lake Havasu High School and a fire academy hosted with Mohave College at Fire Station 2.
Requirements
- High school diploma or GED
- Completion of an EMT-Basic program
- Completion of a paramedic program
- Completion of a fire academy
Hiring process
- Earn a high school diploma or GED and build an educational/career plan with an advisor
- Enroll in and complete an EMT-Basic program (about one college semester)
- Enroll in and complete a fire academy (16 weeks, college-based)
- Enroll in and complete a paramedic program (about one year)
- Enter the Firefighter/Paramedic Apprenticeship Program
Benefits
Sworn staff participate in the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS); 14 members were enrolled in the PSPRS DROP program as of December 2025.
The department hosts fire academies with Mohave College's Fire Program at the Fire Station 2 training grounds, and its Firefighter/Paramedic Apprenticeship Program reached full implementation in January 2026.
How do I become a firefighter with Lake Havasu City Fire, Rescue & EMS?
The department follows a local career pathway: earn a high school diploma or GED, complete an EMT-Basic program, complete a fire academy (16 weeks, college-based) and a paramedic program, then enter through the Firefighter/Paramedic Apprenticeship Program, which reached full implementation in January 2026.
Does Lake Havasu City Fire Department hire firefighter/paramedics?
Yes. The department's career pathway is built around the Firefighter/Paramedic classification, and it runs its own apprenticeship program to help candidates complete paramedic training alongside fire academy training.
How many fire stations does Lake Havasu City Fire Department have?
Six stations are currently operational, covering more than 46 square miles within city limits and surrounding unincorporated areas. A seventh station, at 3850 McCulloch Blvd N, is under construction with completion planned for 2027.
What is Lake Havasu City Fire Department's ISO rating?
The department holds an ISO Public Protection Classification of Class 2, effective November 1, 2024.
How do I apply for open positions at Lake Havasu City Fire, Rescue & EMS?
Openings are posted and applications are submitted through the City of Lake Havasu City's Oracle Cloud recruiting portal.