Fire Department · Career
Grand Forks Fire Department
Grand Forks, ND · Grand Forks County
No active openings right now
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Department careers page ↗Grand Forks Fire Department was established on May 6, 1879, making it one of the oldest continuously operating departments in the city, and its history stretches from a volunteer bucket-brigade company through a contentious 1882 dispute over appointing a chief that led the city to replace the volunteers with a paid department. Early milestones include the 1880 arrival of the city's first apparatus (a two-wheel Champion Fire Engine), a citywide electric fire alarm system installed by 1897, a 1903 steam fire engine, and the retirement of the department's last fire horses for motorized apparatus by 1929.
Today the department operates five fire stations and is staffed by roughly 79 personnel working rotating A, B, and C shifts under battalion chiefs, with overall leadership from a Fire Chief, two Deputy Fire Chiefs, and a Fire Marshal's office that handles fire prevention and community risk reduction. Station 1, on Demers Avenue, houses the department's administrative offices along with its aerial apparatus and its water-rescue equipment, including a John Deere Gator used to reach hard-to-access areas along the Greenway and Red River given the station's proximity to downtown.
Crews train at a dedicated facility at the Public Safety Center covering ladder drills, live burns, multi-company suppression, water and ice rescue, rope rescue, hazardous materials response, and vehicle extrication (using donated wrecked vehicles from a local towing company), and the department coordinates with the Grand Forks Police Department and Altru Health System on multi-agency and medical responses. Alongside IAFF Local 242, the department is active in community events such as Mustaches for a Mission, Fill the Boot for MDA, Hockey for Hope, Hooked on Fishing, Battle of the Badges, and blood drives, and maintains its own Facebook and Instagram accounts.
As of the department's most recent posted update, Grand Forks Fire Department was not accepting applications. The department describes itself as an organization of about seventy-nine highly motivated personnel dedicated to preserving life and protecting property in the greater Grand Forks area, and encourages interested candidates to subscribe to the City of Grand Forks' job listing notifications to be alerted when hiring reopens.
Benefits
Nine paid holidays plus a floating holiday, vacation and sick leave (with a sick leave incentive), medical insurance (75% employer-paid), life insurance, long-term disability, a flexible benefits plan, an Employee Assistance Program, a personal leave day, tuition reimbursement, a fitness club membership discount, a post-employment health plan, credit union membership, a deferred compensation plan, and participation in the North Dakota Public Safety Plan (NDPERS).
Is the Grand Forks Fire Department currently hiring?
As of the department's most recent update, it was not accepting applications. Interested candidates are encouraged to subscribe to the City of Grand Forks' job listing notifications so they're alerted when a hiring window opens.
How many fire stations does Grand Forks operate?
The department operates five fire stations across the city, with Station 1 on Demers Avenue serving as the administrative headquarters and housing the aerial apparatus and water-rescue equipment.
When was the Grand Forks Fire Department founded?
The department was established on May 6, 1879, making it one of the oldest continuously operating departments in the City of Grand Forks.
What kind of specialized training and response capabilities does GFFD maintain?
Firefighters train on ladder drills, live burns, multi-company suppression, water and ice rescue, rope rescue, hazardous materials response, and vehicle extrication, and coordinate with the Grand Forks Police Department and Altru Health System on multi-agency and medical responses.
Does the Grand Forks Fire Department have a union?
Yes, personnel are represented by Grand Forks Fire Department IAFF Local 242, which partners with the department on community fundraisers and events.