How to become a firefighter

The Covid-19 pandemic has put a lot of things on hold, but some things cannot wait, and one of them is the Austin Fire Department’s 2021 hiring process. AFD is kicking off its recruiting efforts this month with a series of livestreamed webcasts called Join AFD Live. Narrated by firefighter Reggie Campbell, a 17-year veteran of the department, the inaugural video advises aspiring firefighters to log on to the recruiting website, JoinAFD.com, and fill out a candidate interest card. Then follow AFD on social media to get an up-close look at the country’s 14th-largest fire department. Campbell also recommends that serious candidates “clean up” their social media platforms, because as part of the recruiting process, AFD will examine all Instagram, Twitter and Facebook feeds looking for anything that suggests one is not an upstanding citizen. There should be “Nothing negative, and nothing you don’t want to be associated with,” Campbell says. To learn more about the process and what it takes to join AFD, read the department’s hiring FAQ.