The City of Buffalo’s recruitment campaign for the 2018 Buffalo Firefighter Exam kicked off Tuesday.

The firefighter exam is only offered every four years. The deadline for submitting exam applications is April 9.

The exam will be given May 1.

The theme of the recruitment effort is “Move Up the Ladder. Start a Career in the Buffalo Fire Department.”

“A career with the Buffalo Fire Department not only offers an opportunity to provide a critical service to the people of our City, firefighting is also a personally and financially rewarding profession,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said Tuesday.

In 2013, the last time the Buffalo Fire Department entry-level exam was given, 2,500 people took the test. The final group of 66 eligible recruits from that class began their training last month, bringing the total number of recruits hired from the 2013 exam to 249.

Base pay for Buffalo firefighters starts at $35,000 a year, and can range up $68,461, annually.

Applications are available through the City’s Department of Human Resources, all City firehouses, as well as City Community Centers. Applications and an Exam Guide are also available online at: http://www.city-buffalo.com.To be eligible to take the exam, candidates must:

– Be 19 years old as of Tuesday, May 1, 2018 (the exam date), and be at least 20 years old at the time of appointment;
-Be a full-time resident of the City of Buffalo a minimum of 90 days prior to 4/9/2018 (the exam application deadline), and continue city residency until the time of appointment;
-Be a U.S. Citizen;
-Have earned a H.S. diploma or GEDBe willing and able to perform physically demanding work, and able to manage stress and adverse outcomes well.

A $25 exam fee is required to be paid at the time of application.