FULLERTON : Competition is Hot for Firefighter’s Job

Gilbert Aguirre wants to be one of the city’s 33 firefighters.

He wants it so bad, he missed work for two days to camp in front of Fire Station 5, where applications for one open firefighting position will be handed out today.

Hundreds of other hopefuls are also vying for the same job. Some joined Aguirre on Friday afternoon at a Cal State Fullerton parking lot across the street from the fire station and began a list, on which Aguirre is first.

They played football and catch, read newspapers and slept in their cars to kill time.

Aguirre, 30, knows the routine. He has applied for about 25 other firefighter positions in the past three years.

“I know about the competition for a job in the fire services, but I really want to be a firefighter,” said Aguirre, 30.

Fire officials said only the first 150 people in line may apply, but they expect about 1,000 to show up by 8 a.m.

Applicants must be academy graduates with certification, have had emergency medical training and not be currently working as full-time firefighters elsewhere. Already 200 employed firefighters from cities across the state have applied for the job, Personnel Manager Nancy Spencer said.

“These guys go from recruitment to recruitment and even develop their own system of handing out numbers and forming the line,” she said.

Rose Argo, who camped out Friday night, said she has only been at it for nine months. Even after three rejections, the 36-year-old physical education instructor said she won’t give up until she lands a job as a firefighter anywhere in the country.

“It’s a crap shoot,” said Argo, who lives in Santa Ana. “I think I have the same chance of getting hired as anybody else, but you can’t win the game if you don’t play.”

Sean VanSluis, 20, a veteran of a dozen recruitment lines, agreed.

“It’s just a matter of time,” he said. “I just want to be a fireman. That’s it. It’s the best job in the world.”

Firefighter Carlos Rocha watched from the station Friday as the job candidates began congregating across the street. “I was in the same shoes myself once,” he said. “I slept in many lines for about 2 1/2 years before I got hired here in 1984. If they’re just starting out, they’ve got a long way to hoe, but when you finally get there, it’s worth it.”

Spencer said all applicants will be interviewed within two weeks. They will also undergo agility tests and background checks. A list will be created, with the top candidate first.

Starting pay for the job will range from $2,715 to $3,465 a month.

She said another job may open soon, and the second person on the list would be the first person considered. The list will remain active for two years.

The large numbers of applicants for a firefighter’s job is common, Spencer said: “They just want to be firefighters. People like firefighters. They wave to them and regard them as heroes. Besides, it’s kind of an exciting life.”