The Honolulu Fire Department will be accepting applications for new recruits this weekend. The application window only opens every two years, and thousands usually apply.
But what does it take to become one of Hawaiʻi's bravest? HFD Battalion Chief Mike Jones and Capt. Jaimie Song spoke to The Conversation about the process.
Jones said the department is well-staffed, but the focus is maintaining the number of quality candidates as firefighters retire or leave.
The application system will be open from April 14 to 16, or until it reaches 4,500 applicants, whichever comes first. Click here for more information.
Successful applicants will go on to complete a written test, a physical ability test with 10 field events, and an interview, which puts them in a ranked listing to be potentially called for a recruitment class.
Jones and Song said the department is looking for candidates who are compassionate, mentally tough, team-oriented, persevering and more.
"You have to be physically fit, you have to live an athletic lifestyle because the job demands that we stay in shape," Jones said. "But at the same time, we need people who are critical thinkers, who are able to learn new skills and get out there and educate themselves on whatever task it is that they take on."
This story aired on <i>The Conversation</i> on April 9, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
