Getting started in the career of Firefighter/Paramedic can start many ways.  Some choose to start with their education, while some want to jump right in.  There are some volunteer departments in our area that will assist with training to get you started.

Either way, you will want to start with the following classes that may be sponsored if you join a local volunteer or combination department:

Entry-Level Firefighter (60 hours)
Firefighter I (36 Hours)
Haz-mat Operations (20 Hours)
Firefighter II (42 hours) - not currently required to apply to WFD

The following classes are not sponsored and would be on your own:

EMT-Basic (1 semester)
EMT-Paramedic (1 year) - WFD currently requires you to be enrolled in this program to apply and you would be placed on the list to be hired once you complete the course.

All these courses can be taken at any of the Wisconsin Technical Colleges:

• Northcentral Technical College (Fire Service Courses and Emergency Medical Service Courses)
• Mid-State Technical College (Fire Service Certification and Emergency Medical Technician)
• Chippewa Valley Technical College (Fire Medic Program)
• Fox Valley Technical College (Fire Training and Emergency Medical Services Training)
• Nicolet College (Fire Training and Emergency Medical Services Training)

If you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please reach out to Training Division Chief David Briggs at 715-261-7911.

Minimum Requirements

• 18 years of age or older
• High School Diploma, GED, or HSED
• Valid Unrestricted Driver's License
• State of Wisconsin Firefighter I Certification (or IFSAC Accredited)
• State of Wisconsin or National Registry Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B) License -and- actively enrolled in Paramedic training in one of the Wisconsin Technical College system programs to obtain EMT-Paramedic licensure.
• National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) 700 and 100 Certifications
• Hazardous Materials Operations Certificate
• CPAT Certification obtained within the last 12 months from anticipated hire date (Fall/Winter 2024)
• Excellent moral character and highest personal integrity

State of Wisconsin Firefighter II Certification required by date to be determined by the Department's training schedule.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Associate Degree in related field
• State of Wisconsin Firefighter II Certification (or IFSAC Accredited)
• State of Wisconsin or National Registry EMT-Paramedic
• Hazardous Materials Technician

Hiring Process

Some of the below steps are combined, however we wanted to explain each one. 

Application Review
Complete the application online. That will be reviewed to make sure you meet minimum qualifications. 

Oral Interview

We will invite qualified applicants to participate in two interviews. The intial interview is with a few of our Officers followed by a brief interview with our Chief. We may accommodate virtual interviews for applicants who live out of state. 

Background Check
After interviews, a group of applicants will be sent forward for background investigations.  

Oral Interview (Police & Fire Commission)
Candidates who pass the above will be presented to the Police & Fire Commission for a final interview. The Police & Fire Commission is a civilian-board who oversees all hiring, firing and promotions within the city police and fire departments. 

Physical and Psychological Examination with Drug/Alcohol Screening
If you reached this point, congratulations! You have received a conditional offer of employment from the city. You will be asked to complete a psychological review.

SALARY INFORMATION
The starting monthly salary for a Firefighter is $4932.45 per the current Wausau Firefighter Association Local 415, IAFF, AFL-CIO and CLC Labor Agreement. The starting monthly salary for a Firefighter with a paramedic license is $5228.40 (6% addition to base pay with EMT-P License; 7% addition to base pay after 5 years as an EMT-P).  

Salary increases occur after 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 10 years of employment as a Firefighter/Paramedic:
FF/P 1 Year Monthly Wage:  $5,458.98
FF/P 2 Year Monthly Wage:  $5,689.61
FF/P 3 Year Monthly Wage:  $5,919.92
FF/P 4 Year Monthly Wage:  $6,483.58
FF/P 5 Year Monthly Wage:  $6,544.75
FF/P 7 Year Monthly Wage:  $6,592.78
FF/P10Year Monthly Wage:  $6,691.29

Information about our lateral transfer program can be found in the labor agreement (Article 12.F.)

The City of Wausau offers competitive salaries and a range of excellent benefits as follows:

• State of Wisconsin Retirement Plan
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Flexible Spending for Health and Dependent Care
• Annual Biometric Health Screening - free to employees on the health plan
• Access to In-house Licensed Athletic Trainer
• Wellness Programs
• Optional Life Insurance
• Optional Long Term Disability Insurance
• Optional Critical Illness Insurance
• Optional Accident Insurance
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plans
• Employee Assistance Program - Available to all employees and family members at no cost to the employee
• Paid Leaves
  • Vacation - based on years of service
  • 10 Holidays
  • Personal Holidays
  • Perfect Attendance - Paid hours for perfect attendance
  • Sick Leave - hours accumulate on a bi-weekly basis
• Clothing Allowance
• Longevity Pay

The Wausau Fire Department does NOT have a residency requirement.

Taking Care of Yourself

One of the most important things to our department is taking care of the wellness of our staff; this includes mental and physical. That is why we make these a priority through initiatives, programs and services. 

PHYSICAL WELLNESS

We have both a strength training and fitness training room which offer many pieces of equipment which are available to our staff for free. 

We contract with Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine who have office hours here at the fire department to provide physical therapy, athletic training and strength & conditioning services to our staff for FREE.

MENTAL WELLNESS

We contract with Hakes Wellness Solutions to provide mental health wellness visits (online & in person).

Lateral Hire Opportunity!  Candidates who have a minimum of two (2) consecutive years at a previous fire department may be eligible for a lateral transfer to employment with the Wausau Fire Department.  View the Labor Agreement (link below) for current salary rates.

Wausau Firefighters Labor Agreement

SCHEDULING INFORMATION
The on-duty week of all employees who perform firefighting duties shall be an average of not more than 56 hours per week.  The normal schedule is: 1-On-duty, 1-Off, 1-On-duty, 1-Off, 1-On-duty, 4-Off.  The on-duty day begins at 6:45 a.m. and ends the following day at 6:45 a.m. and consists of 24 hours.

Beginning in 2025, on-duty employees will work a 48/96 schedule.  That means the schedule will be 48 hours on-duty followed by 96 hours off-duty.  

When you come to Wausau FD, know we will absolutely be investing in you and your future.

Here are some of the specialized teams you may serve on:

TEMS (Tactical Emergency Medical Services)*
Field Training Officer
Dive Team*
Hazardous Materials
Honor Guard
Mobile Field Force*
Wausau Firefighters Community Assistance Foundation
Technical Rescue

*These are multi-jurisdictional teams

What The Wausau Metro has to Offer

The Wausau Metropolitan Area has everything you are looking for in a place to live. From downtown urban living, suburban neighborhoods or rural land... you can find it here!

Outdoors / Recreation

• The widest variety of outdoor activities in Wisconsin. From one of the largest ski areas in the midwest, a nationally recognized kayak course, mountain biking trails, fishing and boating on our lakes and rivers. Whatever you like to do, you can find it here. 
• We have local sports teams to include Northwoods League Wausau Woodchucks baseball and Wausau Cyclones Hockey. 

Entertainment

You can find a wide variety of entertainment here in Wausau. The Grand Theater offers concerts, broadway theater and more year-round. The 400 Block draws in outdoor concerts all summer long. 

Education

We have tremendous local public & private schools. Within our region you can find small and large school districts, as well as private schools as well. Our largest local schools are Wausau and DC Everest. We also have several local colleges to include University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point at Wausau, Northcentral Technical College and Rasmussen University

Location 

Wausau is central to our state making it easy to get anywhere quickly. We are the doorstep to the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods, a short drive to a Packers game in Green Bay and just a few hours from the Twin Cities, Madison & Milwaukee.

Learn more about what our community has to offer you here: 

• Greater Wausau Website (everything you need to know)
• Visit Wausau | The Great Nearby
• Wausau River District Video
• Wausau Drone Video 
• Discover Wisconsin: Wisconsin's Outdoor Basecamp
• Wausau Visitors Bureau Website