Lockport Township Fire Protection District

Lockport Township Fire Protection District, Lockport, Illinois

The Lockport Township Fire Protection District Board of Fire Commissioners is accepting applications for the position of firefighter/paramedic.

All applicants must meet the following minimum requirements established by the Lockport Township Fire Protection District: 

• U.S. citizenship or an alien admitted for permanent residence, or lawfully admitted for temporary residence who produces evidence of intention to become a citizen of the United States.  NOTE:  Applicants selected for employment must meet the District's residency requirements;
• No felony convictions;
• High school diploma (or transcripts) -OR- G.E.D. equivalent;
• Valid driver's license (will be required proof of identification at all phases of testing); 
• At least 21 years of age at time of hire AND must be UNDER 35 years of age on the application deadline date (March 3, 2025)*

  • Unless otherwise exempt by State or Federal law; Such maximum age limitation shall not apply in the case of 1) any person previously employed as a full-time firefighter in a regularly constituted fire department of (i) any municipality or fire protection district whose obligations were assumed by a municipality under Section 21 of the Fire Protection District Act, or (ii) a municipality whose obligations were taken over by a fire protection district, or 2) any person who has served the fire district as a regularly enrolled volunteer, paid-on-call, or part-time firefighter for the 5 years immediately preceding the time that the district begins to use full-time firefighters to provide all or part of its fire protection service.  Furthermore, to qualify for either of these exceptions set forth above, the applicant shall have been actively working as a Firefighter within 2 years of the date of his/her application to this District.  Proof of date of birth will be required at the time of application (References: 70 ILCS 705/16.06b; 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6);

• Must have a valid Paramedic certification in the State of Illinois at time of hire;
• Must be a certified Firefighter II or Basic Operations Firefighter through the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal at time of hire; 
• Must present a valid CPAT and Ladder Climb certification at time of hire;
  • Additional information on the CPAT and Ladder Climb Certifications is available in the "Summary of the Hiring Process" section of the application. 
• Must successfully test into the Silver Cross Hospital EMSS prior to offer of employment;
• Must reside in the State of Illinois at time of hire; 
• Attend an in-person mandatory orientation/written exam administration on Saturday, March 15, 2025;
• Must meet the requirements of a background check and pass a medical, psychological, and polygraph test;
• Pay a $50.00 non-refundable application processing fee;
• Application deadline is Monday, March 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM. 

Preference Points will be awarded as determined by the Lockport Township Fire Protection District for the following: 

• Military Veterans:  Applicants who served in the United States military for at least one (1) year and who were honorably discharged, or are now on inactive or reserve duty in such military or naval service, shall receive five (5) points.  Proof of such service must include a copy of Military Form DD-214 (long form) as proof of active service and evidence of the honorable discharge at time of application to qualify;
  
  
• Fire Service Experience: Applicants who were employed as full-time certified firefighters or firefighter-paramedics by a fire protection district or municipality for at least two (2) years shall be awarded up to five (5) experience preference points. However, the applicant may not be awarded more than one-half (.5) point for each complete year of full-time service. No experience preference points will be awarded to applicants for service with a private employer who had a contract for fire or ambulance service with a fire protection district or municipality. Proof of such service must include submission of copies of applicable certificates. Note that proof of full-time service may be verified by the District. Also note than an applicant may not receive the full amount of experience preference points if the amount of points awarded would place the applicant before a veteran on the Final Eligibility Register. Finally, no person shall be awarded more than a maximum of five (5) points for experience;    
  
  
• Education:  Applicants who have successfully obtained an Associate's Degree from a regionally accredited college or university in the field of fire service, emergency medical service, or a related field (at the Fire Commission's discretion) shall receive two (2) preference points.  -OR-  Applicants who have successfully obtained a Bachelor's Degree from a regionally accredited college or university shall receive five (5) preference points.  A copy of an official transcript indicating "degree conferred" must be submitted at time of application to qualify;

• Residency:  The Board, at its discretion, may award from zero (0) to five (5) preference points to applicants whose principal residence is located within the District's jurisdiction. One-half (.5) shall be awarded for every full year of current and continuous residency in the District. Proof of residency must be submitted at time of application to qualify (i.e.; Driver's license indicating current address, utility billing statements).  
  
  
• Lockport Fire Cadet:  Applicants will receive one (1) preference point for every full year as an active Lockport Fire Cadet for a maximum of five (5) points.

Submission of Application:

• Applications MUST be submitted online by Monday, March 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM (CST).
• Faxed, e-mailed, mailed or dropped off applications will NOT be accepted.
• Applications submitted after the deadline will NOT be accepted. Only one application per person, per testing cycle will be accepted.

Mandatory Next Steps in the Hiring Process: 

Clear your calendar and make sure you are available on the following date.  All candidates will receive an email approximately one week prior regarding their status in the process. NOTE: Please be sure to check your email spam folder. Many email account providers automatically send our emails there in error (i.e. Google, Yahoo, etc.).

• A mandatory orientation will immediately follow candidate check-in.
• The written examination will be administered following the orientation session.
• Candidates should expect to be on-site for testing until approximately 11:30 AM. 

Important Disclaimer for Potential Applicants:  As part of this application form, you will be required to submit various documents, records and/or additional forms. Be sure to allow sufficient time to gather this documentation and fully complete the application before the deadline. In other words, do not wait until one day before the deadline to collect and submit additional required documentation. In order for your application to be accepted, all materials must be submitted and received prior to the deadline. Failure to disclose complete and honest information may result in disqualification from the hiring process.