Pingree Grove and Countryside Fire Protection District

Pingree Grove & Countryside Fire Protection District, Pingree Grove, Illinois

The Pingree Grove & Countryside Fire Protection District Board of Trustees is accepting applications for the position of firefighter/paramedic.

All applicants must meet the following minimum requirements established by the Pingree Grove & Countryside Township Fire Protection District: 

• U.S. citizenship;
  
• No felony convictions;
• High school diploma (or transcripts) -OR- G.E.D. equivalent;
• Valid Illinois 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 (July 26, 2021)*

  • Unless currently employed by the district as a part-time firefighter or 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 be a certified Firefighter II or Basic Operations Firefighter through the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal at time of application;
• Must have a valid Paramedic certification in the State of Illinois at time of appointment;
• Must present a valid CPAT and Ladder Climb certification valid at time of appointment;
• 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 Amita Health St. Joseph Hospital EMS-Elgin within 2 weeks of appointment;
• Must successfully complete an on-line written examination on August 10-11, 2021;
• Must meet the requirements of a background check and pass a medical and psychological exam;
• May attend a voluntary orientation on August 2, 2021;
• Pay a $45.00 non-refundable application processing fee;
• Application deadline is Monday, July 26, 2021 at 4:00 PM. 

Preference Points will be awarded as determined by the Pingree Grove & Countryside 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;    

• Pingree Grove & Countryside Fire Service Experience: Applicants who are employed as part-time firefighters for the Pingree Grove & Countryside Fire Protection District shall be awarded up to five (5) experience preference points. However, the applicant may not be awarded more than one (1) point for each complete year of part-time service. 

• Paramedic Certification: Applicants who possess a valid Paramedic License (EMT-P) issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health - (IDPH) shall be awarded five (5) points. Proof of licensure must be submitted at time of application to qualify.

• Education:  Applicants who have successfully obtained an Associate's Degree from a US 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 one-half (.5) preference points.  -OR-  Applicants who have successfully obtained a Bachelor's Degree from a US accredited college or university shall receive one (1) preference point.  A copy of an official transcript indicating "degree conferred" must be submitted at time of application to qualify;

• Residency:  Applicants whose principal residence at the time of application is located within the District's jurisdiction shall be awarded one (1) preference point. Proof of residency must be submitted at time of application to qualify (i.e.; Driver's license indicating current address, utility billing statements).  

Submission of Application:

• Applications MUST be submitted online by Monday, July 26, 2021 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.

Next Steps in the Hiring Process: 

Voluntary Orientation Session:  To be held on Monday, August 2, 2021 at 6:00 PM at the following location:
Pingree Grove Station #3
1600 Reinking Road
Pingree Grove, IL 60140

Mandatory Remote On-Line Written Examination: Following completion of all application materials and review of minimum qualifications, successful applicants will be invited to participate in remote on-line written exam testing starting at 9 AM on Tuesday, Tuesday August 10, 2021 through Wednesday August 11, 2021 at 4 PM.  The test will only be available during this time period.  Candidates will need to have access to a laptop or desktop computer.  All candidates will receive an email approximately one week prior regarding their status in the process, along with further instructions for taking the on-line written exam. 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.).   

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.