1) Come down for a “meet & greet” with at least one of the Fire Officers. This is essentially an informal interview where we can show you around the station and the equipment while we get a first impression of you and you get a first impression of us. If the “Meet & Greet” goes well then you move forward.

2) You’ll then complete an official application for membership and return it to Pegram Town Hall or Pegram Fire Dept. The application will be reviewed by all of the Fire Officers.

3) A formal interview will be scheduled with the Fire Officers. This gives other Fire Officers that haven’t had a chance to meet you an opportunity to do so. It also provides an opportunity for both you and the Fire Officers to ask and answer questions.

4) If the formal interview goes well and a second interview then you will be asked to complete a background check and also a drug screening. The cost of both of these together is $90 and requires the candidate to pay up front. The $90 is reimbursable to you after 9 months of successful membership and if you are in good standing with the department.

5) If the background check and drug screening produce favorable results and another interview is not warranted then your application, with the majority of the Fire Officers’ recommendation for hiring approval, will be forwarded to City Hall . It will then be placed on the agenda of the next Pegram Board of Mayor and Aldermen Meeting for approval or disapproval by majority of said board. If approved for hire, your hire date will reflect the date of the meeting in which you were approved and in turn will also be the official start date of your probationary period/status.

6) You will then be on probationary status for a minimum of 3 months. During the Probationary period it is recommended that you attend all 12 of the checkoffs and trainings in those first three months. We understand that you have other commitments in life and may not be able to make all 12 events in the first 3 months. Your Probationary period will end after a total of 12 events. During your Probationary period you will also complete the State mandated 16 hour “Introduction to Fire and Emergency Services” course. This is done in-house. Probationary periods are common in the Fire Service to see how a new member meshes with the rest of the team. While on Probationary status, you would not respond to any calls, receive any incentive pay or be entitled to any incentive pay for said probationary period.

7) When Probationary status is complete, you enter into Recruit status. During Recruit status, you will attend the State mandated 64 hour (minimum) “Basic Firefighting” course. There are multiple ways this course may be offered. The primary method is to conduct the training in house through peer lessons and self-study. Then the material is reviewed by TFACA certified instructors one full Saturday every 2 weeks for a total of 4 Saturdays. An alternate method would be to attend TFACA for the 2 week, live in, course. Once you have the 64 hour class complete, you would be sent to the Tennessee Fire and Codes Enforcement Academy in Bell Buckle TN for your Firefighter I Live Burn. The Live Burn is conducted over the course of one weekend. All boarding, meals and transportation accommodations will be paid for and made by PFD. While in Recruit status you typically would not respond to any calls. There are exceptions to that based on Fire Officer direction. However, you would respond as a “fire ground helper” and not be placed in any IDLH (imminent danger to life and health) situation.

8) Recruit status is considered complete when you have satisfied the requirements set forth by the State of Tennessee for minimum IDLH training (16, 64, and live burn courses). Upon this successful completion, you will then move from the rank of Recruit to the rank of Firefighter. At this point, your new rank will be reflected by the black “Firefighter” leather helmet front and you will also be issued navy PFD duty shirts. Your rank within the department until this point will be signified by bright and bold leather helmet fronts reflecting your specific rank and also by gray PFD duty shirts issued to you that state “PEGRAM FIRE RECRUIT”.

Required Shifts/Events/Training: We require our members to attend at least one 4 hour training, one 2 hour checkoff, and 36 hours (in minimum of 4 hour periods) of shifts per month. Members may work up to 12 hrs extra shift hours each month for extra incentive pay.

Depending on where you live will dictate if you are classified as an “on-call member” or a “shift worker”. Generally, if you live within our fire district and within 5 miles of one of our Fire Stations, you will be classified as an “on-call” member. If you live outside of our fire district or more than 5 miles from one of our stations, then you will be classified as a shift worker member. If you are an “on-call” member, you are able work your required shifts from home. If you live outside of the radius then you would work your required shifts from the Fire Station.

Some of the additional training opportunities include: Healthcare Provider CPR, Emergency Medical Responder, Firefighter 1 and 2 Certifications, and Basic & Advance Vehicle Extrication.