On Tuesday, December 17, 2019, Norwalk Fire Chief Gino Gatto and Norwalk Mayor Harry W. Rilling announced that the Norwalk Fire Department had joined the State of Connecticut Firefighter Testing Consortium. The City hopes to increase the diversity of the candidate pool of potential new hires, and expand opportunities for Norwalk residents, through the statewide consortium. Norwalk is one of 15 communities in the group.

“Running our firefighter test has been successful in the past, but the State Consortium offers us a no-cost opportunity to increase the applicant pool for the Department,” Chief Gatto said. “This is a great opportunity not only for our Department, but for residents who are looking to begin a career as a firefighter in Connecticut.”

Typically, each career Fire Department in the state would hold its own entry-level firefighter exam, which could cost upwards of $150,000. For a person who was interested in taking the exam, they would have to pay a fee of approximately $125 for each test in each different community. Through the State Consortium, someone will be able to take just one test with the results shared to the 15 municipalities which are spread across the state.

The application is now live online at iosolutions.com and will remain open until February 12, 2020.

“I see this as a real win-win,” said Mayor Rilling, who is also a Fire Commissioner. “Our Fire Department will be given a larger list of potential entry-level firefighters from which to choose, and our residents will be able to take just one test, and be seen by more than a dozen departments for a single low-fee. This is great news.”

Career Fire Chiefs developed the Statewide Testing Consortium to increase the diversity of the candidate pool, provide candidates with job opportunities in a wide range of urban, suburban, and rural fire departments, eliminate duplication of effort and expense for candidates, and remove the administrative burden and local budget expense for testing. This is the first time Norwalk has participated in the Consortium.

To learn more, or to apply, visit iosolutions.com/fire-job-applications-2 and click on the Connecticut Firefighter Testing Consortium Application.