11+ Firefighter Jobs in San Francisco, CA (Hiring Now in Aug 2026)

Firefighting is one of the best-paid public-service careers in San Francisco, and this curated list pulls together verified firefighter and paramedic openings across the city and nearby Bay Area employers, refreshed for Aug 2026. Every posting comes directly from an employer career page or verified applicant tracking system, so each role is genuinely open and actively hiring. The San Francisco firefighter market is smaller and more competitive than many others, with a limited number of academy classes each year, so if you are aiming for a spot with the San Francisco Fire Department or a federal fire service in the region, the current openings below are the ones worth acting on now.

Firefighters in San Francisco earn a per year, among the highest for the role in the entire country. That figure is drawn from real public payroll records for 864 firefighters, not estimates. Pay climbs sharply with rank and overtime: those at the earn about , the reaches , and top earners take home as much as in a single year. Median base pay is around , roughly before overtime and benefits, and overtime is a major driver of total pay, adding a median of about $27,279 and reaching nearly $292,560 for the busiest firefighters. Benefits add roughly $43,835 more at the median. For the full percentile detail, see the San Francisco firefighter wage data and our guide to how much firefighters make in San Francisco.

San Francisco firefighter pay is near the top of the national range, and the median total compensation of $229,541 reflects both a high base and substantial overtime and premium pay. To see how the role stacks up elsewhere, you can compare it against firefighter jobs in Los Angeles and other markets using the same verified payroll data. What drives Bay Area fire compensation so high is a combination of strong collective bargaining, heavy overtime tied to staffing and shift coverage, specialty and paramedic premiums, and a cost of living that departments must meet to keep stations fully crewed. The single biggest swing factor is overtime: base pay at the median is around $130,797, but total compensation climbs well past that once overtime, benefits, and other pay are added, and the busiest firefighters can more than double a base salary in a strong year. Pension and health benefits add tens of thousands more, which is why total compensation, not base pay, is the fairest way to judge what the job actually pays.

The dominant employer on this list is the , part of the City and County of San Francisco, which hires for its H002 Firefighter and H003 EMT/Paramedic/Firefighter classifications with posted pay running from about $43 to $84 per hour depending on certification. Because SFFD requires paramedic licensure for many of its openings, the EMT and paramedic track is a core pathway into the department. The list also surfaces federal firefighter roles with the and other installations in the region, as well as fire science internships and entry pipelines from employers such as Stand Insurance. Because this is a smaller market with fewer than a dozen openings at any given time, the specific agencies hiring shift as academy classes and federal postings open and close.

Fire service hiring in San Francisco spans a few clear tracks, and this list reflects them. positions bring on recruits who complete a fire academy and probationary field training. roles, such as SFFD's H003 classification, combine fire suppression with emergency medical response and generally require an active paramedic license, which also raises pay. jobs staff military installations and federal facilities and follow their own hiring and pay systems. You will also see and entry pipelines aimed at candidates still building the certifications they need. Each posting spells out the exact certification level required, so match your EMT or paramedic status to the role before applying.

Most firefighter roles in California require candidates to be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma or GED, a valid driver's license, and a current , with many San Francisco positions requiring or strongly preferring a . Candidates typically must pass the , a written exam, an oral interview, and a thorough background check along with medical and psychological evaluations. Successful recruits then complete a fire academy and a probationary period of field training. Additional credentials such as Firefighter I and II certification, hazardous materials training, or prior military and wildland fire experience strengthen an application in a competitive field. Because SFFD leans heavily on its EMT/paramedic classifications, earning a paramedic license is one of the most effective ways to become competitive for the highest-paying openings.

Financially, it is one of the strongest careers available without a four-year degree. A median total compensation of $229,541, a top of the scale above $513,763, a full pension, and generous benefits make San Francisco firefighting one of the highest-paid public-safety roles in the country. The schedule, often long shifts followed by multiple days off, appeals to many, and the combination of fire and emergency medical work gives the role real day-to-day variety and purpose. The tradeoffs are a physically and emotionally demanding job, genuine risk, and an intensely competitive hiring process with only a handful of openings at a time. For candidates who earn their EMT or paramedic certification and stay persistent, the 2026 outlook is excellent, both in earning power and in long-term job security. It also helps to treat the search as a multi-year plan rather than a single application: build your certifications, keep your physical fitness sharp, gain EMS or volunteer experience where you can, and apply to every academy window that opens across the region so you are ready when a class is announced.

Browse the openings on this page and click through to any role that matches your certification level, whether that is an entry-level firefighter class, an EMT or paramedic track, or a federal fire position. Each listing links straight to the employer's official application, so you apply directly to the San Francisco Fire Department, a federal installation, or another regional employer. Get your EMT or paramedic documentation, CPAT results, and identification in order early, and be prepared for a lengthy multi-step process that can run several months from application to academy. Because San Francisco runs only a few academy classes a year, check back often so you do not miss a window. Every listing on this page is verified and sourced directly from employer career pages, so each one is current and actively hiring.

Broaden your search across the Bay Area and compare public-safety pay in other cities. Browse all jobs in Oakland, Daly City, South San Francisco, San Mateo, Berkeley, Richmond, San Rafael, Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward, Fremont, San Jose. You can also compare fire and law enforcement markets with Firefighter Jobs in Los Angeles, Police Officer Jobs in San Diego, and Police Officer Jobs in Boston.

Keep exploring public-safety and government hiring in the city with Government Jobs in San Francisco, Police Officer Jobs in San Francisco, and Deputy Sheriff Jobs in San Francisco. To dig into pay, read the San Francisco firefighter wage data and our full breakdown of how much firefighters make in San Francisco.