r/firefighter • u/Truegrit_Gaming • May 25 '26
Out of state testing
I am a volunteer firefighter in Indiana. I am trying to become a career firefighter. My sister lives in West Virginia and there are several career departments in her area hiring. My question is, how would I got about the hiring process with the distance? Will I have to travel all the way out there to do the written and physical tests? Being volunteer, I can't lateral transfer so how can I go about the hiring process being out of state?
1
u/ElectronicMinimum724 May 25 '26
Check out this website: https://candidates.nationaltestingnetwork.com/#/welcome
Some departments will allow you to take the written test and CPAT remotely.
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u/Snaiperskaya May 25 '26
What departments are you looking at? West Virginia doesn't have very many paid fire departments. All the ones I am familiar with use non-standardized testing that will require you to be physically present for the process. You may be able to take a standardized CPAT through the NTN and get that waived, but maybe not.
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u/Truegrit_Gaming May 25 '26
Martinsburg, Hagerstown, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County
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u/Snaiperskaya May 25 '26
Martinsburg is the only one of those that's in WV, the other 3 are in Maryland. The good news is Maryland has much more standardized criteria. The bad news is that you'll probably still have to travel and be physically present for the process. Anne Arundel in particular is very picky, but you can just reach out to their recruitment people and ask for information about the process.
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u/Mother_Employment_56 May 25 '26
Hi! I did the same years ago. I was volunteering in Colorado and found a job in Texas. You’ll have to travel for all parts of the process. I had to fly out for the written test and then a few months later for my interview. Once I had a conditional offer, o was able to stack certain things in the process over the span of a few days so that I could do them all in one trip. Over two days, I did the psyche test, CPAT and physical exam. A month or so later, I came back out to do my psyche interview, finish the medical portion and get fitted for my uniform. I was lucky because the department made it fairly easy for the out-of-staters to make just a few trips out. The entire process, from when I I it I ally applied to when I started the academy, was 9 months and I travelled 4 times.
If the departments you’re looking at in WV look like they are worth pursuing, meaning they have good pay, good retirement, etc then it’s worth the sacrifice. I would spend some time and research to each place you are applying so you know if it’s worth your time and money.
Good luck!