The Marietta Fire Department boasts a comprehensive and intense Fire Recruit School. Once candidates successfully complete the selection process, they enter into a five-month program that encompasses both fire and emergency medical response training. Members of our Training Staff have an average of 20 years of service with the Marietta Fire Department. Using National Professional Qualifications guidelines, members of the training staff design demanding coursework that lays the foundation from which Recruit Instructors work. Our lead instructors are fire department officers and firefighters who are deeply committed to delivering multi-dimensional teaching. Recruit Training highlights include the water tower rappel, the field crawl, the live burn, and the culmination exercise.

You will enter into an intense learning environment once you begin MFD’s Fire/EMS Training Academy. The material is probably like none you have ever seen, and you will be required to remember everything you are told. Since all Georgia Firefighters must meet Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council requirements, you will be tested on over 100 National Professional Qualifications skills. Because not all necessary information is contained within those skills sheets, you will also be introduced to and tested on additional material specific to the Marietta Fire Department.

The following list is a sample of topics covered in this fast-paced course:

• Emergency Scene Management
• Fire Law
• Fire Prevention and Safety Education
• Fire Behavior and Control
• Water Supply/Hose Advancement
• Building Construction
• Confined Space
• Hazardous Materials
• Extrication
• Ropes
• Emergency Medical

You will be introduced to all areas of fire service. The school serves as the foundation for future learning and provides you with the tools you need to function in your first year as a Probationary Firefighter, or "Rookie."