Denton Fire Department
READY TO SERVE
Recruiting Newsletter
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Real numbers from the pay plan and the policies. No guessing.
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The next Civil Service Exam is Saturday, January 9, 2027. Registration has not opened yet, and everyone reading this will be the first to know when it does.
The question we get asked most is what the job actually pays and what comes with it. This month we answer it with real numbers from the FY 26/27 Civil Service Fire Pay Plan, the City's leave policies, and the Meet and Confer Agreement between the City and IAFF Local 1291. Everything below is what a new hire can count on in year one, and where it grows after that.
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$88,545.60
Starting annual pay, Step A of the Fire Fighter pay grade
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That works out to $7,378.80 a month, or $3,405.60 gross per paycheck across 26 pay periods. The pay plan footnote shows the annual figure already includes the overtime hours built into the 56-hour shift schedule, so there is no separate math to do. Pay steps up on your anniversary date.
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The Pay Ladder (Annual)
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Step A: At Hire
$88,545.60
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Step B: 2 Years
$92,955.20
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Step C: 3 Years
$97,427.20
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Step D: 4 Years
$101,857.60
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Step E: 5 Years
$106,308.80
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Step F: 7 Years
$110,739.20
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That is about $22,000 in raises between your first day and your seventh year, before any certification pay, longevity pay, or promotion. Rates shown are from the pay plan effective January 2, 2027.
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② Certification and Education Pay
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On top of base pay, Denton pays monthly differentials for what you know and hold. They stack. You are paid for your highest fire certification, your highest degree, and your paramedic license together, starting the first pay period after you submit proof and the department verifies it.
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Fire and EMS Certification
| Paramedic $1,200 a year | $100/mo |
| Intermediate Fire | $90/mo |
| Advanced Fire | $150/mo |
| Master Fire | $210/mo |
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Education
| 30 hours toward a degree | $60/mo |
| Associate's degree | $90/mo |
| Bachelor's degree | $150/mo |
| Master's degree | $210/mo |
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Specialty Certifications: Up to Three at $100/mo Each
ARFF, Bomb Technician, Fire/Arson Investigator, Fire Inspector, HAZMAT Technician, TCOLE Peace Officer, Wildland Firefighter
$100/mo each Up to $3,600 a year with three |
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Specialty and Assignment Pay
| Bilingual, oral skills | $100/mo |
| Bilingual, oral, reading, and writing | $150/mo |
| Honor Guard / Pipes and Drums | $50/mo |
| Peer Support | $50/mo |
| Assigned to ride a medic unit $48 for a 24-hour shift | $2.00/hr |
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Source: dollar amounts come from the department's FY 2025 Fire Certification Pay schedule. For the City's overview of incentive, education, and longevity pay, see the Fire Department Careers page.
One timing note. The Intermediate, Advanced, and Master fire certifications through the Texas Commission on Fire Protection require four, eight, and twelve years of fire protection experience, so they are a career ladder, not a year-one add-on. Education, paramedic, bilingual, and specialty certifications are the levers you can pull before you ever get hired.
What that adds up to in year one. Here is base pay plus certification and education pay for four different new hires:
TCFP + EMT-B, no degree
The minimum to be hired. Base pay only. | $88,546 |
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Paramedic + associate's degree
$190 a month in differentials, or $2,280 a year. | $90,826 |
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Paramedic + bachelor's + full bilingual
$400 a month in differentials, or $4,800 a year. | $93,346 |
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Paramedic + master's + full bilingual + three specialty certs
$760 a month in differentials, or $9,120 a year. This is the ceiling for someone who arrives with everything. | $97,666 |
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Totals are rounded and do not include medic assignment pay or the fitness bonus listed under other benefits. You can change which three specialty certifications you are paid for by October 31 each year.
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③ Your Leave in the First Year
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516 hours
Vacation, sick, and holiday hours available across a full first year
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That is 180 vacation hours, 180 sick hours, and 156 holiday hours on the 56-hour shift schedule. Sick leave is there for when you need it, not a bank you are expected to spend. The rest is time you can plan around.
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How Each One Works
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Vacation: 180 Hours
15 hours a month, added as 7.5 hours on the 1st and 15th. You can start using it after six months, or sooner with the Fire Chief's approval. Unused hours carry over with no cap.
Source: Policy 107.03, Vacation Leave
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Sick: 180 Hours
15 hours a month on the same 1st and 15th schedule, with no accrual cap. Under the current agreement you are paid for up to 1,180 hours when you leave.
Source: Policy 111.01, Sick Leave
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Holidays: 156 Hours
12 hours for each of 11 City holidays (132 hours) plus 24 unassigned hours to use as you choose. Holiday pay starts after one day of work. Unassigned hours do not carry into the next calendar year.
Source: Policy 107.02, Holidays
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If You Start on 40 Hours
A 40-hour workweek accrues vacation at 5 hours on the 1st and 15th. When you move to the 56-hour shift schedule, your vacation balance converts by a factor of 1.5.
Source: Policy 107.03, Vacation Leave
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Vacation hours in your first year assume a full 12 months of service. Holidays are granted on the holiday itself, so your start date decides how many fall in your first calendar year.
The links above go to the City's published policies for accrual rates. The 1st-and-15th schedule, the six-month use rule, and the 1.5 conversion come from DFD Policy 1045, and the sick payout comes from the current Meet and Confer agreement.
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④ Your First Year, Month by Month
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Day One
You start at Step A pay. You are eligible for holiday pay after your first day of work. You have 30 days to elect short-term disability and supplemental life insurance. |
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Month Six
You have 90 vacation hours accrued and can use them without special approval. You also become eligible for tuition reimbursement. |
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Month Twelve
You have banked 180 vacation hours and 180 sick hours. Probation is 12 months if you arrived certified as both a firefighter and a paramedic, and up to 18 months if not. |
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Year Two
Longevity pay begins at $4 a month for each year of service, with no cap under the current agreement. At your second anniversary you move to Step B. |
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Year Four
After four years of service, bonus vacation begins at 6 additional hours for each year beyond four. You can also qualify for TCFP Intermediate certification, which needs four years of experience plus fire science coursework, and adds $90 a month. |
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⑤ Other Benefits From the City
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These come from the City of Denton's full-time employee benefits summary. Firefighters are covered, with civil service leave and retirement rules layered on top.
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Medical and prescription coverage. UnitedHealthcare, with a choice of the Elm or Oak plan, and the City and employee share the cost. |
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Dental and vision. Humana plans, employee-paid, with orthodontia coverage for adults and children. A flexible spending account is also available for health or dependent care. |
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Life insurance at no cost. The City pays for basic life and AD&D coverage of 1x annual salary for most positions. |
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Disability coverage. The City pays for long-term disability at 60% of monthly pay, up to $5,200 a month, after 90 days. Short-term disability pays 60% of weekly pay, up to $1,200 a week, after 14 days, if you elect it. |
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A free employee clinic. Marathon Health provides no-cost medical services to you and covered dependents age 2 and up when you are enrolled in City medical coverage. |
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Mental health support. The Optum Employee Assistance Program covers six free face-to-face visits per incident, per year. |
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Tuition reimbursement. After six months, the City reimburses tuition and required fees up to $5,250 per calendar year for accredited degree programs. There is a two-year continuation requirement, so leaving soon after being reimbursed means paying part or all of it back. It pairs directly with the education pay above. |
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A fitness bonus. If your annual physical rates Excellent you receive $500, and Superior earns $600, as a one-time payment in November. |
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Everyday extras. Five days of paid leave for a death in the immediate family, full pay for jury duty, a $30 annual DentonFIT credit, recreation center memberships, and optional Aflac and cancer coverage. |
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Premium costs are not published in the summary, so ask Human Resources for current employee rates when you are hired. The summary linked here was last updated December 11, 2024: City of Denton Benefits Summary.
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51.8%
Of your average pay, for life, after 20 years of service
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Denton firefighters are in the Denton Firemen's Relief and Retirement Fund, a defined benefit pension. You retire at age 50 with 20 years of service, and the benefit is 2.59% of your highest 36-month average salary for each year worked. At 30 years that is 77.7%. It fully vests at 20 years, with a partial benefit for 10 to 20 years of service.
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You contribute, the City contributes more. The member contribution rate is 12.6% of pay and the City contributes 18.5%. On $88,545.60 your share is about $429 per paycheck, so plan your budget around take-home, not gross. |
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Add a 457 on top. The City offers a MissionSquare 457(b), traditional or Roth, with a $15 per pay period minimum. Firefighters also have the IAFF-FC endorsed Nationwide 457(b), the IAFF Financial Corporation's FrontLine plan. |
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⑦ What You Need in Hand, and What Comes Next
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Denton does not run its own fire academy, so you arrive already certified. Have a Texas Commission on Fire Protection firefighter certification plus a DSHS EMT-Basic, or a paramedic certification, before the conditional offer, which usually goes out in April. One exception is worth knowing: a certified paramedic who is hired without a fire certification has the fire academy paid for by the department.
1. Now: Get Certified and Train
Finish your certifications and build your fitness. Every dollar in this newsletter starts with these two. |
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2. Registration: You Hear First
Registration for the exam opens on the City of Denton's NEOGOV site. Subscribers to Ready to Serve get the announcement first. |
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3. Saturday, January 9, 2027: Civil Service Exam
The written exam starts the process. The physical ability test, interviews, and conditional offer follow. |
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The figures in this edition come from the FY 26/27 Civil Service Fire Pay Plan (effective January 2, 2027), the Civil Service Fire Certification Pay sheet, City Policies 106.07, 107.02, 107.03 and 111.01, DFD Policy 1045, the Meet and Confer Agreement (Ordinance 23-1643), and the City and Texas Pension Review Board plan pages. The Meet and Confer runs through September 30, 2027, and pay plans can change with each budget, so treat these as the current numbers, not a promise.
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Be the first to know when registration opens.
Sign up for this newsletter or scan the code below, and share it with anyone who is thinking about a career in the fire service.
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Excellence Through Preparedness.
Denton Fire Department
Recruiting
(940) 349-8840 • dentonfire.com
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