Auburn’s tent city: Candidates line up for a shot at VRFA applications

Tents popped up quickly and the line gradually stretched long the sidewalk, wrapping around an Applebee's on D Street Northeast.

May 5, 2011 8:21 pm
Candidates began to pitch tents along D Street Northeast and prepare for the long overnight wait in hopes of applying for possible openings at the VRFA early Friday morning.
Candidates began to pitch tents along D Street Northeast and prepare for the long overnight wait in hopes of applying for possible openings at the VRFA early Friday morning.

Tents popped up quickly and the line gradually stretched long the sidewalk, wrapping around an Applebee’s on D Street Northeast.

Job-seeking men and women began to stake out their overnight camping spots on Thursday and prepare to wait long for the 7 a.m. Friday call when the Valley Regional Fire Authority headquarters in Auburn opens its doors and distributes applications to the first 200 candidates.

The VRFA accepts a batch of applicants for potential firefighters and emergency medical technicians every two years in anticipation of filling any possible openings. Just how many openings there will be is uncertain.

A similar, large-scale event in 2009 attracted a large number of applicants, which ultimately resulted in the filling of eight positions within the VRFA, according to Kimberly McDonald, public information officer for the authority.

Entry-level firefighters must take a written exam to be considered for the job. The 40 applicants who score the highest on that test will then undergo an oral exam, and only the top scorers will be officially eligible to become firefighters.