Free firefighter readiness checklist (AU & NZ)

The firefighter recruitment readiness checklist

Every stage of AU and NZ firefighter recruitment, in one place, so nothing slips. Tick off what's done and the gaps show themselves. It's free and open — no email needed. The exact numbers move by service, so confirm yours against your service's recruitment material as you go.

Eligibility & admin

The unglamorous gate that quietly ends applications before they start.

Confirm the age requirement for your service (most are 18+ at appointment).
Check citizenship / permanent-residency requirements.
Hold (or be on track for) the required driver's licence class.
Read the medical and eyesight standards and flag anything to check with a GP early.
Gather slow-to-obtain documents — references, certificates, prior-service records.

Physical aptitude (PAT)

Trained as a fatigued sequence, not four fresh stations.

Know your service's published beep-test / shuttle cut-off and your current level.
Hit the push-up, plank and grip-strength minimums with margin, not by a rep.
Rehearse the real beep test weekly on an actual 20-metre line.
Run the full PAT circuit straight off the cardio test, so you practise it tired.
Train past the minimums — the merit list rewards margin, not a bare pass.

Cognitive / aptitude

The written battery trims the field before you reach the PAT.

Find out which test your service uses (ACER, SHL or in-house).
Practise verbal, numerical and abstract-reasoning items under time pressure.
Rehearse with a timer — pacing fails more candidates than difficulty does.

Psychometric

Not a test you can cram — but one you shouldn't walk into blind.

Understand the personality / psychometric format your service uses.
Answer honestly and consistently — the questionnaires flag contradictions.

Interview

Where physically strong candidates most often fall over.

Build a bank of STAR examples covering teamwork, conflict, pressure and integrity.
Be able to say, specifically, why this service and why firefighting.
Do at least one out-loud mock interview before the real one.

Test-day logistics

The avoidable mistakes that undo weeks of good preparation.

Taper training in the final week — arrive fresh, not fitter-but-flat.
Sort kit, travel and timing the day before, not the morning of.
Sleep and hydrate properly across the final 48 hours.

Turn the gaps into a plan

A checklist tells you what's left; it doesn't tell you when to start each piece or what to actually do. Back-plan every block from your test date with the recruitment timeline calculator, then pick the physical plan that matches your runway — the 12-week or 8-week PAT plan. The recruitment preparation guide walks the whole process end to end, and the beep test requirements by service comparison shows where your cut-off sits.

NSW recruitment VIC recruitment QLD recruitment SA recruitment WA recruitment TAS recruitment NT recruitment ACT recruitment

Find out where you actually stand

Ticking boxes is a start; a score is better. The free 15-minute readiness check benchmarks you against the published standards and names your limiting factor — the one area most likely to drop you out — so you train it first.

Start the free readiness check