FIRE FIGHTING CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT OPERATOR

Position/Program Information


FIRE DEPARTMENT

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT

We welcome applications from everyone.

EXAM NUMBER

30232G

APPLICATION FILING PERIOD

We will be accepting online applications beginning Monday, February 9, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. (PT) until Monday, February 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m. (PT). All applicants must be received before 5:00 p.m. (PT) on Monday, February 23, 2026, to be accepted.

Why work for us?With more than 10 million residents, Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the nation! As the largest employer in Southern California, over 116,000 employees in more than 38 Departments, we provide vital public services as diverse as law enforcement, property assessment, public health protection, water conservation, cultural activities and many more.
We are dedicated professionals committed to preserving the dignity and integrity of the workplace as well as protecting the rights of each employee. The County has more than 2,300 different job descriptions, offering a lifetime of opportunities and careers! We offer one of the strongest public-sector benefits packages in the country. Join us and discover a rich selection of health care options, robust retirement plans and the flexibility to work, relax, and rejuvenate to reach your fullest personal and professional potential.

What Will I do? You will operate heavy construction equipment used for the building, maintenance and repair of fire roads and breaks and for firefighting and rescue activities in emergencies such as fire, flood, earthquake, and other disasters. For more information please visit: Class Specifications | FIRE FIGHTING CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT OPERATOR | Class Spec Details

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS :
Positions allocable to this class report to a Senior or Supervising Fire Fighting Construction Equipment Operator. Incumbents in these positions are responsible for the operation and preventive maintenance of heavy tracklaying and grading equipment used for fire prevention and fire fighting suppression activities, the building, maintenance, and repair of fire roads and breaks, and for various construction projects. Incumbents must exercise a working knowledge of graded dirt road construction in mountainous terrain, including the establishment of slope and grade and centerline, and the use and operation of all equipment used, sufficient to execute assigned construction projects. Incumbents must also exercise a basic knowledge of location and movement of fire, type of terrain, wind speed and direction, access to safety routes, and location of ground personnel in order to ensure that brush clearing activities are pursued in a safe and effective manner under watershed fire fighting conditions.

Essential Job Functions

• Operates heavy equipment(e.g. bulldozer, motor graders, loaders, excavators, and backhoes) at the scene of wildland fires.
• Operates heavy equipment(e.g. bulldozers, motor graders, loaders, excavators, and backhoes) in firefighting and rescue activities such as flood rescues, commercial/industrial fire suppression overhaul, and mitigation of flooding.
• Constructs and maintains fire roads, fire breaks, heli-spots, or various projects in mountainous terrain.
• Performs routineinspections, services, and maintenance of all equipment assigned to the Heavy Equipment Unit.
• Provides technical direction and leadership to Fire Suppression Aides who assist during fire prevention, firefighting, laborer duties in connection with construction and maintenance work.
• Provides technical direction and leadership to Transportation Truck Drivers and Fire Suppression Aides in the proper loading, unloading, and escorting of heavy construction equipment and various vehicles.
• Ensures personnel (e.g. Fire Suppression Aides, Transportation Truck Drivers) are properly utilizing Fire Department’s radios and mobile data computers.
• Maintains forms, reports, logs, and records.
• Ensures assigned crew members (e.g., Fire Suppression Aides, Transportation Truck Drivers) complete and adhere to departmental policies and procedures and unit level trainings.

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY :
Option I: Three (3) years of experience operating a variety of heavy track laying* and grading equipment** where construction work involves excavating and trail blazing in steep rocky mountainous terrain.
Option II: One (1) year of experience operating heavy tracklaying* or grading equipment** in fire prevention or suppression activities for a firefighting agency.

LICENSE :
*A valid California Class C Driver License is required to perform job-related duties.

In order to receive credit for the required license, you must include a legible copy of your official license at the time of filing or within 15 calendar days from the last day of filing. Please submit documentation to Fire-Examination@fire.lacounty.gov and indicate your name, the exam name, and the exam number.

We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst.

Fire Science (FS): Persons appointed to this class shall acquire EMT-1 (FS) certification within one year from time of appointment.

PHYSICAL CLASS :
Physical Class 4 - Arduous: This class involves frequent heavy lifting over 25 pounds, often combined with bending, twisting, or working above ground on irregular surfaces. It includes those positions that occasionally demand extraordinary physical activity such as those in Safety positions.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS :

Physical Requirements :
Applicants must be in good general physical condition, free from disease or defects that would interfere with the satisfactory performance of the duties of this position.

Vision
VISION: Normal color perception.

(1) Acuity - At least 20/70 in each eye without correction, correctable to 20/30 in each eye.
(2) Color perception - Anything other than minor hue impairment is disqualifying.

Hearing :
There may be no greater than a 25 Db loss in the better ear as averaged over the test frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz. There may not be a peak loss at any of the test frequencies greater than

30 Db at 500Hz
30 Db at 1000Hz
40 Db at 2000Hz
40 Db at 3000Hz

There may be no greater than a 35 Db loss in the worse ear as averaged over the test frequencies, and no peak loss greater than 45 Db at any of the test frequencies.

In the case of a questionable, unusual, or borderline hearing loss, the applicant's record will be reviewed by the Occupational Health Service consultant in otolaryngology who will make a recommendation as to the applicant's employability, and forward it to the Medical Director for final disposition.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION :
Employees that are assigned to drive an apparatus equipped with airbrakes, hazardous
materials and tank, will be required to acquire a license with the accurate endorsements within six (6) months of their assignment.
*Examples of heavy track laying equipment, include (D4, D5, D6, D8, and D9 Dozers).
**Examples of grading equipment, include (motor graders of all sizes, loaders of all sizes and backhoes of all sizes).

Additional Information

Once we have identified that you meet the requirements, an invitation regarding the following assessment processes will be sent.

E XAMINATION CONTENT :

This examination will consist of a performance test weighted 100%. The performance test will require candidates to demonstrate the ability to operate heavy track laying construction equipment on flat and on steep mountainous terrain, which will assess:

• Knowledge/Technical Experience in:
  • Construction Equipment Operation
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Road Construction and Maintenance Practices
  • Construction Surveying Methods
• Troubleshooting
• Safe Operation of Equipment
• Multi-Limb Coordination
• Adaptability
• Conscientiousness

Applicants must receive a passing score of 70% or higher on the assessment to be added to the list.

ELIGIBILITY AND VACANCY INFORMATION :
Applicants who passed the assessment(s) are placed on a list for a period of 12 months. We will use this list to fill vacancies as they occur.

PASSING THIS EXAMINATION AND BEING PLACED ON THE ELIGIBLE LIST DOES NOT GUARANTEE AN OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT.
APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION :
We only accept applications filed online. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person are not accepted. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting. This website can also be used to get application status updates.

Please fill out the application completely. Provide relevant job experience including employer's name and address, job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed.

We may verify information included in the application at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. Falsification of information could result in refusal of application or rescission of appointment. Copying verbiage from the Requirements or class specification as your work experience will not be sufficient to demonstrate meeting the requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application and may lead to disqualification.

EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS:

We will send notifications to the email address provided on the application, so it is important to provide a valid email address. If you choose to unsubscribe or opt out from receiving our emails, it is possible to view notices by logging into Governmentjobs.com and checking the profile inbox. It is every applicant's responsibility to take steps to view correspondence, and we will not consider claims of missing notices to be a valid reason for re-scheduling an exam part. Register the below domains as approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail:

• Fire-Examination@fire.lacounty.gov
• Michelle.Herrera-Gomez@fire.lacounty.gov
• info@governmentjobs.com
• talentcentral@shl.com
• donot-reply@amcatmail.com
• noreply@proctoru.com

New email addresses need to be verified. This only needs to be done once per email address and can be done at any time by logging into Governmentjobs.com and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of the online application and to prevent incorrectly entered email addresses.

AVAILABLE SHIFT :

Any Shift-Appointees must be willing to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER :

Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number, so include yours when applying.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES :
For those who do not have access to a computer or the internet, we provide access to complete an application at public libraries throughout the county. All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member's or friend's login information may erase a candidate's original application record.

TESTING ACCOMMODATION :

If you require an accommodation to fairly compete in any part of the assessment process, contact the Testing Accommodations Coordinator at Fire-Examintion@fire.lacounty.gov We require a completed Request for Reasonable Accommodation form as well as supporting documentation from a qualified professional justifying the request. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can respond and keep you moving through the process.

BACKGROUND CHECK AND MEDICAL EXAMINATION INFORMATION :
If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records that are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

Successful candidates who are given a conditional offer of employment will be required to complete a criminal background check, including a fingerprint search, followed by a medical examination, consistent with local, state and federal law. A candidate with a conviction history that has a direct and adverse relationship with the duties of the Fire Fighter Trainee position may have their conditional offer of employment rescinded and may be removed from the certification list pursuant to Civil Service Rule 6.04.

In addition, candidates must successfully complete a medical examination and be able to perform all of the essential functions of the Fire Fighter Trainee classification, either with or without reasonable accommodations. A candidate who does not successfully complete a medical examination or is unable to perform all of the essential functions of the Fire Fighter Trainee classification may have their conditional offer of employment rescinded and may be removed from the certification list pursuant to Civil Service Rule 6.04.

ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (ARDI) :

The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. We are committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst races. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

Department Contact Name: Fire Examination Section
Department Contact Phone: (213) 466-5500
Department Contact Email: Fire-Examination@fire.lacounty.gov
California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922
Teletype Phone: (800) 899-4099

For detailed information, please click here

Closing Date/Time: 2/23/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

• 

• Los Angeles County

• (800) 970-5478

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