Dearborn Fire Chief, Union partner on innovative recruitment and training initiative to address statewide paramedic shortage
Published Oct. 28, 2026
In the midst of record shortages of licensed paramedics within the State of Michigan, Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray and the Dearborn Firefighters Union have collaborated on a proactive program focused on increasing application rates while providing required education and training for firefighter candidates to complete required certification programs.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Dearborn Fire Department will allow potential applicants who have completed some level of firefighter training, but have not yet obtained all of the required pre-requisite certifications (State of Michigan Firefighter 1 and 2, and Paramedic), to be hired as firefighter candidates.
Applicants for the new firefighter candidate position will be limited to those who have already successfully obtained state certification as a Firefighter 2 and as an EMT-Basic, but have not yet completed paramedic licensure, or those who are licensed as paramedics, but have not yet completed firefighter certifications.
As part of this program, the Dearborn Fire Department will provide newly hired firefighter candidates with employment, while they complete their remaining education and training to become fully certified Firefighter/Paramedics. Upon successful completion of the program, firefighter candidates will automatically transition into Firefighter 1 positions within the department.
Applications for Dearborn Fire Department employment can be found at Dearborn.gov/Jobs.
In addition to the newly established firefighter candidate program, the agreement also incentivizes fully certified individuals to apply for an increase in the starting salary, and the opportunity for firefighters from other communities to purchase prior service time.
Fire Chief Murray stated, “This collaborative agreement between the Department and the Union is a well thought out and proactive approach to meet the challenges associated with the national shortage of firefighter/paramedics. This agreement eliminates potential barriers to acquiring certifications for those interested in fire service, while also incentivizing those who are fully certified to seek out employment with the DFD.”
Union President Jeffrey Lentz stated, “The members of Dearborn Firefighters Association L412 are happy to collaborate with Mayor Hammoud and the Fire Chief. This agreement will provide a pathway for the City to not only address the shortage of firefighter applicants, but it will also help maintain the high level of service our members deliver to our residents. We are hopeful this will help attract home grown candidates from our community and the communities that surround us.”
Recently, Mayor Hammoud and the Dearborn City Council approved the Dearborn Fire Department to increase its number of sworn firefighters from 146 to 158, the highest staffing level in the 119-year history of the department.
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