Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue is interested in recruiting qualified applicants for the position of Firefighter and Firefighters with Paramedic licenses. This website was designed to assist potential applicants with information regarding our recruitment and selection process.

Fire Chief Message

Thank you for your interest in joining Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue's amazing and talented team of professionals!

Our organization has an extraordinary history and tradition of excellence that has helped define and refine our strong core values and unrelenting expectations for excellence.  We are extremely motivated by… Our Mission as an “all hazard” team, dedicated to serving and protecting our community through professionalism, leadership, and excellence… grounded and focused on our unwavering commitment to providing the highest level of safety and quality of service to the community.  We are actively engaged and compassionate participants as well, driven by…Our Vision and commitment to exceed the expectations of those we serve by being a leader in Fire Protection, Rescue, Emergency Medical Services, and Community Risk Reduction.

Our team of professionals is exceptional throughout all ranks and roles, truly the best of the best!  Our city’s newest Fire Station #1 and our flagship headquarters is now joined by our new “State of the Art” Regional Fire & Rescue Training Center that was recently dedicated this past December, with phase two of the training center to begin in 2026.  In addition, we are preparing for the formal groundbreaking for the rebuilding of our new Fire Station #2, also ahead in 2026!  Along with an impressive apparatus fleet, USAR program, Arson team, Fire Cadet program, Community Risk Reduction program, cutting edge EMS, Training, & Technology programs, and one of the most effective and efficient Ambulance Transportation programs in the state, as well as the department being recognized and respected as a regional leader in statewide wildland and “all-hazard” mutual aid response, with the assignment of three Cal OES state mutual aid fire engines (Type I, Type III & Type VI).

This is all highlighted by our extremely close-knit fire family approach and active leadership engagement locally and statewide, making Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue one of the premier fire and rescue departments to be a part of.  We are professionals through and through, accentuated by our quality, depth, innovation, performance, and balance in all that we do, always placing the highest priority on family and firefighter health & safety.  This includes the strong leadership and unmatched mentoring of our personnel throughout all ranks and roles in the organization, which helps to truly define our extraordinary and compassionate service to the community.

Your consideration to become part of the Costa Mesa fire family is the opportunity of a lifetime and we thank you for your interest to step up and lean in! We remain on a powerful trajectory on all fronts. With an extraordinary team of professionals & leaders, new facilities, apparatus, technologies, and innovations, we are always working harder than ever to exceed expectations of the community we serve, and the future is brighter than ever! Your time is now!

Daniel A. Stefano

Fire Chief

 For more information on recruitment, click here.