October 16, 2026 is the final filing date.  Applications postmarked, personally delivered, or received via interoffice mail after this date will not be accepted for any reason.

All applicants must meet the minimum qualifications for this examination by the final filing date.

Final Filing Date: 10/16/2026.

Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) must be received or postmarked by the filing date indicated above. Applications postmarked, personally delivered or received via interoffice mail after the filing date will not be accepted.

Who Should Apply:

How To Apply:

Special Testing Arrangements:

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on this exam bulletin to be accepted to the examination.

Unless otherwise stated in the Minimum Qualifications, qualifying experience may be combined on a proportionate basis if the requirements stated below include more than one pattern and are distinguished as "Either" 1, "or" 2, "or" 3, etc. For example, applicants possessing qualifying experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 1 and additional experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 2 may be accepted to an examination as meeting 100% of the overall experience requirement.

Either 1

One year of experience performing the duties of a Fire Fighter, Correctional Institution, in the Department of Corrections.

Or 2

Three years of experience performing the duties of an Institution Fire Fighter (Part Time) in the Department of Corrections.

Or 3

Experience: Two years of experience in structural fire fighting. and

Education: Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade.

OUT-OF-CLASS EXPERIENCE: A “completion of an out-of-class assignment” memorandum, dated within one year of assignment completion, is required to use as out-of-class experience to meet the minimum qualifications for examination purposes. Employees may obtain this documentation from his/her Institutional Personnel Officer/Personnel Liaison. Out-of-class experience without required documentation will not be considered for examination purposes.

Applicants for positions in this class are required to pass a drug screening test. (The drug screening test will be waived for employees who are currently in a designated "Sensitive" class for which drug testing is required under State Personnel Board Rule 213.)

This examination consists of the following component(s):

Components that are due with your application will be scored and will count toward your final examination result. Failure to submit these items may result in disqualification or elimination from the examination.

A final score of 70% must be attained to be placed on the eligible list.

Qualifications Assessment for Fire Chief, CF is available from the CDCR website at: Fire Chief, Correctional Facility

In addition to evaluating the applicant's relative knowledge, skill and ability as demonstrated by quality and breadth of education/experience, emphasis in each test component will be on measuring competitively, relative to job demands, each applicant's:

Knowledge of:

1. Use and upkeep of motorized fire-fighting equipment.
2. Modern fire-fighting methods, tools, and equipment.
3. Methods used in protecting property against fire and panic.
4. Penal practices and purposes and methods of discipline as applied to persons under restraint.
5. First aid.
6. Rules and regulations pertaining to fire prevention and fire safety in State institutions.
7. Department's Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program and the objectives.
8. A manager's role in the EEO Program and the processes available to meet EEO objectives.

Ability to:

1. Supervise the work of others.
2. Control, direct, and instruct incarcerated person(s) individually and in groups.
3. Organize, train, and direct an institution fire department in fire prevention, fire suppression and rescue work.
4. Interpret and enforce institution rules and regulations with firmness, tact, and impartiality.
5. Rate the conduct and production of incarcerated person(s) accurately and impartially.
6. Analyze situations and take effective action.
7. Prepare cost and damage estimates.
8. Prepare budget recommendations.
9. Review construction plans for conformance with safety principles.
10. Keep records and prepare reports.
11. Effectively contribute to the department’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) action objectives.

A Departmental Open eligible list for the FIRE CHIEF, CORRECTIONAL FACIL Classification will be established for:

• Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation

The list(s) will be abolished 12 months after being established, unless the needs of the State and conditions of the list(s) warrant a change in this period.

Veterans' Preference will be granted for this examination. Veterans' Preference is an assistance program for veterans, veteran widows and widowers, and spouses of 100% disabled veterans who seek employment with the state. Veterans' Preference is also extended to currently serving military members nearing their retirement or separation date.

You are not eligible for Veteran's Preference if you are:

• A veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released.
• A veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran who currently has permanent civil service status. (Permanent civil service status is the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in his/her position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This does not include limited term).

Veterans' Preference is codified in Government Code Sections 18973 – 18979.

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans' Preference are on the Veterans' Preference Application (Std. Form 1093), which is available at www.CalCareers.ca.gov, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Career Credits are not granted for examination(s) administered on an Open basis or a Promotional basis.

CDCR and CCHCS are committed to transforming the correctional landscape to create safer, more professional, and more fulfilling environments for our employees, the incarcerated population, and those supervised in our communities. Through systemwide improvements grounded in proven and emerging practices, we aim to strengthen rehabilitation, enhance workplace satisfaction, and support successful reentry into the community through our institutions, parole, and community partnerships. Our shared mission is to promote safety, wellness, and human dignity while fostering positive change for all those who live and work within our institutions and communities.

CDCR and CCHCS are committed to building an inclusive respectful workplace. We are determined to attract and hire candidates from all communities and empower employees from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and personal experiences. We are proud to foster inclusion and drive collaborative efforts at all levels of the Department.

• Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation

Questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice). TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Examination and/or Employment Application (STD 678) forms are available at the California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and through your CalCareer Account (www.CalCareers.ca.gov).

If you meet the requirements stated on this examination bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described in this bulletin will be rated against a predetermined job-related rating, and all applicants who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all applicants will be notified.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin.

High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Education Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

Accepted applicants must provide proof of identification at each in-person test session. Acceptable identification consists of a photo identification card or two forms of signed identification.