Division of State Fire Marshal
Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations
Arson Investigator Opportunities
To carry out its mission, the Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations needs men and women who can fill a variety of demanding positions. To qualify for training as a Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations Detective, you must be a citizen of the United States, notwithstanding any law of the state to the contrary, at least 19 years of age, possess good moral character as determined by a thorough background examination, and have uncorrected vision not worse than 20/200 (Snellen) and corrected 20/20 in one eye and not worse than 20/40 in the other eye. All candidates must pass a color vision test. Applicants also must meet normal estimated auditory acuity as documented on FDLE Form 75A.
Candidates must possess (or be able to obtain prior to appointment) a valid Florida driver's license, and be in excellent physical condition with no defects that would interfere in firearm use, fire scene examination and reconstruction, field investigations, or defensive tactics.
An Applicant will be waived for preferred candidates if such Applicant has:
Been convicted of a felony
Been convicted of certain misdemeanors involving moral turpitude
Defaulted on a U.S. Government secured student loan
Failed to register for Selective Service, if applicable
An Applicant may be waived for preferred candidates if such Applicant has:
Less than three (3) years sworn law enforcement experience
No active State of Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Law Enforcement Certification
Illegally used, sold, or transferred any prescribed medications or controlled substance in violation of Chapter 893, F.S.
Omitted, misrepresented, or falsely stated any information, in writing or orally, to the Bureau during the application process
Been suspended or terminated from employment due to an act of aggression or violence
Been terminated, or resigned in lieu of termination, due to job performance deficiencies
Received more than 5 moving violation citations during driving history
Poor credit history
The Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations expects to hire approximately ten (10) Detectives in this fiscal year. Interested applicants for all open competitive employment opportunities must use the State of Florida "People First" personnel website. Click here to access the website https://peoplefirst.myflorida.com . Once you have accessed the website, you should verify that the Bureau has an employment opportunity announcement in progress. If an employment opportunity announcement is in progress, the information below will help you with the application.
The first step in becoming a Detective with the Bureau of Fire and Arson investigations is the completion and submission of the State of Florida employment application through the "People First" website. Applications will not be accepted by the Bureau, and they will not be accepted by the website if the Bureau does not have an employment opportunity announcement in progress. If you meet entry level criteria and are competitive with other candidates applying for the position, you will be provided with a Supplemental Employment Application, that must be completed prior to consideration for further processing. Further processing involves applicant testing which includes the Physical Abilities Test recommended by the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, a written test consisting of questions relating to search and seizure, investigative techniques, evidence, chapters 633 and 806, Florida Statutes, Kirk’s Fire Investigations textbook, O’Hara’s Fundamentals of Criminal Investigations, and NFPA 921 in addition to an oral interview before a panel. You will be contacted and notified of the date, time and location of the applicant testing, if you qualify for further processing.
You may enhance your opportunities for entry into the competitive process if you possess a special skill needed by the Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations, a college degree, current law enforcement certification from CJSTC, prior law enforcement or arson investigations experience, and/or advanced computer work experience. Interested out-of-state or federal applicants should contact the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for instructions on how to have their law enforcement training evaluated in order to meet the equivalency of training required by the State of Florida. Fluency in Spanish is also an attribute that may put an applicant into the preferred category.
Questions should be directed to:
Rosa Smiley
850-413-3718
Rosa.Smiley@MyFloridaCFO.com
