Philly Firefighter study guide
Philly Firefighter · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Philadelphia Firefighter credential refers to employment as a firefighter with the City of Philadelphia's Fire Department. Candidates reach it through the City's hiring process for municipal jobs, which the City's own site points applicants toward when they want to explore City employment. This page is an independent study resource, not an official City or Fire Department publication, and it is not affiliated with either. Because the City pages we attempted to retrieve on 2026-11-07 returned "404 Not found," we could not verify any exam specifications: the number of questions, time limit, passing score, application fee, retake policy, validity period, and the relative weight of each content area are all unconfirmed and should be treated as unknown until the City publishes current details. The Philly Firefighter study guide has 4 sections and about 1,303 words.
01Written Examination: Cognitive Ability, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics, and Reasoning
Domain 1 tests how you extract facts from a procedure, solve fireground arithmetic, and apply logical rules under time pressure. Every answer must be supported by the passage or the stated conditions-not by outside assumptions.
320 words, about 2 min02Physical Ability Test: CPAT-Style Events and Pacing
Domain 2 measures whether you can complete CPAT-style work safely and continuously while wearing a 50-pound vest. The clock rewards steady movement, not bursts.
333 words, about 2 min03Firefighter Knowledge and Safety: Behavior, PPE, SCBA, Tools, Hose, Water, Ventilation, Rescue
Domain 3 tests fire behavior, PPE and SCBA, tools, ladders, hose, water supply, ventilation, and rescue. The exam favors safe sequence and cause–effect over trivia.
341 words, about 2 min04Situational Judgment and Interpersonal Skills: Teamwork, Communication, Integrity, Community
Domain 4 tests judgment when safety, honesty, teamwork, and public trust conflict. The best answer is usually safe, direct, and respectful-not the one that avoids discomfort.
309 words, about 2 min