Firefighter Blog 'Adz Deep' Provides Cultural Glimpse
The blog Adz Deep offers personal accounts and insights into the culture of firefighting. Such resources are used by candidates to immerse themselves in the profession's daily realities and camaraderie ahead of oral board interviews.
- The name "Adz Deep" refers to the adze on a Halligan bar, a primary tool for forcible entry; fully sinking the adze into a door or frame is a fundamental firefighting task. - The Seattle Fire Department (SFD) values are Integrity, Teamwork, Compassion, Courage, and Diversity. Oral board interviews often include behavioral questions designed to see how candidates have embodied similar values in past experiences. - For the 2025 hiring cycle, the top 1,500 candidates who passed the FireTEAM and PSSA1 tests were invited to the oral board exam phase. - The SFD has historically been a close-knit organization with a strong fraternal culture, which current firefighters describe as being like a "family unit" during 24-hour shifts. - The department was officially established as a paid, professional force on October 17, 1889, following the Great Seattle Fire which overwhelmed the city's previous volunteer system. - The next application period for entry-level firefighters at SFD is anticipated to open in the fall of 2026. - While no prior fire experience is required, SFD suggests gaining medical training like advanced CPR or volunteering with a local fire department may make an applicant more competitive in the hiring process.
