Firefighter is the hottest job in town

In the span of just a few minutes, Costa Mesa received a deluge of applications from prospective firefighters and paramedics.

At 8 a.m. Monday, the city started accepting applications for three openings and planned to keep collecting them for four days or until it had amassed 500 qualified applicants.

Within 11 minutes, 500 people had applied.

The Costa Mesa Fire Department stopped taking applications after receiving 799 by 8:22 a.m., according to Kasama Lee, a human resources analyst for the city.

“I think it speaks to the passionate desire to be in a chosen career that allows you play an integral role within the community by helping others. A firefighting career is like no other,” Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano said.

The department is in the middle of a restructuring plan that includes putting its first in-house ambulances on the streets and shuttering a fire station. However, the three positions are open because of normal turnover, Stefano said. Three firefighters have retired from the department in the past six months.

The most recent retiree is Capt. Chris Brimhall, who left last week after working in Costa Mesa for 28 years, according to Stefano.

Human resources will now start evaluating the applications.

A firefighter or paramedic hired in this round would earn an annual salary between $63,816 and $97,284, according to the city’s job posting.

The new employee would be required to contribute 9% or 11.5% of that salary — depending on the plan — toward his or her pension, the posting said.