Inside Bay Area 
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OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Fire Department distributed hundreds of fire-fighter-training applications Monday, and will likely do so again today, after waiving a requirement that applicants be certified as emergency medical technicians.

The department hopes that dropping the EMT requirement will boost the number of home-grown sons and daughters working in the fire department.

"The general goal is to reach applicants who reflect the city of Oakland,'' said Oakland Fire Lt. David Brue. "This is one strategy to do that.''

Applications for fire training will be available again from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza.

Applications must be completed and returned, to the same address, by Dec. 1. The first 1,000 applications submitted will be considered.

Following that, a multiple-choice test will be administered Dec. 8. Oral interviews will be conducted from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1, and physical agility tests will be taken from Feb. 25 to Feb. 29.

Brue said the department will then form a list of people who might be invited to participate in a fire academy. EMT training will be offered as part of the fire training for those who are not certified.

Brue said the department, roughly 450-strong, is trying to fill another 20 fire-fighting positions.