Beginning next month, DeKalb County Fire Rescue is hiring for its newest class of firefighters.

For two weeks (from June 1 to 16), the department will accept applications for 65 fire recruits. To apply, you must have a high school diploma or GED, be at least 18 years old, have a driver’s license and be a U.S. citizen.

Don’t worry if you don’t know much about firefighting; no experience is necessary to apply. However, prospective firefighters must go through a series of training, testing and interviewing.

The salary for a recruit during training is $39,158, the fire department said. The starting salary for a new firefighter is $41,115.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last year that accepted recruits who do not have EMT training will spend approximately 40 weeks in the fire training academy. Those who already have EMT training can expect to spend about 20 weeks in the academy.

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Being a firefighter comes with perks including flexible schedules, medical and dental insurance and tuition reimbursement.

The department, which responds to emergencies in unincorporated DeKalb County and nearly all of DeKalb's individual cities, currently has about 650 employees. Applications will be posted on DeKalb County's career website.

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In other news:

DeKalb police patrol a big area, about 270 square miles of the most densely-populated county in the state.

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