Firefighters in action at a fire in Nampally, Hyderabad. | Photo credit: File Photo
The Telangana Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency and Civil Defense Department is set to recruit its first batch of women firefighters this year, a historic milestone for the state’s emergency services.
Officials told The Hindu that the department is awaiting a recruitment notification from the Telangana Police Recruitment Board, which will conduct the selection process. The procedure will mirror police recruitment and will include a pre-selection test, physical fitness tests, a written test and verification of character and antecedents.
Selected candidates will undergo training at the Telangana Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency and Civil Defense Training Institute in Hyderabad before being posted. Fire Fighter recruits undergo four months of training, while Station Fire Officer students undergo seven months of training.
The recruitment is governed by a government order issued on July 11, 2025, introducing Telangana Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency and Civil Defense Regulations, 2025, which formally opened the department’s operational posts, including station officer and firefighter, to women for the first time.
Firefighters in action at a major fire on Road No. 36 in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. | Photo credit: File Photo
Officials said the department hopes that the massive recruitment drive announced by the state’s director general of police, which includes around 14,000 vacancies of constables in the uniformed services, could pave the way for the first batch of women firefighters in Telangana.
The new rules also introduce 33.33% reservation for women in direct recruitment to the posts of Station Fire Officer and Fire Officer. Reservation will work horizontally across all categories including Open Competition, Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Police and firemen during a cooling and rescue operation after a fire broke out in Nampally, Hyderabad. | Photo credit: File Photo
To facilitate the inclusion of women, the government also replaced former designations such as “firefighter” and “chief firefighter” with gender-neutral titles, including “firefighter” and “senior firefighter”.
Applicants will be required to meet the same eligibility criteria, physical standards and training requirements as other applicants.
For the post of entry level fireman, candidates must pass intermediate examination or equivalent qualification recognized by the state government. Candidates who belong to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will get relaxation and have to pass the high school examination while they have studied intermediate and appear for the examinations. For the post of Fire Officer, candidates must have a degree from a recognized university.
Firefighters are battling a fire that broke out in Nampally, Hyderabad. | Photo credit: File Photo
The prescribed age limit for direct recruitment to the post of Firefighter is 18 to 22 years, while candidates applying for the post of Fire Station Commander must be between 21 and 25 years of age as on 1 July of the year of notification, subject to standard government relaxations.
Physical measurements and health standards will follow the same standards prescribed for scholarship cadets, sub-inspectors and police constables in the Telangana Police Department.
Officials said the ministry will also have to upgrade infrastructure to accommodate women for the first time. “With the first batch expected soon, we will have to make necessary infrastructural changes to provide adequate facilities including dedicated washrooms, rest rooms and other workplace facilities for firefighters,” the official said.
Published – 06 March 2026 20:47 IST
