After a three year hiring freeze, the Madison Fire Department is accepting applications for full-time firefighters and EMTs, no longer requiring applicants to have U.S. Citizenship. According to a news release by the City of Madison Fire Department, "in spirit of inclusion and accessibility," this year's process will incorporate new approaches throughout the hiring process to minimize barriers that previously limited people from applying, like time constraints, and also adapting to a "changing economic and technological landscape since the Covid-19 pandemic." In fact, the three year hiring break was a Covid-19 specific issue, with recruiting and hiring typically happening every two years. Candidates with any legal permission to work in the country are now eligible to apply regardless of citizenship status, and those who move on to the exam portion will be able to to take a video-based multiple choice test online in place of the in-person test previously administered during traditional business hours.