The Warwick Fire Department has extended the application deadline for recruits to Nov. 18 Fire Chief Edmund Armstrong said last week as “we are trying to get as many applicants as possible and the best ones.”

As of last Thursday, the department had 125 applications, which is down about 50 from the last time they complied a list two years ago. The department ranks the applicants on written and oral test scores and then uses the list to fill vacancies. As recruits must undergo training, they are grouped into a class that upon completion of training are then hired as firefighters. The next class will be in the spring, Armstrong estimated.

The original deadline for applications that are available at headquarters in Apponaug Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. was Nov. 6.

Applicants must provide a $50 certified check or money order, a birth certificate or verification of U.S. citizenship and be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old. They must also have a valid driver’s license with photo identification and a high school diploma or GED certificate. Prior to employment candidates are also required to pass a BCI or bureau of criminal identification/investigation check and a medical examination.