Torrelavega announces a competitive examination for the interim chief of firefighters

The Torrelavega City Council has announced a selection process to fill, as an interim civil servant through a competitive examination process (concurso-oposición), one vacancy for Head of the Fire and Rescue Service (SCIS), currently vacant. The rules and the call for applications are published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria no. 188, dated September 30, 2026, with the official reference CVE-2026-7530 and file number 2026/9870Q. The deadline for submitting applications is ten calendar days starting from the day following the publication of the rules in the gazette and on the municipal electronic notice board.

An interim leadership with an expiration date

The announced position belongs to the Special Administration scale, Technical sub-scale, Superior class, qualification subgroup A1, and is assigned to the municipality’s Fire and Rescue Service, with the remuneration corresponding to current legislation. The interim appointment will automatically expire when the position of Head of the SCIS is permanently filled or, if it occurs sooner, when the permanent civil servant holding the position of SCIS technical officer returns to active service.

The call for applications complies with Article 10 of Royal Legislative Decree 5/2015, of October 30, Recast Text of the Basic Statute of Public Employees, as amended by Royal Decree-Law 14/2021, of July 6, on urgent measures to reduce temporary employment in the public sector. After three years from the appointment, the interim relationship ends and the vacancy may only be filled by career civil servants, unless the process remains vacant.

Requirements and submission of applications

Applicants must meet the following requirements on the closing date of the application period:

• Spanish nationality or fall under one of the cases provided for in the Basic Statute of Public Employees.
• Be at least 16 years of age and not exceed the maximum compulsory retirement age.
• Hold a Bachelor’s degree, Licentiate, Senior Engineer, Architect degree or equivalent qualification, with official recognition in the case of foreign degrees.
• Not have been dismissed through disciplinary proceedings nor be disqualified from exercising public functions.
• Possess the functional capacity to perform the duties of the position.

Applications shall be submitted through the General Registry of the Corporation, located at Juan José Ruano street number 9, ground floor (Torrelavega, 39300), or via the municipal electronic office, in accordance with Article 16 of Law 39/2015, of October 1. After the deadline, the Presidency will approve the list of admitted and excluded candidates, and five calendar days will be granted to correct errors.

Three eliminatory exercises and merit scale

The examination phase consists of three mandatory and eliminatory exercises:

• First exercise: a written questionnaire of five questions based on the program in the annex, with a maximum duration of two hours and up to 10 points, with a minimum of 5 to pass.
• Second exercise: development of one or several practical cases on the subjects in the annex, with a maximum of two hours and up to 10 points, also requiring 5 points.
• Third exercise: psychotechnical tests evaluated by a registered psychology professional, with a rating of fit or unfit.

The competition phase, following the competitive examination, values professional experience up to a maximum of 2 points —0.10 points per month in Local Administration, 0.05 in state or regional administration, and 0.02 in other public entities— and official courses up to another 2 points, at a rate of 0.002 points per hour, with 0.004 points per hour taught as an instructor and a cap of 0.50 points in occupational risk prevention. The program includes 32 topics, from the local regime and Law 4/2021 on prevention and firefighting services of Cantabria to the SCIS Regulations of Torrelavega (BOC 01/23/1995) and the INFOCANT, PLATERCANT, and INUNCANT plans.

Tribunal and Calendar

The selection body will consist of a president and four members, with the Corporation’s secretary or a delegated municipal official acting as secretary, and their appointment will be determined by a resolution of the Mayor’s Office-Presidency. The date of the tests will be announced on the municipal electronic notice board at least 24 hours in advance, and the proposed candidate will have three calendar days to submit the documentation and take office. The rules were signed in Torrelavega on September 23, 2026, by the mayor-president, Javier López Estrada.

The call for applications comes with the head of the fire service covered on a temporary basis, which obliges the municipality to resolve the interim status within a maximum period of three years. For emergency sector professionals in Cantabria, the position represents a promotion opportunity to a management post of subgroup A1, with a process that combines technical knowledge, practical cases, and a psychological evaluation of leadership and decision-making under pressure.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 188, of September 30, 2026, section 2.2, pp. 48508-48518 (official reference: CVE-2026-7530).