Comments on: So You Want My Job: Firefighter

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:52:15 +0000

Good Post. I’ve been a professional firefighter for 3 years now. Some advice to those interested in the job; go out and get as much life experience as you can. Fire departments get inundated with cookie cutter applicants. Young white guys with an associates in fire science, played high school ball, blah, blah, blah. Think about what you bring to the table as far as life experience, education, and skills are concerned. If your resume looks weak, and your story is boring, don’t expect to get hired! Stay out of trouble, get as much education as possible (Bachelors degree, paramedic certification), work hard, and test every chance you get.

By: Chad

Chad — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:11:30 +0000

I will have more responses to some of these posts later. However I will address Gilberto first. Most regions, set their own age limits. Where I am and a lot of other places have PERF (Public Employees Retirement Fund) a lot of the time PERF sets the age limit, here it is 36. Some places like FDNY won’t look at you if you are over say 25 (I actually think FDNY is like 21 but is not the norm) due to the amount of “jobs” you will do throughout your career. I would ask fire depts near you about age requirments, and remember you can go anywhere in the country to get a job if you are willing to move. The south-eastern part of the country tend to pay less than say the mid-west where I am. The north-east tends to be a lot of volunteer fire depts.

Whie on the topic of Vol. fire depts. I will respond to Peter James’ above comment. Most cops rush into burning buildings because they are uneducated, most have no idea what they are ingesting as far as poisons from the fire into their lungs or how fast new building materials fail and will cause parts of the house to fall in and kill them. Firefighters have the gear and air we do because we do get educated on the dangers. I would advise you to tell your cop buddy to stay out of a burning structure his uniform is not fire proof and his gun can’t provide air. Not everyone in a fire is savable, there is no reason for him to be in a house that is on fire, unless he has no desire to go home to his family.

As I said prior I will post more comments to other posts later.

By: Gilberto VÃ¡zquez

Gilberto VÃ¡zquez — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:18:51 +0000

How old you can be to become a firefigther. I´m 36 and I reallly admire this job although I don´t have any experience. I have enough fitnest, endurance and great responsabilty though.

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By: Brett

Brett — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:40:22 +0000

@Tommy-

We definitely have some planned for the future. We’ve given the questions to some guys and we’re just waiting to hear back from them. Stay tuned.

By: Tommy

Tommy — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:05:00 +0000

Are there gonna be more of these? I thought this one was really cool.

By: Heather

Heather — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:43:07 +0000

I sent this post to my dad who is a Second Lieutenant on the Brush Fire Truck ( if that means anything to anyone). He said another important part about the education was getting some background with chemicals or chemistry. He also said that some schools are starting to offer Fire Engineering degrees.
Neat!

By: Sam

Sam — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:46:01 +0000

This is a great idea for a series!
I’m a lawyer by trade, which presumably is what Brett intends to do with his life also when he graduates law school, so I would be interested to know how he sees that career stacking up with some of the more obviously manly careers in this series.

For my own experience it’s not ‘manly’ in the same clear-cut fashion as fighting fires. When push comes to shove I have to admit I’d rather be stuck in a tight spot with a firefighter, cop or paramedic. But on the other hand I’ve had to develop grit, determination, confidence, dedication and a clear sense of right and wrong in order to do this job effectively and ethically. I ask Brett, is there a space for white-collar careers in this series?

By: Robert Hoven ( Lt. Leroy Vol. Fire Rescue )

Robert Hoven ( Lt. Leroy Vol. Fire Rescue ) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:06:50 +0000

I would not change it for the world. Volunteers do it for the community, Not for yhe Patch, Name in the paper or anything else. You go out in Hurricanes, Tornadoes, When it is 20 Degrees and when it is 110. You come in after a 16 hour day at your regular job and spend 6 more hours on a fire or accident scene It is a great job.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:29:37 +0000

I’m a career firefighter; for over 24 years. The fire service has changed a lot since I hired on in 1984. If I were starting over where I work now, I’d get my Paramedic certification/license. Candidates that are medics are hired/interviewed 1st. While you’re going through the training, you do “ride outs” with the ambulances as part of your training. You’ll get a glimpse of the firefighter lifestyle & learn some valuable skills that will be serve you well regardless of what career path you ultimately choose.

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:38:26 +0000

I think we can leave the cops out of it. In my life, I was a Military Police for 6 months and I’ve had a few run-ins from the other side. Cops are mostly a pack of macho head trip wankers.
On the other hand, I trained as a fire fighter like all sailors do and faced a shipboard fire. That’s when you need a pair. It ain’t like roughing up a drunk.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:20:25 +0000

I’m a volunteer firefighter and it is very rewarding, although it does stress the family life. Being on call 24/7 is not for everyone, but it is definitely worth it. Just stay in shape and be willing to learn a lot.

By: Cardo

Cardo — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:46:56 +0000

The best advice your young guys wanting to get in is to apply at every department that is testing, take every test and go to every interview. Even if there is no chance you want to work in that city due to distance or wages, you will never go wrong with all the experience you gain from the written tests and taking the board interviews.

I have been in since 1988 and wouldn’t think of ever getting out, best decision I ever made and I get 182 days a year scheduled off. Plenty of time for my family, kids, fishing and my Masonic Lodge, plus the always present OVERTIME PAY!!! Never get tired of those big checks.

By: Kennon

Kennon — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:36:18 +0000

I’d like to add to Julie’s post about becoming a wildland fire fighter, I’ve been a wildland firefighter for the U.S Forest Service for 3 years now and it’s the best job I’ve ever had. I’d recommend being in pretty good cardio shape, as you have to walk through some pretty gnarly country (Hell’s Canyon Idaho was particularly bad). If you’re willing to work harder than you’ve ever worked before but have a good time doing it it’s a great job. Plus, the pay for a 21 day assignment is pretty good even at a starter rate is great, I made $6300 after taxes on my very first fire.