Becoming a firefighter

[tuleyz]

I have no idea what training is involved in becoming a firefighter and I was wondering what usually is involved. I am from Illinois and would want to work in Illinois or Missouri. First off are there certain state requirements that you have to receive a certain amout of hours of training to be certified kind of like for police departments? Or is it actually possible to receieve all the necessary training through a college degree? I know to be police officer you have to go through an acadmy no matter what kind of degree you have and was thinking it was the same way for firefighters. Any help on what is required to get hired or become a firefighter would be helpful, thanks.

[clfd1826]

in regards to your question, in north carolina where i have been a volunteer for 5 years, we are required to have 36 hours of training at the department we are in. and that can be accomplished easily by attending just one meeting a month every month. as far as the college degree, i am currently going through that process to further my education so i can get a job at a paid department. the degree does not cover the state certifications we have to have in order to be a NC firefighter II. those are all the classes we have to have before we can be interior firefighters. the degree program is more in depth with subjects like fire protection law and emergency management and other stuff like that. and now most paid departments are requiring at least an assosiates degree for rank advancements. but as far as the volunteer side of it, you just need to go and train for the state certifications that your state requires. hope i could help a little
stay safe
ftm-ptb-egh-rfb-ktf-dtrt

[karate460]

Right now I am in the middle of applying in California. I know for here we need to be at least EMT-B and in most places to be a Paramedic. I don't know exactly how it is out there but In Cal they also prefer it if we have the Fire Technology degree. I would say even if it isn't required over there, if you did do it, it would probably boost your chance of becoming one.

[emmex510]

There are many avenues you can take in becoming a Firefighter. A combination of various aspects of the Fire service play a part in getting hired. Here in CA, the competition is very tough, so any edge you have certainly helps but does not guarantee anything.

The combination may include the following:

EMT Basic License (National Registry EMT)
Fire Technology Courses (AA Fire Science)
Basic Fire Academy
Volunteer Service at a Vol. Fire Dept.
Community Service
EMT Field Experience
EMT-Paramedic License
Hands On Training Certification Courses (In CA these would be CA State Fire Marshall Courses)

But what it really comes down to is how you perform in your testing/interview process. If you ace an interview, you can pontentially beat out competition that have more certs and qualifications as you do.

Not sure how different it is in Illinois, but I would suggest at a minimum, start with getting your EMT license and start taking some Fire Science Classes. Progress will come.

[SansMustache]

Taking fire science classes and getting an AS in Fire Science really does kill a whole flock of birds with one stone. You learn the basics, get to talk to working and/or retired fire personnel, network with other people with the same goals, learn of upcoming tests, etc. I made a bunch of friends in the process and it has gone a long way to keep me motivated after not succeeding in various exam processes.

[jakemush2580]

Well here in massachusetts we have state wide civil service test, some district tests, and some towns that go on an application only basis. Majority of towns, cities will use one of these processes in the hiring phase. Obviously degrees help, emt-b,i,p helps, prior fire/rescue service. Some do put themselves through a firefighter 1 2 program but I do believe you need a sponsor. Bigger cities will hire you and send you through the fire academy first and then put you to work, smaller towns hire you, do what they want with you and then when it is decided you will get hired full time they will send you to the fire academy or send you to the 1/2 program to weed out the bad ones and then send you to the fire academy when you get hired full time. could be days apart could be years. My department hired me on a call department (got paid on call backs) which I was on for 2 years. Got hired for a "full time/temporary fill in" spot but did probationary time for a year. Got hired full time officially and went to the academy.


When I applied I gave them my application and emt-b certificate. Thats really all I had. No degree or prior training in the field. Was I lucky? some might say so.

moral of the story. the more you have to show ( as far as certificates, diplomas etc. etc.) the better your chances are of getting hired.