any chance for a german?

[henning18]

Hey,

I am 18 years old and go a german high school.
My biggest dream is to become a firefighter in the us.
I will have my german high school diploma next year.
I don't know what are the the reqirements?

Sincerely,

henning haeder

[DaSharkie]

Well Henning, this being the United States adn all, we will welcome you with open arms and ask that you contribute to our great country.

Now, obviously, you will have to get here first adn each and every state has its own rules regarding what to do to become certified. Here in Massachusetts you pretty much have to be affiliated with a fire department in order to take the training.

If you wish to do this for a career, then you will most likely have to become an Emergency Medical Technician as most fire departments will only hire or require members to be such. Paramedic certification is pretty much a lock to HELP you get a position. It is a long road to get there but it can be done. The trick is to never let go of your hopes and keep plugging away at it, DO NOT GIVE UP.

As I said, you will pretty much have to get here and decide on a state before the definite process can be worked out for you. Right now, the Southeastern adn Southwestern parts of the United States are growing quite rapidly and this seems to be where a lot of firefighter growth is.

[henning18]

thanks for the quick answer!

It's funny that you write about Mass. because I've lived there
as an exchange student for a year. In Ashfield. I know a couple ppl in greenfield, too.

An Emergency Medical Technician... that sounds very interesting.
Will that be the startoff for a career ?

I will try to find some information about that at my school here.

thanks again,

Henning

[baudyna]

Hi,hennings,I'm from Czech republic and I just started the school.I can give you all details.I'm in South Florida.It is little bit harder on us foreigners,but it can be done.You can email me,if you want more info.Including student visa etc.

[jamesbutler]

Hi Henning -
I am not sure what sort of difficulty you will have since you are not a U.S. citizen, but it will probably help you enormously if you have your Paramedic license. There is a lot of competition from U.S. citizens for firefighter jobs, so it would probably be difficult otherwise.

However! There are many departments that are desperate for bilingual people. I know there are some departments on the East and West coasts that need people who can speak Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and most definitely Spanish. German isn't as in demand as Spanish, but you may have some luck near larger U.S. cities. Ask around to find out where there are lots of German immigrants. Lucky for us Americans, most of you speak English! I studied German myself, but I have never used it on the job as a firefighter.

[baudyna]

did you get my email,about all the details?Did not hear from you ,yet.I,guess,you are just to busy with school.Be safe.Simona

[firemanjb]

Originally posted by henning18
Hey,

I am 18 years old and go a german high school.
My biggest dream is to become a firefighter in the us.
I will have my german high school diploma next year.
I don't know what are the the reqirements?

Sincerely,

henning haeder

To be employed in the US, you must be either a citizen or obtain a work visa. Student visas generally do not allow work status, but there are some exceptions. In general, to obtain a work visa requires that the applicant (you) prove that he provides a skill that cannot be met by the US labor force. In firefighting, that might be tough to prove.

Your better option is probably to get a student visa and then work through that to get work privaledges. Once you gain work permits, my understanding is that you can change jobs as you wish.

[barbarossa]

Whats up,

I actually lived in germany for 11 years. first thing you probably need to do is get a green card.Once you do that, register at a community college and aply for an emt- basic program. Then you will need to get fire certified which can be a 3 to 6 month course. with those two certificates there are many job openings. If you have any questions e-mail me at jerryvau@yahoo.com