Another fire newbie

[JuicyJ]

Hey everyone,

First off, I am 22 years old and looking into a career change. I have always wanted to be in the fire service, but always hesistant to give it a try. Well I have finally decided that I should do what i want now instead of looking back and regretting what I shoudve done.

I have done numerous searches on the forums and have found conflicting ideas of approching the fire service as a career. Many things that I have noticed are reccomendations to work as a volunteer while others say the academey is the way to go. I have come to the conclusion that formal trainning along with experience in volunteering and EMS will increase my chances.

In all I have summed up my plan of attack and open to suggestions.
I plan to join the academey in the summer, while taking my EMT and fire science course work with an Associates degree. After I plan on volunteering at a local department to gain experience. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[kghemtp]

I'll tell you, like Capt Bob writes, the papers that identify you as FF1 or FF2 or EMT-B are nice, but they're not everything. Employers are wanting people they know can get along with others, work together as a group. Face it, academies are good for what they are, but it's not all real world. Yes, the fire & heat might be real, but you're there a short time and only get introduced to teamwork. ANY time on a fire truck or real scene is going to give you experience that you'll bring to an oral board. Time on a volunteer/call/full time department ALL give the benefit of humbling experiences. When you've washed every truck, swept floors, cleaned bathrooms, taken all the ribbing that senior FF's are giving to a probie... an oral board is more likely to listen to what you have to say. I do landscaping as another job. Anyone can buy a truck & a lawnmower to call himself a landscaper. Anyone can don gear and call himself a firefighter. Do the job instead of talking about it, and you'll gain respect of those who can put you where you want to be. Best of luck with everything. Keep us posted, and always ask questions of anything that comes up.

[JuicyJ]

Thanks for the info. I totally agree with what you said. Personally I believe experience in the field rather than the classroom is much more valuble. However, is it possible for one to get picked up by a station with only volunteer experience? I figure with both the academy and volunteering, my commodity increases?

[kghemtp]

There are varying schools of thought about training (do all the fire training/do all the medical). Well, you're going to get a feel for the fire service in FF1, whether at the academy or a department-sponsored class. You're not going to know if you're ready & willing to deal with fire & adverse conditions if you haven't done it. If you can get some real fire (academy AND real scenes), you'll show a full-time department that you have some ability to do it. I started at our NH Fire Academy without ever having touched a truck or nozzle, and I had no idea if things would work out. Fortunately I already had medical training, so I didn't have to worry about getting that too. That's the other angle to look from-- do you want to be a paramedic? It's expensive to take the training, whether a year-long hospital program or a degree. However, it might interest you and further your abilities in getting the dream job. It's not the ONLY selling point, though, as there are terrific FF/EMT's that will never pursue higher EMS and work a fulfilling career. EMT is definitely the other good step to start with, and I'd even venture to say most FF1 classes can be done at the same time as EMT. Many hospitals, ambulance services, and fire departments are sponsoring EMT classes, so that would be good for you. From there you're quite marketable as a bona fide FF/EMT. The volunteer experience will be an added asset, where you've applied lessons from class to real world situations. You will have touched a pump panel instead of just reading about it or doing the lesson in class.

Feel free to write me at kghemtp@hotmail.com if there's anything else I might be able to offer. Take care

[JuicyJ]

Thanks for the info kghemtp. I have made arrangements for the up comming state accredited fire academey. Also, several of the depts. around here offer there own academies. Will completing a private academy negatively hurt my chances with one of these departments?

Thanks

[kghemtp]

Starting training at a different academy will not likely hurt your chances. If anything I would say it should better your chance because you'll have the exposure to various equipment, techniques, and so forth. It's possible a bigger department might send you through their academy anyway, so be prepared for that (you'll end up doing things twice, and maybe 2 different ways). Often in these kinds of situations where departments train you in THEIR ways, you shouldn't have an opinion about how you did it somewhere else. That's the reason they do the whole program themselves!

[JuicyJ]

Kevin,

Again thanks for you insight on the matter. I just returned from a visit for a local FD. They were very informative. What I got from them is that the future of firefighting is moving towards paramedics/ff. They say many departments dont even hire strictly ff any more, and ff/emts are not cutting it now. What is your opinion of this? Being a paramedic was never an intrest to me. I have always wanted to be an engineer or tillerman. Does going the paramedic route give me a wider door in?