Career Advice [with specifics]

I want to be a career FF, but my city requires all FF to be trained as Police, which requires you to be 21 and I'm only 18. So I've decided to go to school while being a volunteer and hopefully a paid Fire Cadet position will open up sooner rather than later.
I'm not sure which degree I should obtain and which would be best for my career.
Should I go to my local Tech school which offers EMT all the way to Paramedic training? Or to a Tech school that would be a 2 hour round trip for Fire Science Degree?




Thanks for reading.

What state are you in??

Is there some reason you are not applying for any department???

What are the minimum requirements just to apply in other cities or your state?? Get those first

Emt looks good paramedic better

Suggest a degree that will lead or can be used on another field of work

I live in South Carolina. My City requires FF to be also Police Officer, and you have to be 21 years of age to be a Police Officer, I'm only 18 so I that's out of the question. Also Columbia (State Capital) isn't offering any prob. positions (as stated on their website)

Honestly, should I just go and call every fire station and ask if their prob. hiring?

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Originally Posted by fire49

What state are you in??

Is there some reason you are not applying for any department???

What are the minimum requirements just to apply in other cities or your state?? Get those first

Emt looks good paramedic better

Suggest a degree that will lead or can be used on another field of work

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Once again do not limit yourself to just a few departments

Test anywhere and everywhere

Easiet is check city web sites, some depts will put their requirements online

And some will let you leave an interest card to let you know when they start taking applications

If no info yes call

Find out if any require certifications before you can even apply, if so get them

Check this out also;;,

http://www.eatstress.com/faq.htm

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Originally Posted by Empire

I live in South Carolina. My City requires FF to be also Police Officer

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Do you want to be a Firefighter?

If you go this route, you will be a cop that has PPE in his trunk, and goes to fires when not doing cop sh-t.

If you prefer police work, but like firefighting, you'll probably be ok.

If you want to be a firefighter, this isn't the way to do it.

empire, you got good info from the previous posts. and just to add:

your city sucks (im sorry to say), cops shouldnt be firefighters, firefighters shouldnt cops. there are other cities you should try and get on with. make a list of depts and check their websites regularly. i wouldnt call about hiring, but if thats the only way to know, then go for it.

your 18 yo, worry about getting schooling/certs. you dont have much to offer as a 18-20 yo (but thats not to discourage applying). get your EMT and try to get on EMS or something to get experience. degree-wise, fire science/tech. will be helpful but isnt necessarily going to help you get the job. any degree will look good for the most part.

Firefighters should not be cops. Would you call the plumber to change out your electrical breaker box? Would you have an eye doctor work on your heart? Seriously, it's two different jobs. Yes, you'll work 95%v of your life as a cop and respond to a fire as needed.

Test for every department within oh maybe 200 miles of your home. Do more of them require an Associates degree? Do most require EMT or Paramedic? Get the required training. If no one requires a degree don't waste time yet getting it if most require medic. Go after what's required. That means you need to know what they require.

Police/Fire????? Can't fight fires or write tickets. Pick one.

The closest distance between you and a fire badge is to become a medic and get some savvy street time. A medic cert opens more doors with less competition. There is an army out there with every degree, cert, education, and experience chasing about 20% of the jobs. Up to 80% of the jobs are for fire medic. What do you think your best odds are?

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Originally Posted by CaptBob

There is an army out there with every degree, cert, education, and experience chasing about 20% of the jobs. Up to 80% of the jobs are for fire medic. What do you think your best odds are?

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A side note to the above statement is that single-role fire departments (i.e. only fire - nothing else) are becoming a rarity in the US). As much as I'd love to come to the firehouse and only answer fire-related responses, the opportunity for that has greatly diminished over the past 20 years. Most FDs are, at the very least, providing EMS in either a first-responder role or a transport role.

Going back to the single-role FDs, many of those departments will, unless they assume additional roles, have an uphill battle trying to sustain the status-quo, much less grow and expand. Said another way, if I were employed by a single-role FD, I'd be a bit nervous about the future of my department and the people employed by it (i.e. job security).

Given a choice, go with a FD that provides paramedic-level EMS transport services to the community. You will have a secure job with a greater potential for career-advancement. Fire-based EMS too has been the victim of the budget shortfalls of recent times but they are poised to weather the storm better than anyone due to the critical community services (fire & EMS) that it provides.

The information that you have received from the rest is spot on. From my own experience I started out with a narrow view of where I wanted to work. I was convinced by some firefighters I met during my clinical time for one of my EMS licenses to widen my search. Several years and many tests (including paramedic) later I got my job working along side those very firefighters at a department that I initially had not considered high on my list. I have been on the job now for 3 years love every minute.