How do you become a Firefighter in you Dept.?

[Marcus17Nelson]

I wanna know how you become a FF1 or FF2 in your dept. how do you get cleared for interior work and stuff. Here in Fairfax County you have to be an EMT-B and then you have to be a FF2 in order to ride as a firefighter. How do you do it?

[tree68]

Submit application.
Be interviewed by Fire Council.
Get voted in by membership.
Attend FF1 class when available (usually two a year).
Learn the equipment we have.
Make calls and whatever other training is available (extrication, hazmat, etc).

FF2 is hard to get around here - there might be one class offered in a year. Sometimes not even that.

As mentioned in another thread, we also have available "Scene Support Operations" for members who, for whatever reason, won't be going interior. This might be an older member who is still fully capable of providing support - ie, running a pump, driving a tanker, managing equipment on the scene, but may not wish, or be able, to use SCBA.

[Eng34FF]

I wanna know how you become a FF1 or FF2 in your dept. how do you get cleared for interior work and stuff. Here in Fairfax County you have to be an EMT-B and then you have to be a FF2 in order to ride as a firefighter. How do you do it?

Becomming a FF1 or FF2 is a matter of attending and passing the MFRI class. We don't really distinguish between the two in practice, it doesn't matter until you get into the officer positions.

In order to qualify to go interior, you have to have completed FF1. We also require that a new member get cut loose on the ambulance (at least as an aid) before moving to the fire apparatus. In order to be fully cut loose on the engine, you need FF1 and to complete our in-house training which includes basic skills (laying out, throwing ladders, advancing attack lines, radio procedures), RIT/Mayday training, and appratus familiarity.

[Rice09]

Fill application
Pass background check
Membership comm. meeting and interview
Department vote
Pass physical
Take FF1 or Scene Support Class
Department training
Pass probation period evaluation

[Stubs]

Fill out Application.
Interview with Chief
Interview with Panel (usually 3 officers and 2 FF)
Dept. Vote
Physical

After all that:

Rookie 1 year.
1 try to pass FF1
miss no more than 30 hours of training a year. or no more than 4 training in a row. (we train every other tues.)

[LaFireEducator]

Fill out application.

Attend 4 training nights as an observer, then you are issued a vest and pager. For the next 12 weeks you respond as anobserver to non-EMS calls and participate in training.

At week 16 you are voted on.You are then issued gear and likely will be issued a portable.

You then begin the formal training process. To complete the process you must 1) Complete NIMS 100 & 200 2) Complete a computer-based FFI program 3) Complete a Department-Relevant FFI Skill Sheet and 4) Complete a 100 question department-developed test combining selected FFI skills and department specific information. The entire process takes 6-9 months depending on motivation and time available. During this training period you respond on calls as a member and are assigned tasks up to your current level of training, which can include interior operations as part of a crew if you have completed your SCBA training and at least 2 burns.

We do not require FFI for Firefighter status. We offer the class and encourage it but do not make it mandatory. We also not require EMS training beyond CPR but most of our members do take at least First Responder.

[johnsb]

On my POC, you just have to have the Ohio State minimum 36 hour volunteer card. Once you get hired, and are outfitted with gear you can go in. We don't have any exterior/interior designation. That being said, our dept. trains way more than the average dept., we had 111 hrs of training in 2012, and about 2/3's of the dept has FF1 or FF2 certification. But even those that have only a 36 hour card still have lots of training under their belt.

[ffmace161]

Fill application
Pass background check
meeting and interview
officer vote
Pass physical
take cpr class to be able to go on ems calls
Take FF1 to be able to do anything fun on a fire ground and has to be done and passed before ur yr
probation period is over
most members take emt and ff2 after off probation

[BoxAlarm187]

- Fill out application
- Pass NCIC background & DMV check
- Meet with Board of Directors
- Board makes (or does not make) recommendation to the membership
- Membership votes you in and 6 months probation starts
- Immediately start working on your "Rookie Book" to get cleared to ride each rig individually
- Have "Rookie Book" completed within 6 months of getting voted in
- Obtain Firefighter I (200 hours) within 18 months of being voted in (offer one FF1 per year)
- Can begin to fight fire with Firefighter I, HazMat Ops, and with permission of the Chief
- Members are STRONGLY encouraged to obtain FFII, which is generally offered immediately after FFI

We do not require EMT, although we do encourage it.