Does it matter?

[Hawg4248]

I start the academy on Feb. 3rd and it is a very, very small dept. After I get some experience, does it matter where I received my FF 1&2 from? The area that I am living right now is not where I want to be, nor the surrounding area's so travel is out(kinda in the sticks). I plan on moving on in the next 3 years and I worry that because of the size of the dept's out here (1 and 2 house's) my FF 1&2 will not be reconized in other dept's. Am I worrying for nothing and thinking to far into the future?

Any thoughts would be great. Thanx in advance.

Hawg

[JayDudley]

Hawg...It depends where you are now and where you want to end up. State to State some do not take FF1 & 2 from another State. Some States will however take an experienced FF with time on the job who has been through a Fire Academy. So take it one step at a time and get your experience and time on the job and then........if you choose move on.
However....I'm sure the Department you are soon to be working for do not know of your intentions...if they did I'm sure they would think twice before training you.
Respectfully,
Jay Dudley, Retired Fire

[Kobersteen]

I have worked for Houston (TX), Washington DC and Fairfax County and all required me to go through Fire school even though I had NFPA Firefighter III.

(Note: I was on the EMS side of DC, not fire, but I would have still had to go through the entire fire school...)

[BCLepore]

Hawg,
Do everything now to make yourself the most qualified candidate you can be. You are worrying about something three years from now. If you do it correctly, you will already be a firefighter by then.
Enroll in school, become active in your local department, complete your EMT training, and keep a good clean employment history.
As was already pointed out, most large departments will require you attend their academy. Already having a FF 1 and 2 means to us that you can learn technical information and work with your hands. While your certifications may not exactly transfer across, we respect the fact that you have already earned them.
Good luck in your endeavors,

Paul Lepore
Battalion Chief
www.aspiringfirefighters.com

[UpAllNight]

I worked for a samller fire dept. and decided to go to a much larger dept. I had my FF II cert. EMT cert. etc, but still had to go through their academy. It seems that the larger fire depts. want to put you through their training no matter your certs. If you're already certified it should make the academy a little easier for you. Good luck!!