Fireman I have some question's. Please help

**Johny Utah** · 08-08-2006, 04:17 PM

I wanted to know what do I have to do to become a fireman? Was it difficult to become one? How long does it take to get the job? Are you happy with being one? Do you look forward to being at work? How are the hours? Is it financially good? I would like to hopefully get a chance at becoming one. I would like to work as one in a small city. Thank you.

tater_salad · 08-08-2006, 07:53 PM

Just ask the town about the position, or ask firefighters. They usually have physical requirements. A good site for firefighters is www.firehouse.com They have listings, but you have to pay to access that stuff. Just ask around in the town you want to join. I'm a volunteer, so I do it for the love. Most paid ffs are into it for love, not money. Money all depends on location and knowledge.

Good luck in joining the brotherhood, man. Remember, if a good firefighter were sent to hell, they'd put it out!

**Firebug** · 08-09-2006, 12:54 AM

I have flipped through applications online over there in the states. Pretty straight forward and have some info about the job and FAQ.

I would think the criteria for an urban firie would be similar in most places with a wide selection of applicants. In Oz the main hurdle is your medical. Fitness is a must. School levels would vary, but usually if you have shown an ability to learn either by trade, college or other means, all should be apples.

We cover all aspects of the job here. Structural residential, structural industrial, HAZMAT incidents, rescue, search & rescue, first aid trauma, bushfires, motor vehicle accidents, etc...

Love the job. Not the type of job you dred having to go to. Pretty good dollars, as you move up, the less you do and the more you get paid. Our hours consist of 12-12 shifts or 10-14 shifts.

You'll have a real sense of comradry amongst your workmates. Everyone watches everyone elses back. And your community will look up to you with respect. Gotta love dragging Santa around town at chrissy time for the kiddies.

Hope this helps

Bill

**Firehawk1120** · 08-09-2006, 12:55 PM

I am not one but my brother has been one for many years. He started out on the volunteer dept. in town. That is the best way to get experience because they can always use volunteers. If your down doesn't have a volunteer squad then you may have a tougher time.

You normally have to take a written exam first. After the written exam depending on your score you go take a physical exam. If you pass both of those your name goes on a list. Then there is usually a panel of people you have to interview with. If you are one of the few selected for the job they will hire you.

Now if you are 35 or older you probably aren't eligible any more unless you've had past service with the military. i.e. you served for 3-5 years in the army and are 35 years old they take the 4 years of service and deduct it from your age so they look at you as a 31 year old. Also, having past experience on a volunteer F.D. will work in your favor as opposed to someone like me who went to college and has a degree in Accounting with no fire fighting experience. If you are like me you can go to school for fire fighting and pass the fire exam and get an equivalent of a local diploma and there are different levels like an associate degree, bachelor degree, graduate degree for normal courses as an example.

Lastly, having a college education may also be a requirement as law and fire dept. are getting more strict on the people they hire.

My brother works what is called a 24-72 shift. he works a full day at the fire house from 8 am to 8 am and then is off for the next 72 hours. The pay as mentioned earlier depends on the location. If you work a small town probably not going to get as much as a city due to risk being lower and town budgets smaller. His type of schedule allows alot of guys to also have other jobs on the 3 days they are off, land scapers, plumbers, electricians etc... so they end up making really good money and still reap the benefits of health insurance from the Fire dept.

It is a very demanding job mentally and physically but has great benefits as well. 25 years and you can retire with a pension, health benefits, etc...

Good luck.