Firefighter (Training)
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How To Become A Firefighter
Every year, fires and other emergencies take thousands of lives and destroy property worth billions of dollars. If you become a firefighter you help protect the public against these dangers by responding to fires and a variety of other emergencies.
Firefighters work in a variety of settings, including metropolitan areas, rural areas with grasslands and forests, airports, chemical plants and other industrial sites. They have also assumed a range of responsibilities, including emergency medical services.
Many people are attracted to becoming a firefighter because it is challenging and provides the opportunity to perform an essential public service. As such, prospective firefighters face keen competition for available job openings.
How to become a firefighter varies slightly from department to department, but general application requirements to enter a firefighter training program are to: be at least 18 years old (sometimes 21); be physically fit; have a clean criminal record. Among the personal qualities you need are mental alertness, self-discipline, courage, mechanical aptitude, endurance, strength, and a sense of public service. Initiative and good judgment also are extremely important.
Most firefighters have at least a high school diploma, however, the completion of community college courses, or in some cases, an associate degree, in fire science may improve your chances of a job. A number of colleges and universities offer courses leading to 2 or 4 year degrees in fire engineering.
Both a written exam and a physical test must be passed before you are accepted on to a training program. The written exam typically consists of around 100 multiple choice questions and covers spatial awareness, reading comprehension, mechanical reasoning, logic, observation and memory. The primary focus of the physical ability test is agility, upper body strength and endurance. Each task is timed and tests your capacity to endure sustained physical activity.
If accepted on to a firefighting training program you will spend about 600 hours in training, over the course of 12 to 14 weeks, learning how to become a firefighter. Through classroom instruction and practical training, you will study fire fighting techniques, fire prevention, hazardous materials control, local building codes, and emergency medical procedures, including first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). After successfully completing this training, you are assigned to a fire company, where you undergo a period of probation.
Average salaries are around $30,000, though experience working overtime can significantly increase this amount. Additional benefits usually include medical and liability insurance, vacation and sick leave, and some paid holidays. Pension plans providing retirement at half pay after 25 years of service, or if you’re disabled in the line of duty, are also normally on offer.
To progress to higher level positions within the firefighting profession, you need to acquire expertise in advanced firefighting equipment and techniques, building construction, emergency medical technology, writing, public speaking, management and budgeting procedures, and public relations. Usually, after becoming a firefighter, the first promotion is to engineer, then lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief, and, finally, chief.