How To Become A Firefighter
For those of you with little siblings or those of you who are babysitters🍼, do you recall the Nick Jr. show, “Paw Patrol”🐾?
Well, this show📺 is basically about a group of six rescue dogs🐶 and a little boy👦 go out and help serve their community. In the real world, firefighters 🚒 are the ones who come to the rescue when we are in need.
What is a Firefighter?
A firefighter is a person who is trained to extinguish🧯 dangerous fires🔥 and save, or rescue, civilians from varying situations. These situations include collapsing buildings🏢 burning houses🏠 and car accidents.
What are the Duties of a Firefighter?
Firefighters are often in charge of:
- Extinguishing fires🧯
- Providing emergency medical care🏥
- Rescuing people from hazardous situations🙋
- Teaching the public about safety issues 🦺
- Creating fire escape plans 📋
Different Ranks of Firefighters:📶
- Volunteer Firefighter
- Probationary Firefighter
- Firefighter/EMT
- Firefighter/Paramedic
- Driver Engineer
- Lieutenant
- Captain
- Battalion Chief
- Assistant Chief
- Fire Chief
What Are the Requirements to Become a Firefighter? ✅
To become a firefighter, there are certain requirements that you must meet:
- You must be physically 🏋and mentally🧠 fit. (There will be wellness checks done on you.)
- You must be 18 years or older.
- You must not be claustrophobic 🚪(fear of closed spaces) or acrophobic🎢 (fear of heights).
- You should be able to work within a team🤝.
- You must have an education in EMT/Paramedic and Fire Science.
- Having a degree 📜may be helpful in your hiring process, but is not necessary. A degree in math or sciences is preferable.
Which Colleges Are Good to Attend for Firefighter? 🎓
Many good colleges offer exceptional firefighter programs! Some of the well-renowned schools are listed below:
- CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- University of Cincinnati
- Madonna University
- University of New Haven
- American Public University System
- Lake Superior State University
- Columbia Southern University
- Siena Heights University
- Utah Valley University
- University of Alaska Fairbanks
For more🔎 details and a list of the best firefighter schools in 2021, check out👉 this link!
Internships
If you are interested in the field and want to get a feel for what it is like to be a firefighter🚒, check out the opportunities listed below👇!
- NOTE: This experience is for those in the Austin, Texas area!
- NOTE: This experience is for those in Iowa!
- NOTE: This experience is for those in the Fortuna, California area!
Online Courses
There are a variety of online courses (paid 🤑 and free 🆓) that you can start to take as a high schooler! They are entirely virtual! Check out websites like Udemy and EDX for thousands of classes you might be interested in!
Listed below is a list of a few courses regarding Firefighters!📚
- Remote Sensing of Wildfires (EDX)
- NOTE: This course is free!
- Playing With Fire (EDX)
- NOTE: This course is free!
- How to Become a Firefighter! (Udemy)
- NOTE: There is a cost attached to this course! 💰
- Firefighter Code: Pass Your Firefighter Oral Board Interview (Udemy)
- NOTE: There is a cost attached to this course! 💰
Work Conditions
Firefighters often work in urban🏙 and remote🌲 areas, depending on where the fire🔥 is. They must be physically fit 💪 in order to carry people🫂 out of houses, use the heavy hoses, and hold the weight of the protective gear🦺 they wear. This will allow them to perform their duties well. Often, firefighters have to work overtime/long periods; for example, they may work 24 hours⏰ shifts some days, followed by 48 days off afterward.
Job Outlook💼
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 8% increase 📈in employment for firefighters between 2020 and 2030. This is as fast as the average 📊 rate of growth of a job, which is not too bad😎 in terms of job growth and availability!
Salary 💸
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2020, the yearly salary 💲 for firefighters was $52,500.
❗REMEMBER: Salary depends on the position, qualifications, experience, and education an individual has received!❗
Want More Options? 🤔
Are you interested in the work of firefighters but want more options? Don’t worry. We’re here to help! 👼
Below is a list of some jobs which deal with similar aspects to firefighting!
- Emergency Medical Technicians🏥
- Ambulance Drivers🚑
- Fire Inspectors🔥
- Fire Investigators🔥
- Heavy Truck Drivers🛻
- Police Patrol Officer👮
- Paramedic🏥
- Park Rangers🏞
- Ship Captains🚢
- Occupational Health and Safety Technicians🦺
Closing Remarks on Becoming a Firefighter
After reading this article, if you think firefighting is for you, you should definitely check out some of the opportunities listed above😄. If there aren’t any internships that you can attend which are listed above, contact 📱your local fire department! Good luck🍀 towards finding your passions!