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👇!

• LBJ Fire Academy

• NOTE: This experience is for those in the Austin, Texas area!

• National Junior Firefighter Program
• Firefighter Student Practicum

• NOTE: This experience is for those in Iowa!

• Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department

• 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!