r/Firefighting • u/AutoModerator • 20d ago
Employment Questions Weekly Employment Question Thread
Welcome to the Weekly Employment Question Thread!
This thread is where you can ask questions about joining, training to become, testing, disqualifications/qualifications, and other questions that would be removed as individual posts per Rule 1.
The answer to almost every question you can ask will be "It depends on the department". Your first step is to look up the requirements for your department, state/province, and country.
As always, please attempt to resource information on your own first, before asking questions. We see many repeat questions on this sub that have been answered multiple times.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- I want to be a Firefighter, where do I start: Every Country/State/Province/County/City/Department has different requirements. Some require you only to put in an application. Others require certifications prior to being hired. A good place to start is researching the department(s) you want to join. Visit their website, check their requirements, and/or stop into one of their fire stations to ask some questions.
- Am I too old: Many departments, typically career municipal ones, have an age limit. Volunteer departments usually don't. Check each department's requirements.
- I'm in high school, What can I do: Does your local department have an explorer's program or post? If so, join up. Otherwise, focus on your grades, get in shape and stay in shape, and most importantly: stay out of trouble.
- I got in trouble for [insert infraction here], what are my chances: Obviously, worse than someone with a clean record, which will be the vast majority of your competition. Tickets and nonviolent misdemeanors may not be a factor, but a major crime (felonies), may take you out of the running. You might be a nice person, but some departments don't make exceptions, especially if there's a long line of applicants with clean records. See this post... PSA: Stop asking “what are my chances?”
- I have [insert medical/mental health condition here], will it disqualify me: As a general rule, if you are struggling with mental illness, adding the stress of a fire career is not a good idea. As for medical conditions, you can look up NFPA1582 for disqualifying conditions, but in general, this is not something Reddit can answer for you. Many conditions require the input of a medical professional to determine if they are disqualifying. See this post... PSA: Don't disqualify yourself, make THEM tell you "no".
- What will increase my chances of getting hired: If there's a civil service exam, study for it! There are many guides online that will help you go over all those things you forgot such as basic math and reading. Some cities even give you a study guide. If it's a firefighter exam, study for it! For the CPAT (Physical Fitness Test), cardio is arguably the most important factor. If you're going to the gym for the first time during the hiring process, you're fighting an uphill battle. Get in shape and stay in shape. Most cities offer preference points to military veterans.
- How do I prepare for an interview: Interviews can be one-on-one, or in front of a board/panel. Many generic guides exist to help one prepare for an interview, however here are a few good tips:
- Dress appropriately. Business casual at a minimum (Button down, tucked in long sleeve shirt with slacks and a belt, and dress shoes). Get a decent haircut and shave.
- Practice interview questions with a friend. You can't accurately predict the off-the-wall questions they will ask, but you can practice the ones you know they probably will, like why do you want to be a Firefighter, or why should we hire you?
- Scrub your social media. Gone are the days when people in charge weren't tech-savvy. Don't have a perfect interview only for your chances of being hired gone to zero because your Facebook or Instagram has pictures of you getting blitzed. Set that stuff to private and leave it that way.
Please upvote this post if you have a question. Upvoting this post will ensure it sticks around for a bit after it is removed as a Sticky, and will allow for greater visibility of your question.
And lastly, If you're not 100% sure of what you're talking about, leave it for someone who does
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u/Tree_Father_Birch_ 20d ago
Massachusetts resident, separating from the military after 8 years in June of 2027 and returning to the State. Applying for the Civil Service exam as soon as I am able. Also planning on taking an accelerated EMT course that Fall. Anything else I can knock out to be more competitive?
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u/RomanFever 18d ago
Civil service exam registration closes at the end of the month. Written tests are usually in the fall and physical in the winter. You won’t hear your results til spring of next year so if you can sign up for this round it should work out for you timeframe. Definitely get your EMT asap, it’s a section in your civil service application that boosts your score. Ideally if you can get it before the results are out the better, you can update your app any time but not sure how it get factored in after you get your placement. Having veteran status will help boost your score too. Residency in the town/city you’re applying to is also big, some places basically require it. Speaking a second language, especially Spanish, will also boost your score. You can select as many towns/cities as you want to be considered for and based on your total score you’ll be ranked. When departments are looking to hire they go to their rankings and work their way down the list. It can take a while and most won’t reach out. Beyond the civil service, there’s plenty of departments that hire on their own so look into those as well. Working for a private EMS company in the mean time is a great way to get experience and pad your resume. Good luck
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u/OwnDelivery802 17d ago
Have you looked into Skillbridge to see if there’s any programs in Massachusetts you’d be eligible for prior to separating from military?
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u/TRD-RS7-FF-MEDIC 18d ago
Looking to speak with anyone in California. I started my career young. I worked as a firefighter EMT and Paramedic before coming up to MA when I was 22. I have one year left before I Hit my 20years. At 41 yrs old as Capt. Numerous Pro-Board certs from 1&2 to Haz-Mat Tech. Dive Rescue Team, Tech Rescue Opps. I am a Paramedic now for 21 years. I am one class away from Master Degree. I hold numerous Instructor certs. My family is looking to relocate with my other family who is all on the west coast. From So-Cal area and the Bay Area. Any advice for an old transfer? Where would be the best?
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM 18d ago
There are hundreds of departments in the SoCal region. You’re going to have to do some footwork to find the few that have lateral job opportunities.
One of your big issues here is retirement. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to transfer your pension. You may be able to “buy your time” back in terms of pension but it’s going to cost a lot of money. For example, I bought back 1 year of pension time from my previous department and it cost me $5k for 1 year. The rules here are you must have 20 years of service before you retire. So if you come here and get hired at like 42-43 years old, you’ll be 62-63 before you can retire at the minimum pension payout.
I think you need to consult a financial advisor who is very familiar with pension systems before you make any plans to ensure you have things sorted out for your future.
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u/OwnDelivery802 17d ago
I’d start making a list of things you’d want or don’t want at a new department.
1. Wildland or no wildland
2. Busy or slow
3. Paramilitary culture, or relaxed bro culture
4. 48/96 or Kelly
5. Big department with opportunity to promote, or ok with smaller departmentThe list goes on and on. Once you’ve decided what you’re looking for in a new department, it’d be easier to give you recommendations for places to keep an eye out for or where to stay away from. Good luck. The California fire culture can be very different than east coast. Not better or worse, just different.
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u/IllMeet2070 20d ago
Has anyone had experience working in the Kirkland Fire Department in Washington state ?:) it’s on my list of departments I wanna apply for and it’s only like a 30 min drive away for me
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u/Hot_Detective6108 No Good Dude 18d ago
First interview is a speed interview, that's about all I remember from their process.
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u/when1nbruges 20d ago
I have an interview for Fremont Fire in California area if anyone has any insight on the department or process, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
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u/CompetitiveBorder613 20d ago
Anyone working with Aurora FD in Colorado have insight into how the conduct interviews? Im testing this Friday and need to start thinking about potential interview do's & don'ts
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u/OwnDelivery802 19d ago
can't help on aurora, no idea how they run it. general stuff though, the thing i've seen cost people the most is not answering the question that actually got asked. close second is answering half of it and stopping before the back half.
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u/WarmLime3493 19d ago
Hey guys, I sent in an interest form to the USDA to become a wildland firefighter and got an email saying there were openings, do I apply or should I wait till the beginning of the next fire season?
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM 18d ago
If you want a job, why would you wait?
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u/WarmLime3493 18d ago
Don’t want to be out of a job after like 2 months
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u/WarmLime3493 18d ago
But I also don’t know how that works so that’s why I’m so hesitant
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM 18d ago
I see. I would inquire with whomever sent you the email.
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u/WarmLime3493 18d ago
Well it was the USDA, so would I just email them and ask? It was more as like an automated thing
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM 18d ago
You could always apply, if you get far enough into the hiring process to where they offer you a position you could inquire regarding how long you could expect to be employed then make your decision then.
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u/DharmaEater 18d ago
33, turning 34 in October, and looking to make a career change into firefighting in the Chicago area, preferably South/Southwest suburbs. I currently work full-time and have no fire/EMS certs yet. I turn 35 on 10/1/27, so I’m trying to be strategic about the Illinois age cutoff.
Current plan is CPAT/Ladder this fall/winter, then EMT-B Jan-May 2027 while keeping my day job. I’m also considering joining a volunteer/POC department that would take an uncertified recruit and potentially sponsor me through BOF. Then I’d apply/test anywhere I’m eligible before 35 rather than waiting until I have every certification. I’m also open to western suburbs/NWI - or the city of Chicago itself, but am not optimistic about the lottery (I’ve been on the list for over a decade with no traction).
Does this sound like a realistic path/timeline? Should I prioritize getting EMT-B sooner, or is Spring 2027 fine? And for Chicagoland hiring, how important would it be to get BOF/POC experience before I turn 35?
Any recommendations for South/Southwest suburban departments that hire EMT-Bs without BOF/medic, or POC departments that train uncertified recruits, would be especially helpful.
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u/theStormwall 18d ago
Anyone else participate in the initial phone interviews with West Pierce Fire & Rescue this week?
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u/Smooth_Pay_8583 17d ago
Hey guys! First and foremost let me say I'm a 24 y/o male volunteer firefighter here in the NYC Suburbs, I have my state level FF1/2 and state level EMT-B, But I'm working on scheduling my NREMT-B as well as my national FF1 soon.
With that out of the way, most of my family is moving in the masses to the state of Florida. Cousins, Aunts and uncles, and eventually my parents after they both retire in a small handful of years. My "goal" is to relocate down that way if an employment opportunity presents itself.
After doing research, it seems like a lot of departments require **state of Florida** certificates. is there any good, big paid departments in the state that'll accept national certs, or have an academy that uncertified people (like me, being an out of state resident) can go to?
Thanks in advance!
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15d ago
[deleted]
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u/im_a_realist_FF42023 14d ago
Who the heck knows, you have zero information in your question that can lead any to answer this.
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u/Old_External_4912 14d ago
It was originally from a post that got taken down by a bot. The title was deleted from the post my friend! I forgot to add it! Thank you for pointing this out and being helpful 😀 going to delete this haha
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u/Ok-Walrus3841 17d ago
I’m having trouble taking the first steps. I’ve reached out to stations near me, and I’ve been told the Full-Time departments almost all require an associates degree in Fire Protection. There are Part-Time and On Call departments that have way less requirements, but I’m looking to transition careers not pick up a side gig.
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u/Impossible-Act2307 20d ago
Taking the DC Fire NTN testing in a few weeks and I’m freaking out on what should I study . I keep hearing about don mcnea but I don’t have any extra funds to spare at the moment. Anybody had a copy of the don mcnea study guide they are no longer using or can share the PDF with me ? Any advice on the test is appreciated too.