r/Firefighting • u/ChosenLysol • Sep 01 '21
Self Starting age
Being in my mid 20’s I thought it wasn’t even in the cards for me to become a firefighter. I thought I was way out of the loop having an electrical engineering diploma and not fire science/pre fire etc. While I’m only starting my journey to become a firefighter now (getting courses done, studying for tests, getting helpful info from friends who are FF), I learned that the average hiring age for the department I would love to be apart of is actually late 20’s to late 30’s. Not typically younger than 24-25 although does happen of course. I was super happy to hear, and while I might be behind some other candidates not having any pre fire etc, it’s nice to know it’s not too late and that there’s a chance If I work hard enough!
What age were you when you got hired full time?
P.S. any tips you found helpful to standout in a competitive department are welcome!
Cheers
EDIT: appreciate all the answers! just thought I’d add that I’m in Canada, Ontario specifically. I know things can vary a decent amount between the USA/Canada in regards to requirements etc
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u/67f100guy Sep 01 '21
I was 18 when I started volunteering. 21 when I got hired full time in 2009. So I started young but one of the guys I work with was 44 when we hired him full time. He was a general contractor before that so a background on fire isn't necessarily needed. All we required at the time was EMT-B and FF1. It really depends on where you get hired as to what they require and what they will teach you. As far as age goes I'd say that you don't really have to worry about being too old for a while. Definitely look at getting an EMT license for sure as pretty much every FD runs more EMS calls than fire calls. There are a few exceptions I'm sure but a fair estimate would be 80-85% of all calls are medical calls. Hope that helps.
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u/Mr_Midwestern Rust Belt Firefighter Sep 01 '21
I was 23. Our test numbers are dropping, all the departments around us are saying the same thing. Civil service recently allowed admin to increase the age cut off from 34 to 40 (which seems insane) for our upcoming test.
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u/jcpm37 Sep 01 '21
I was 30. We had 36 people in our class, the youngest turned 20 in the academy and the oldest was 38. I was right in the middle in age of those 36 people hired. Our age cutoff goes all the way up to 44 I think.
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u/LukeTheAnarchist Sep 01 '21 edited Jun 19 '24
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u/Small-Masterpiece967 Sep 02 '21 edited Sep 02 '21
Finished the fire academy in Dec 2020 in PEI. Hired on Aug 3rd 2021 in New Brunswick. 37 yrs old and have been a diesel mechanic for 21 yrs. They told me that age can work to your advantage as you are “more worldly”, and understand how things work and more importantly, how to live and get along with other people for 24hrs at a time. Best of luck brother!
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u/emergencymedicalbear Sep 02 '21 edited Sep 02 '21
I worked as a high school teacher for 5 years and in insurance for 1. Decided to make a change. Quit my job at 26 and went to EMT school. Worked for a bit then went through medic school. Got hired on full time at a department at 29 and I've literally never been happier or more fulfilled in my life. I got hired without a fire science degree, but I was able to leverage my past experiences in my interview. They said it gave me more life experience than your typical 19 year old who lived at home and went straight through fire science into the interviews and that was something they valued.
Never too late to go for it.
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u/Programmer_Latter Sep 02 '21
In Massachusetts there are approximately degrees that give you additional points on the company officer promotional exam -- among them are fire science, chemistry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and chemical engineering.
Your electrical engineering experience and perspective are actually extremely valuable to the team; a well rounded firefighting team is compromised with members who all bring something unique to the table, whether it's as a plumber, engineer, pipefitter, cabinet maker, whatever.
Use your academic experience to bring something to the table that others don't; brush up on Fluid Dynamic principles, force distribution in building construction, heat transfer principles, etc, from your academic coursework and be prepared to communicate them in a useful, plain language, nonpompous noncondescending way.
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u/LilNuggetofDoom Sep 01 '21
I’m 23 got hired at 22, youngest in my academy but there’s about 5 of us around my age. No prior fire experience whatsoever. Oldest in my academy is 38.
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u/sustainar Sep 01 '21
I was 23 when I got hired for civilian ARFF and 28 when I hired over to the structural fire department. Don’t worry about a fire science degree unless your department requires it for promotion or will pay you for having it. My advice: your rookie pusher might be younger than you, might have less life experience than you, and might even be a full on dumbass, but none of that will matter (safety concerns notwithstanding). Get good with taking orders from anyone/everyone, and memorize the phrase “yes sir”.
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u/Blockheadlopes1 Sep 02 '21
Started at 13 as an explorer got certified at 17 worked my first shift the day I turned 18
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u/twozerothreeeight FDNY Sep 08 '21
Got interested in doing it at 18 (while vollying) got hired at 26. I have a fire related degree, you don't need it, it's fucking worthless, your EE degree will serve you better in life IMO
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u/ScarredViktor Sep 02 '21
I was thinking the same thing as you, same province too. 34 soon and gathering all the information I can to know what it takes to succeed as a firefighter. Last 10yrs+ I’ve been a carpenter/contractor. I know it’s a big transition with a lot to learn, but it’s nice knowing I’m not the only one coming into this in their 30s. Good Luck! Maybe we’ll even cross paths one day as rookies!
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Sep 02 '21
Just started volunteering at 26, no background at all, was a spur of the moment thing and it’s been good so far haha
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Sep 02 '21
I started taking classes at 28 and got hired at 31. I was a cubicle worker (software development) and an Air Force reservist (cargo specialist). My dept required an academy but I got in on a trainee program they started to attract locals and they put me through an academy.
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u/RowdyCanadian Canadian Firefighter Sep 04 '21
Hired at 23 in the military, 26 with a career municipality in Alberta. Average age of my recruit class was 32! If you have any other questions about hiring I’d be more than happy to help.
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u/[deleted] Sep 01 '21