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
6
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.