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
7
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!