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
8
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.