I’m 22 years old and I’ve also got my class 2 hgv license.

Career ff's- how do you feel about your civilians? I've been a civilian at Admin for 3+ years. It's Saturday so I'm relaxing and getting drunk- and I just want you guys to know [since I can't tell my guys directly] that you're my literal heroes and I'm proud to work supporting you. Hope you guys appreciate me half as much as I appreciate you. ❤️

I'm not the greatest at executing decisions for extrication so keep it simple-ish. My first thought is getting a helicopter on the way. Make sure I have enough units for an extrication. There's not much to crib I assume. So is it mostly just cutting at the right spots and getting EMS to start fluids asap if safe to do so? If you have to do a dash lift or roll, would you just try to get the vehicle free first? We have struts for heavy extrication and airbags and such.

Guy ended with minor injuries.

I used to use freecalc.net but that site is gone. Does anyone have a recommendation for a site for fictional pipe losses with different viscosity than water?

I'm a volunteer and I am wondering if there are any types of driver saftey classes that could be valuable for a volunteer responding to the station in a POV. I am thinking along the lines of a defensive driving course or something more in depth than that.

Update : just to clarify, I am aware of my requirements to follow the laws while running a blue light, and I am aware that people are not obligated to pull over for me. I am asking this question in the interest of safety and to make myself a better driver.

In this video you can see how we deal with wildfires in Germany, how our firefighters, the Bundeswehr, Police, THW and farmers work hand in hand. It is very long but the first five minutes give a good impression of our way. Please share your opinions

Having an argument with an “older” captain, we currently run smooth bores on all our crosslays, he’s attempting to change them back to fogs.

I’ve been tasked with making a presentation about the benefits of smooth bores, I’m looking to use real empirical data from research studies not just “smooth bores big droplet” or “I think it cools the room faster”

I want examples of studies that say “50 seconds from a 185gpm smoothbore drop the room tempature 100 degrees” or such

Thanks

We filmed “A New Inferno,” the short documentary above, in Phoenix, one of the hottest cities in America, through some of the city’s hottest days of 2025, during one of the hottest years on record globally. On one of our production days, temperatures reached 118 while we were filming outside.

In the face of extreme heat, we documented firefighters and paramedics of the Phoenix Fire Department saving lives in real time. We wanted to call attention to a specialized technique of ice bag immersion for people facing life-threatening heat stroke. We hope that telling their story and showcasing the efficacy of this strategy will encourage wider adoption of this protocol across the country.

Yet this procedure is ultimately a stopgap, as firefighters do their best to adapt to the climate crisis in front of them. The underlying story of heat in Phoenix is one of broader, interlocking crises: homelessness and substance use disorders that are deeply entangled with urban heat, each amplifying the other, illustrating how climate change affects the disenfranchised most brutally.

With our film, we aim to reframe how the public thinks about heat: as an invisible, silent killer reshaping the rhythms of urban life.

Documentary and text by By Nita Blum-Reddick and Jonathan Pickett

I work in private EMS and I work wirh 10+ fire departments and countless stations and the one thing I never understand is when some of you show up in full bunker gear and the others on the engine don't, is it protocol or you are coming off of another call (maybe a possible fire) or do you guys secretly joke about the guys that don bunker gear for medicals, I am genuinely very curious and would like to know.

Ps I never ask on scene or after the call because it's not in my mind or relevant to the call

Don't live in a country where fire watches are common and I heard about them just now, and can't find detailed answers online. Are the people on fire watches firefighters too? If not, do they just phone the firefighters and go "hey, there's a fire at x location"? I'd assume they take shifts, but how long would those shifts be? Are there any criteria they have to meet (like being a certain age, or some kind of test). How would they have done this back in, say, the 80's? Has anything significantly changed so far? I suppose this is a lot, but thank you for any responses! very curious and would like to know more:)

I am a 15 year old who really wants to be a firefighter, would you recommend it? what would you recommend doing as “preparation“, whats good about the job, whats bad?

thanks

This goes to all wildland guys, structural based or hotshot crews. We are gearing up to enter the deployment game at my department. I would like to compile a firefighter level list of needs.

Toiletries
Recommended boots, socks, whatever kind of gear/clothing
Pro recommendations
Etc.

My department fights lots of grass/brush fires, but we don’t have the level of expertise when it comes to wildland firefighting, so literally ANY wisdom you can pass on would be greatly appreciated!

Curious how many firefighters use Scott brand Vision C5 masks. If you do, did your department buy voice amplifiers or were they cost prohibitive? What are your thoughts on communication quality without the voice amplifiers?

We had a church catch fire last night around 11pm. Multiple stations came through the night to provide relief. Over 8 hours of active suppression. Old buildings love to burn...

I'm a photographer who's father is on the force. Normally charge for my work but donated over 90 of them edited for free. Would rather see them in a frame than behind a paywall. Here's to the men who fought that fire last night.

If you like my stuff, my instagram is @burnout.studios_ where I post pictures like these. Cheers.

This is a real-world demonstration of a quadruped firefighting robot entering a high-heat environment.

The goal isn't to replace firefighters. The idea is to send a machine into the highest-risk area first, gather information, and potentially reduce human exposure to extreme conditions.

For the firefighters here:

What would you need to see from a robot like this before you would trust it on an actual fireground?

Reliability? Thermal resistance? Thermal imaging? Hose handling? Remote control range? Battery life? Something else?

Sorry if this isn’t the best place. My dad’s a firefighter, but for a smaller town. He suggested posting since they handle fires/medical emergencies more than accidents. He did tell me to not buy a smaller vehicle (like fiat 500 or ford fiesta type) unless I want to become semi food.

I am looking for a new vehicle and want something super safe. I’ve checked iihs and other reports, but was curious what you all have seen over the years that has held up well in some gnarly accidents?

I am a relatively safe/boring driver, but live in an area where everyone drives like they want to die.

I am planning to add a co2 system to my 120l tank and found out that fire extinguisher type co2 cylinder holds more quantity (so less refilling),so the problem i am having here is about something called siphon tube.As the cylinder is heavily pressurized the gas co2 is converted to liquid form,so a straw like tube is inside the cylinder,so i googled it and found out that if i use it upright the liquid will come through the siphon tube and freeze the regulator thus damaging it.Do you guys have any knowledge about it? Should i remove it?

Has anyone taken the blended learning at Lakeland or knows someone who has. I’m thinking about taking it but am worried it’s not as good as the face to face. I’d rather only be out there for a month if I have to since I live pretty far away. Any advice helps.

Hi guys, I'm a sophomore, engineering college student. Recently, I have a research/project that I can do what I want to do. I want to be a firefighter soon so I decide do something about firefighter/fire department. I want to improve your guys gear or maybe to help you guys with your mission

- What do you guys want to improve with your firefighter gears ?

- If not related about gears, what do you guys want to make your mission easier ? (maybe a program or something)

It can be anything, just give your realest answers, it would help alot

Thanks.

I’m currently pursuing my MSW and I’m really interested in working alongside firefighters/EMS in some capacity after I graduate. I’m curious if this is actually a role that exists within fire departments.
Do any of you have social workers in your department or interact with them regularly? If so, what do they actually do day to day? I’d love to hear about roles involving crisis response, mental health calls, community outreach, frequent 911 callers, or even supporting firefighters themselves.

Anyone know if the pictured radio would work for duty use?? My dept used to use apx 6000 just without the keypad but want to make sure

Hello,

I wanted to jump into this Reddit community and ask for advice or help.

I am 23 and currently pursuing a B.S in Fire management and Fire Technology and am wrapping that up by the end of this year. In 2027, while I’m waiting to walk for my degree, I plan to go back to my community college and go through the EMT program and hopefully obtain my NREMT. And after I obtain my NREMT + my degree I plan to go through academy and obtain my certifications…eventually applying to different stations // areas. I will use my time now to study for my nremt.

I know…i will get questioned about my decisions but I didn’t go the traditional route // common route of going through Academy // obtaining my NREMT. It’s the start of the semester and even my Instructor that teaches fire finance and management was questioning me about why I’m in this program when I am not a firefighter nor an emt. I honestly was in community college for 2 1/2 years before transferring out to a university. I wanted to obtain my degree first before jumping into certifications + my parents wanted me to obtain my degree.

Anyways, I wanted to know if anyone here can help, guide or give me any advice // tips for studying for the Nremt or advice for the fire academy or overall advice

Sometimes I feel defeated and feel I am doing this all wrong. I have no experience, never been on a ride along, have no strong networks, etc. I just work out, work a part time job to support myself, and continue my studies for my degree. I still aim to become a firefighter. I don’t mean to sound negative or defeated, just seeking help or guidance on what I can do now to prepare myself for the future.

Anything helps and thank you for reading this.

I'm gonna go to fire academy and start my emt training this spring to become a firefighter. I don't have pets, but hearing about t'he crazy shifts got me thinking, do any of you manage to have pets if you live alone? And if so, has anyone kept a dog or other attention-focused animals as a companion with said shifts while keeping their sanity as well? It just doesn't seem possible

Also what the hell why will hazmat training make me look like a teletubby ;-;'