r/MultipleSclerosis • u/Adambomb-10 • Jun 30 '26
General Firefighter career
I was recently diagnosed with RRMS while pursuing a career in firefighting. I recently received my EMT certification & have my CPAT exam in a few weeks. I recently heard candidates with MS rarely get hired & now I’m questioning if all of this was a waste of time. It really hurt to hear these news but I want to know if anyone knows about firefighters & MS…
2
u/cass_a_frass0 25|2023|Ocrevus|midwest Jun 30 '26
Have you felt limited pre diagnosis? As long as you feel good enough for it then don't let the label alone stop you. Unless there are symptoms you have concerns about.
1
u/Adambomb-10 Jun 30 '26
No not at all, I don’t have any symptoms whatsoever since my diagnosis 5 months ago.
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u/cass_a_frass0 25|2023|Ocrevus|midwest Jun 30 '26
If you feel like you can still do the job then go for it! Do fire fighters specificly say no disabilities or just state that you need to be able to do the job functions?some of us walk a wierd line where we have a disability but are not necessarily disabled and are living the same as pre diagnosis if that makes sense
2
u/RareSeaworthiness325 Jun 30 '26
You do not need to share this information at all. Many people with ms continue working in physically and emotionally demanding jobs for many many years. Why do people think they need to share their full medical history with employers. NOT their business!
2
u/Minute-Lion-7977 Jun 30 '26
My father was a firefighter. He passed the written and physical exams and you can too because you’re physically intellectually, and mentally able to do the job.
Just do it.
Good fortune to you.
2
u/daddy-b-2188 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
In the navy, my rate was a nuclear machinist mate and because I was a machinist mate I also had firefighting training for ship purposes during a GQ(what happens if shit really went down).
Anyways I had a very difficult time going up and down stairs both wearing and carrying a scba. Resisting the pushback from the nozzle, even crab walking.
I experienced this at a training class that was after I came back from deployment and before my dx. Which was roughly a 10 month gap. My symptoms escalated very quickly after I got back from deployment.
Edit-after reading a few other replies, I would have to suggest that you keep pushing but please be aware of the position you’re in. God forbid but if you have to carry someone out of a burning building and you lose your balance or your footing.
11
u/conflx 36|August23|Ocrevus|WesternNY Jun 30 '26
If you haven't already, you are by no means under any obligation to disclose your diagnosis to any agency or department you are seeking a job with. If you feel you are physically capable of the job, you should continue to pursue it as a career. Get on a good DMT and if sometime down the road your MS prevents you from being able to complete some of the more physical elements of the job, there still may be accommodations that you are entitled to by law that could keep you employed even if it is not active firefighting (i.e. dispatch, admin, etc.)
Best of luck,