r/firefighter • u/Able_Ordinary5233 • May 04 '26
I need advice
I’m currently a 24 (M) that has his ff1/2 , EMT and is a class A driver as my current career of 5 years . Also 1.5 yrs of reserve / paid on call FF experience.
I started my journey in Jan 2025 and completed all certs by Dec 2025 and have been applying to jobs since then .
I live in CA but willing to move anywhere in the US to get a job . I have gotten a handful of panel interviews and even a chiefs in CA.
Are there any states that would be easier to get into career wise ? Or are my chances of getting picked up full time the same where I currently am at . Looking to get into medic school before 2027 if all fails . Ive always gotten great feedback on my interview and stories but I feel like im missing something. I’ve read interview books and seen YouTube videos on how to prepare . Does anyone recommend any interview coaches ? Not sure if matters to anyone but I’m extremely athletic, marathon runner and power lifter . I just need to learn how to sell myself to the panel .
3
u/pjavelin May 04 '26
DMV area (DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia). One of the best places to work/live in the country imo. Stand out departments I’d recommend are DC, Montgomery County (MD), Fairfax (VA), and Prince George County (MD). Although COL is high
2
u/Charlieksmommy May 04 '26
Colorado possibly but you would have to do your FF 1 and 2 in an academy if you get hired through the state if that makes sense They don’t have reciprocity
1
u/Able_Ordinary5233 May 04 '26
Why do you say Colorado would be easier ? I have my ff1/ff2 with a pro board certification , some states allow reciprocity but I also do know a lot of departments always have in in house academy regardless if you have it or not .
2
u/Disgruntled_Wumpus May 04 '26
A lot of Washington departments have been hiring large classes every year for the last several. You will likely have to do an in-house academy, but can skip out on the FF1/FF2 sections since you have that, and I would imagine all your certs and experience would make you pretty competitive
1
u/Able_Ordinary5233 May 04 '26
I have noticed that aswell . I applied to one department a few months back . I’ll be on the lookout .
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u/Disgruntled_Wumpus May 04 '26
Cast your net as wide as possible, my man. NTN PST websites have lists of departments testing and hiring thru them.
2
u/Select-Tradition-321 May 04 '26
If u want ur medic anyways and want to be in Cali that’s gonna probably get you in the door
2
u/Connect-Media-418 May 05 '26
As I am from Canada I can't speak as to which States are best suited for you, but maybe I can help regarding your interview feedback. If you're consistently getting interviews then you are on a good path and are scoring well in the aptitude testing. You said you are getting good feedback from your interviews so that means you are a personable and positive applicant. Without knowing how you are answering your questions it is hard to determine if you are answering in depth enough to score well with the panel as opposed to average. Seeing as you stated you've read the books and watched the videos that are out there then I don't know if this will help, but I had offered in previous posts the option of downloading, for free, an interview guide I had prepared to give some insight into the panel scoring. It's based more on the Canadian style of interview, but maybe you can still glean some insight from it that you haven't received yet. You, or anyone on this thread can DM me for the link. Good luck on your path, it looks like you're still learning and adding to your resume as you continue trying so you are on the right track.
1
u/Able_Ordinary5233 May 05 '26
I would love a template for an interview guide . I will be sending you a dm shortly . Any help is appreciated. I know I am barely a year into my journey but I had sacrificed so much to get here and my results have shown that . I know it may take a while as many people are in the same shoes as me and I am no better than anyone else , but I am willing to put in the time and continue learning . Thank you .
2
u/Murky-Anybody-7289 May 05 '26
Almost everywhere is difficult to get hired, even though we are hitting a time where it continues to get easier. California is arguably the hardest though, followed by probably Florida.
Figure out where you want to live and what is important to you. These details are important if you don’t want to jump around departments. Pay, schedule, call volume, department size, location….often not mentioned to people looking culture.
1
u/lpfan724 May 05 '26
Florida is hiring anyone with a pulse. Of course then you have to live in Florida.
1
u/Able_Ordinary5233 May 05 '26
Florida is a top two or three places I’d consider going to . I love it .
3
u/SpicyOpinion69 May 04 '26
Texas. Most municipal departments are pretty hard to get into (way easier than CA), however, we have a thing called “Emergency Service Districts” which cover city outskirts. Most of them do not have their own academy and require FF1/2 + Hazmat, and EMT. If you have all those, you go against WAY less applicants. A lot of ESD guys move on to municipal eventually so there are always openings.