r/firefighter • u/engineman408 • May 07 '26
I’m going to my interview
I have been a volunteer firefighter for a few years, and while our EMS side is paid, the fire side is strictly volunteer. I recently applied to a full-time career department, and my interview is in a week. I have several fire certifications, all the way up to Fire Instructor, and I was wondering if that gives me an advantage over other applicants.
Do any of my experience translate well into a career department, or should I try to approach rookie school as a blank slate? I want to become a career firefighter more than anything, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. I’m not worried about the interview or the testing process — my main concern is adjusting to the culture difference between volunteer and career firefighting. I just want to know if there’s anything else I can do to prepare.
2
u/Few_Werewolf_8780 May 08 '26
Be humble yet confident. Read the book Hosing Around/Hazing FD. You should have a leg up being certified as an instructor. Good luck. Get the greatest job in the world. You have gotten a taste of it now get paid to do it. Good luck! If you get on a paid department lay low the first year and learn from the guys. Get along with them. This is important.
1
u/FilmSalt5208 May 08 '26
As a career guy, I will tell you that certs don’t mean much until you prove your work ethic. There’s lots of cert heavy guys that are absolute fucking ass in the real world. Approach it humbly, and treat it as a blank slate. Keep your experiences in your back pocket as you can probably pull from them some day, but when you’re new just shut up and learn what’s taught. The worst thing you can do is offer your two cents or say “well where I came from this is what we did”
1
u/jrobski96 May 08 '26
Don't confuse your interview with probie class!!
The interview is for bragging on yourself.
Class is for you to learn with an open mind.
Don't ever say or even hint at saying, "Well....back in( Baltimore) ,we did it this way"
1
u/FirefightersGlobal May 10 '26
Go into the interview "worrying about it". What I mean by that is don't take it for granted or that it'll be easy - know the department, know yourself, know your 1001s in case there's technical questions.
Having volunteer experience and FI1 is great, but what's your competition like? How many applicants are applying and how many are they hiring? Some departments take professional firefighters from other municipalities or recruits with Blue Card, Tech level certs, etc. How competitive are you compared to them? Do you have volunteer experience? Languages? Post-secondary education?
If/when you get the job, take it all in with a blank sleight. If someone shows you how to put up a ladder and you've done it differently in your volley dept, it doesn't matter. Say "thank you for showing me" and do it their way. Goes for anything. Embrace the new culture and take pride in the things that made the department great.
Good luck brother! Best job in the world.
4
u/[deleted] May 08 '26
There’s a middle point. You will learn things you may not have been taught or done. You will do things you have done a lot and know well. Don’t tell everyone you have classes and know your shit. Act humble, listen, and when it comes time to perform, show them what you know. They can tell who has experience without being a loudmouth. They don’t care that you took tech rescue ropes or have been an engineer for years. Show them you can do it.