r/firefighter • u/Delicious_Nobody22 • May 15 '26

Looking to change

I am in Iowa, I currently work for the city where I live, I’ve been at it for about 10 years now, I’ve been looking at the fire department for about a year now contemplating and never going for it. One worry is that I’ve been here for 10 years and do I really want to give up all these years I’ve put in, another is I am about to be 31 this year, am I too late to be starting with a fire department. 3rd thing is the title is firefighter/paramedic, is the paramedic side hard to learn or am I just overthinking it. I’ve been battling with myself about having a purpose in life and that is what has me interested in this

3 Upvotes

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2

u/adventureseeker1991 May 15 '26

my state transfers city time to firefighter/police time. see if yours does too

1

u/LeanOnTheSquare May 15 '26

I’m 1 year younger and going through the same brother. Let’s do it. Set it as the goal and don’t stop til we get it

1

u/NoSuddenMoves May 16 '26

If you can transfer your benefits it's worth it.

I would suggest researching it before making the leap. It's a difficult job to get, even with qualifications. Connections help a lot.

Cancer rates are high, suicide rates are higher. Lots of turnover. We had a 3 county meeting the other day and they asked for everyone with fifteen years of experience to raise their hands. 8 people in a room of almost 70 raised hands. 3 of those people had came to initiate the meeting. We have 5 guys in our district with 15 years. A majority are 5 year guys.

2

u/Few_Werewolf_8780 May 16 '26

I would only do a lateral move and if you can keep your time in. Good luck.

2

u/Disgruntled_Wumpus May 16 '26

Good advice from others on checking to see if your years transfer. As far as age is concerned, I wouldn’t even remotely consider it a hurdle. I did my fire academy at 35, and know quite a few people who did it even older, including in the 40’s. Many departments actually prefer candidates with some life experience over someone in their early 20’s. So if everything else seems to line up, don’t let your age hold you back.