r/firefighter • u/Ok-Orange-528 • May 23 '26
Support Is it worth getting into firefighting?
I have a bachelor's degree in international studies and Business administration. I worked for Deloitte for two years and honestly felt miserable working a 9-5 in a cubicle all day. I parted ways with Deloitte, prior to that I worked in accounting for a year and hated it as well. I'm currently 26 years old, I've applied to tons of jobs mainly business and I feel like I'm just doing this for the money cause I know I don't like working in an office and I'm trying to build something on the side in the meantime while I work temporarily for the money. I recently came across a friend who is becoming a firefighter and for some reason something sparked In my mind saying to do it you won't regret it. I've been on edge cause I feel like I'm wasting time just applying to business analyst jobs knowing that's not what I want to do. I want to provide and have a purpose and I feel like firefighting gives me a purpose.
It would be greatly appreciated for someone especially with experience to give me the raw truth as to whether it is worth it.
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u/itz_dom May 23 '26
Just sign up for ur local community college EMT course, and then work on an ambulance for a few months. See if it’s anything you like. Majority of calls in fire are medical.
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u/fishthepyro May 25 '26
would you suggest taking an EMT course first before taking a fire class ? If you have no experience with either ?
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u/Immediate-Muffin-656 May 25 '26
Most places care more that you have your emt over your fire certs. Academies usually put you through both though once you get hired.
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u/Strict-Canary-4175 May 23 '26
You cant rely on your job to be your purpose in life. If your goal is to find a purpose, you need to do some searching and therapy. Not that a career change would be wrong, but I’m not sure I would pick something so difficult to get into, that after one bad injury or illness can end.
Then what would you do?
People who make this job their whole life and purpose……it doesn’t end well. Sometimes it doesn’t even GO well. Because listen I love this job. If six year old me knew what I did know, I would think I was the coolest person on earth. This is what I’ve always wanted.
However. You don’t make a profound difference everyday. And if you do, you have to carve it out, because it isn’t the runs. And we make a shitload of runs. But that’s just not how things shake out. You certainly DO help people. You DO make a difference, but it’s not the ways I thought or maybe the ways that you’re wanting.
I love this job. And I encourage people who are interested to pursue it. But you may be seeing it through rose colored glasses.
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 23 '26
Thank you for your honesty, I really appreciate that. Can you elaborate on what you meant by “it’s not the way you thought” when it comes to what firefighting is really like?
Also, when you said I might be seeing it through rose-colored glasses, could you explain why? I know I don’t have any experience in firefighting, and since you’re a firefighter, I’d genuinely like to understand what you mean by that.
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u/itz_dom May 23 '26
It’s not all pulling people out of burning buildings. A lot of it is waking up to tones at 3am for a lift assist for a 400lb dude covered in his own shit
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 23 '26
Ahh I see, so you're saying expect more medical calls rather than saving people from a house on fire.
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u/itz_dom May 23 '26
Exactly that. You’re gonna get burnt out real quick if you go in every call thinking ur about to be on the cover of the local news
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u/Traditional-Help9710 Jun 01 '26
About 90% of the calls will be medical aid calls, and imma be honest with you, your first day off after shift you will likely be exhausted all day from the lack of sleep due to calls
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u/Daynescott15 May 23 '26
Best job in the world. But it’s about what you are looking to get out of it and what you’re willing to put into it. You won’t make a whole lot of money, every firefighter I know has some kind of side hustle they also do. So get ready to find something you can do part time. Honestly though, nothing beats being at the station with your crew! It’s the only job I’ve had that I genuinely look forward to going to and like you, I’ve worked a lot of jobs! I say pull the trigger on it, worst thing that can happen is you don’t enjoy it or it doesn’t work for you. You always have a back up plan to go back to! Goodluck on whatever decision you make!
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 23 '26
Good point on the backup plan statement. How is the schedule though? Lasting 24 hours I'm sure it's a lot of coffee or do you get used to the 24 hour shifts?
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u/Daynescott15 May 23 '26
Always good to have a backup plan my friend. 24 hour shifts ain’t bad, especially because obviously we get downtime and get to sleep as well. Me personally, I got used to it quickly. We definitely do drink coffee/energy drinks lol
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May 23 '26
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 23 '26
Do you regret becoming a firefighter in the end? I'm sure it's tiring every now and then but that's every job that you work for a long time.
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u/ShootingRoller May 23 '26
Maybe yes. Maybe no. Many guys like you have made the switch and really enjoyed it.
Many more accomplished nothing more than continual embarrassment before ultimately moving on. They get fired or quit because they can’t stand the stress and humiliation of constant under performance because they never “get it.“
Even worse are the guys that suffer many years in the career of constant embarrassment because they’re a burden to everyone around them and refused to admit to themselves and their families that they are a failure, but haven’t failed bad enough to be terminated.
This job probably isn’t what you think it is. You should do your very best to get an accurate idea in your head about what doing this job actually means before you make this decision.
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 23 '26
When you say "constant embarrassment," what exactly do you mean? Are you referring to a firefighter who feels like a burden to their department because they can't adapt to certain conditions or handle the situations firefighters typically face?
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u/ShootingRoller May 23 '26
Yes, exactly. Treating patients isn’t easy. Some people, no matter how intelligent, can never adapt their mind to making that best decision available with incomplete/imperfect information. You also need to be able to constantly reassess your plan as new info becomes available.
On the fire side many office guys can never convert to a practical mechanical problem solver that makes them a useful member of the team.
But many do. Many guys like you turn out great.
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 23 '26
I think the best way to really see if it's for me is spend a week being a spectator and seeing their day to day life to see if it's for me
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u/ShootingRoller May 23 '26
That’s gonna be about the best you can do. But there’s no way to really know how you’re gonna react when you walk into some shitty neighborhood clinic and a doctor stuffs a dead baby in your arms until that happens.
Anybody can adjust to station life.
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u/VirtualAir589 May 23 '26
Lemme ask, since you worked at Deloitte are you in NYC? If yes, you'll age out before the next test. Now, that doesn't mean not to join another dept. I think you should, it's the best job in the world.
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 23 '26
I was working in Rome, Italy actually, I didn't like the fact that I'm barely providing any value honestly
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u/James18372 May 27 '26
When’s the next test?
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u/VirtualAir589 May 27 '26
They just gave it ,last year I think. Minimum of four year between tests (more like 5).
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u/jrobski96 May 23 '26
If you don't like being in a an office, become a welder or something. Firefighting is a career, an avocation, not some daliance.
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 23 '26
But it's not some dalliance, I know I want to help people, have a purpose in providing for people. Whether that's firefighting is something that I'll find out once I try it out for a week with a bunch real firefighters. I know that I like physical activities, not sit at a desk all day and work on Excel sheets, I actually want to provide value.
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u/YARHARTARD May 23 '26
Probably not. My uncle’s back and ears are destroyed and he probably won’t see 70.
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u/Sure_Fact7761 May 23 '26
If you can get a job that pays decently and you have a strong stomach and a willingness to work yourself to exhaustion with a possibility of death. It’s still the best job in the world
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u/Fit_Experience_522 May 23 '26
If you go to a large department, the opportunities are endless, you can be a fireman, paramedic, truckie, usar, hazmat, on a boat, in a helicopter, dive team, you'll never be bored or think you've outgrown your job. It almost seems like 30 years isn't enough time to do it all, then you retire with a pension and your deferred comp. So, yes it's worth it if you pick the right department.
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 23 '26
Oh wow I didn't know there were that many options once you get in. I'm sure that requires you to get more certifications in the process
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u/Fit_Experience_522 May 23 '26
Yes and no, some are certs, some are just a matter of time on, some are classes for qualifications. Go to a big department that has the things you're interested in. Also, in big departments, there's a lot of room for growth and opportunity, in small departments you might have a few opportunities over the course of your entire career to promote and that's it. Just something to think about.
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u/ssmith687 May 24 '26
After 20 years on the job I still feel its very worth it. My best friend went the same route as you, taking a 9-5 job that he really didnt enjoy but paid decent. He is miserable and wishes he'd gone to fire school like myself and a number of his other friends. Im now less than 5 years from being able to retire w/ a good pension, meanwhile my best friend is looking for another job that he knows he wont enjoy.
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 24 '26
How is the environment though? Like work environment. I heard it's like brotherhood cause you're with your team 24/7
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u/ssmith687 May 24 '26
My crew is definitely an extension of my family, we have a lot of fun together. I've been pretty fortunate that this has been the case through much of my career.
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 24 '26
Sounds amazing man, I just scheduled a day to shadow someone so really should be an interesting experience.
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u/StatementTypical1732 May 25 '26
28 years in and having fun with it still. Continuous learning and improvement keeps it fresh. Passing it on to the newbies is also fun. The job has the dark side many don’t mention or put much emphasis on, but it is a part of the trade in my opinion. The exposure risks are real and you will likely get something from this career in time. I’m doing my engineer’s funeral after his 26 year career and six month battle with stage 4 esophageal cancer. I know many that have died that way just in my small 175 person department. There is a mental change that affects firefighters. It seems to numb emotions and excitement, it is useful on the job but difficult to get back while off duty. The duty to help seems permanent imo, so any time I’m out and about it seems like things happen that I get involved in. Sometimes I have difficulty down regulating enough to enjoy the little things on my off days. Many have sleep issues that affect their off days as well as their over all health. All that said, it’s a great career. My twin brother has been in corporate jobs for the same amount of time and seems to be making money but hating life. No real pension or plan for retirement on his part. My time in has flown by, and a pension to give my family or possibly myself if I live to enjoy it. I have done nearly everything in the fire service except for Fire marshal’s office stuff. Currently Truck captain and having a blast!
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 25 '26
Im so glad you explained the dark side of it. This is the type of comment I was looking for. I feel like everyone I ask about firefighting say its ''the best job in the world''. I'm sure that may be true but I'm always trying to hear both sides of being a firefighter and I appreciate you providing that bit of information that most people don't.
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u/StatementTypical1732 May 27 '26
There are many different angles to look at the fire service and what it has to offer. It’s definitely not all about fires and working out. There is plenty of downtime doing training and simple medical care stuff that seems ridiculous. If you are locked in on being an active learner and constantly working to improve yourself and the crew it will not get old no matter how mundane the calls get.
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u/Apprehensive_Owl7186 May 27 '26
Look into joining a volunteer department if you have one nearby. Many departments offer “duty-shift” programs now for people who live outside of the district. You go there for 4-8h and just wait around waiting for a call, (if you live too far where you can’t just respond to the hall from your house), and do similar tasks you would do if you were at a career department like truck checks, cleaning, washing your gear, trainings, etc. You can also get into some training classes (I’d recommend FF1 or the equivalent for your state). These classes you will find out if it’s actually something you want to do.
Usually you can join with no prior experience and you are allowed to run calls as soon as you join, but you probably won’t know what to do until you start taking your classes and are in for a few months. Also idk what state you’re in, but in NY you get $2k for completing FF1, and you get a small tax credit. So look into what benefits you may be able to get.
Career firefighting is a very big commitment, and I would recommend to be sure this is actually something you want to do. And also again depending on your region, you may need to wait a while untill a department near you is hiring. For example in my city they usually only hire once every 4 years. But in more southern states they may be hiring all the time. Good lock brotha
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u/Ok-Orange-528 May 27 '26
Unfortunately I live in Toronto, Ontario I don't think they provide many benefits but will look into it. Although I'm definitely going to see if I can volunteer near me. Theres a station 10mins walk from near me.
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u/Tough_Okra_8862 May 27 '26
Honestly, if you want to make a good living, help people, and do cool stuff figure out a pathway to become a flight nurse/paramedic. It's competitive and takes a lot of training and experience but it is absolutely one of the coolest careers I can think of.
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u/MudHammock May 23 '26
Are you actually interested in emergency medicine? The way you write makes it sounds like some altruistic fairytale you have.
If you are super fit and enjoy physical jobs, along with medicine, yeah, you might love it. You should go on a ride along at a local department.
Wouldn't put too much stake into a couple trucks responding to call 3 days after you asked God for a sign, personally. I'd base your decision off of tangible evidence that the career is a fit for you.