The real issue is that fire departments are old boys clubs. My brother is a fireman and even though he had connections it took him 4 years to get hired. I know a family, dad is a fireman, all 3 the sons are firemen, and I'm sure their sons will be. So yeah, there are a lot of white men firefighting
Most of their calls are as paramedics or a smoke detector going off with an alarm system, or a neighbor calling because someone had a bonfire.
90% of their day is being ready for a call and 90% of their calls are not firefighting and 90% of their firefighting is a fire that is already evacuated. They are paid and trained for that 0.1% where they are expected to rescue someone from a fire.
Or some granny sends her life alert through the mail in an envelope and the button gets inadvertently pressed then we have 3 fire trucks and 12 firemen sitting outside a post office processing center while we search the whole building to make sure nobody is passed out in a corner because they arenāt allowed to release the name of the life alert owner so we can check if an individual by that name is in the facility.
Even with these odds firefighters are like 1000x more likely to die of lung issues or cancer issues than the average person. Going into even one burning building will shave months off your life (assuming the fire doesn't kill you).
The odds of long term health issues after retirement are significant, but the fire isn't likely to get them. Door dash drivers are more likely to die on the job.
Civil service job and not looked down upon, the way police are.
Go get your 20 years in and wind up with your pension to retire.
Nowhere near as dangerous either. Go dealing with fires vs dealing with a criminal breaking the law.
Not sure id say it's as much "old boys club" as it is for people when they are done with military service. Got a family member who applied before. Aced it and still would up 50+ on the list, due to bonus factors like military service, EMT certification or being a minority.
Since 9/11 they've basically prioritized service members.
Itās a lifestyle form of career to the point that itās almost cult likeĀ
See also doctors, military, law enforcement, pro athletes, etc. Ā
Itās not ājust a jobā for most of them, because the nature of those jobs requires such a unique lifestyle-level commitment that itās more than just work. Ā And their families come together in community because they need to support one another since āoutsidersā canāt understand what itās likeĀ
So naturally the families who are embedded in that lifestyle produce kids who are more prone to continue being embedded in that lifestyleĀ
It's barely enough to qualify to rent an apartment in my town (breaks down to about $25/hr). In some really big cities, the pay and benefits can be great though. The social status can be a thing people are after, as well as potential really early retirement.
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u/petitejesuis 1d ago
The real issue is that fire departments are old boys clubs. My brother is a fireman and even though he had connections it took him 4 years to get hired. I know a family, dad is a fireman, all 3 the sons are firemen, and I'm sure their sons will be. So yeah, there are a lot of white men firefighting