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Firefighters?

blackedoutstx

New member
Anyone a firefighter on here? Just wondering. Ive always wanted to be a volunteer, and filled out my application today for my district.
 
atjnutrition2 is if I'm not mistaken.
 
just wondering on the whole setup on it. Im 18 and really been wanting to join. It says i'll do 100 hrs of training. Any advice going into that? How hard do you guys really think it'll be for me to get in? As you can tell im nervous/excited over here haha
 
I have been a volunteer for 6 years and full time for 1. The 100 hours of training is usually the academy and it was a TON of fun. I could have easily done 200 hours. I actually have my associates degree is Fire Science so if you ever decide to go further than just volunteer, let me know.

The one difficult part is if you are chlostrophobic. I know it sounds funny, but I didnt think I was until they take you into a room and blackout your mask.

Good luck and if you need anything, let me know.
 
That's something that I have been looking into doing, what would be some good exercise's to prepare for the physical exam?
 
blackedoutstx said:
Anyone a firefighter on here? Just wondering. Ive always wanted to be a volunteer, and filled out my application today for my district.
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Im probably going to be one too, my moms boyfriend is a captain at his fire department and he's really inspired me to become a firefighter.
 
I'm going into it next year. Well, hopfully. It's tough to get on where I'm from. You don't have to live here to get hired, so theres people from all over the country applying. Theres a guy that lives in atlanta (like 400 miles away) and actually drives up here and gets a hotel to work. They also only accept applications for like 1 week during january and I didn't know that untill it was already to late so I have to wait untill next year.

I'm not sure how things are done in houston but they're probably similiar to here. They'll look over your application make sure everythings a o.k. then they'll have you take a general knowledge test regarding fire safety and related things. I've forgotten how many questions the test is and how many your allowed to miss etc but if you google houston firefighter test or something like that you should be able to find it. If you pass the test they'll start you in the academy/training and you do your 100 hrs. From what I've heard the training is more fun than hard though.

good luck man
 
ya im a little chlostrophobic. But i think in the moment i could. I dont fear the dark, nor fire. I'll work at whatever i need to get to where i need to be. The 100 hours of training, is it over the weekends? Weekdays, if so what time? just curious. I am a highschool student and an employee at GNC, How long does it usually take to complete the training? Thanks guys for all the help
 
I believe you have to have a highschool diploma before you can begin training to be a full time fireman.... at least up here.
 
I've been on an on-call dept for 11 years and I'm a Captain. No worries about the fire academy if you have decent intelligence. They teach it at a 10th grade level (and that's being nice). I went through the fire academy while I was working 2 jobs plus going to college. Could be different in different states, but I'm in Michigan and that's how it is here. Here at the end of the academy you have to take a state written and practical exam at the end.

here's my advise:

1st and most important, when you are in your station, find the senior guy that knows what he is doing and hold on to his coat tails. (He'll be the guy who doesn't talk trash about the things he's done, but you can see it on his face that he's "been there, done that".

It is one of the greatest brotherhoods to belong to. If you are around a group of guys such as what I have at my dept you'll love it. We laugh and joke about everything you can imagine and especially on each other. When we get done with a call, you'll find us all sitting around the station for an extra hour just bullsh!tting.

Hopefully your family life is stable and those around you will support your decision. Cause you'll have nights of being out fighting fires all night long just to go home, take a shower, and head off to your regular job. Hopefully your employee will be understanding on those days too.

When you have free time, go to the station, look in every cabinet of every truck, learn where every piece of equipment is, practice getting your gear on and jumping in the truck and then donning your air pack. Nothing worse than a rookie on his first structure fire who can't get his gear on in time and you have to stand with the nozzle at the front door waiting for him. So you want to practice so many times that when you jump in the truck, it's 2nd nature to you and you don't have to think about it.

Also, your first year, you'll be called rookie or probie, get used to it, we all had to go through it. Sweeping the floors, cleaning the toilets, and every other job that sucks. But no worries, you'll know the guys accept you when you earn your nickname.

Now for my morbid side:
Remember, we lose over a 100 of our brothers every year. As much as we might joke around, you must also remember this job kills. If you are going to do it, then do it all the way, there is no partial dedication when you are in a fire with flames up your a$$ or when that person is trapped in the car and you're the one with the tools in your hand and that persons life depends on whether or not you get them out.

You will also see things that you will never be able to get out of your mind. Some people have a problem when they see dead people, some don't. I have many very visual images stuck in my head that I wish would go away, but that's the price you pay to do the job.

The job isn't for everyone and there are a lot of people on fire depts that aren't firefighters even though they have a certificate that says they are. Some, no matter how long they are on a dept. will never get it, those who do understand, know that we will walk through hell to save one of our own.

Well that's my rant and rave, sorry if it's too dark for anyone.

But I will leave you with my favorite quote from Dennis Leary in Rescue me.

"You won't find any medals on my chest, cause I ain't no hero, I'm a fireman"
 
Sorry, saw your other questions:

If your academy was like mine it is 2 nights a week for 4 hours plus some weekends. It took my academy class about 6 months from start to finish. Full time dept's do it differently due to them going to class all day 5 days a week.

You might want to also look to see if your dept runs medical calls, if so that's another 6 months of 2 nights a week to become an EMT.

Different depts have different rules as far as HS Diplomas, at mine you have to have one, but I don't think it's a law (not 100% sure though).
 
thanks man. that was great information. So i do have to graduate highschool to be a volunteer? The more i hear from others, the more of a passion thats growing.
 
blackedoutstx said:
thanks man. that was great information. So i do have to graduate highschool to be a volunteer? The more i hear from others, the more of a passion thats growing.
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Not completely sure, you'll have to ask your local fire chief on that one. It may be that you can start the academy while in HS and just need to have your diploma by the time you take your state exam.

Best of Luck
 
If your looking at a vol. or paid on call dept. its not too difficult to get on. As far as the academy its not bad at all. Like was said before you dont have to be a genius to pass. While the academy itsself isnt cardio intensive having a decent level will help you not suck through your air in 10 min. If your looking at going the career route its alot harder than it sounds. Almost every dept your going to apply for has thousands of applicants going for maybe 100 positions (and thats a city dept academy) One thing that will help you greatly if you want to go the career route is get your EMT then Paremedic. ALOT of depts are getting away from the degree and want firemedic
 
i was thinking about joining but then i noticed most firefighters i met were more cocky than anyone i ever met while in the military and most were goofy looking or waaay out of shape. not tryn to diss on all firefighters, just the ones around my area.
 
I know exactly what your talking about. Applying for full time depts Ive seen all sorts. From the jagoffs that think their S@$t doesnt stink to the morons that come to an oral interview in jeans and a polo
 
Dyou said:
i was thinking about joining but then i noticed most firefighters i met were more cocky than anyone i ever met while in the military and most were goofy looking or waaay out of shape. not tryn to diss on all firefighters, just the ones around my area.
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Unfortunately, that is almost the norm at any dept that I know of. And the goofier or dumber they are, the more they want to tell everyone they are a fireman. It's as if it is the only thing they have going for them in life.

I've asked my friends from different dept's and we've came up with a theory, out of every 10 firefighters you may have on your station, at best, you'll have 2 maybe 3 that are your a$$ kickers. The rest are jock straps, just their to support the ones with balls.
 
HAHA. That is a pretty good observation. My theory is that after 9/11 everyone wanted to be a firefighter to be cool . The problem is they dont have the type A+++ mindset to do the job. They want to be able to tell everyone there a firefighter but when the S@!t hits the fan they freak and cant do what needs to be done. I will never say that Im the best firefighter and Ive met plenty of people that are probably better than me. But make no mistake. When everything goes to hell. Were all coming out alive one way or another
 
It's amazing...when sh!t hits the fan, you get a true sense of who the Alpha Males are. I tend to be the most laid back guy around the station, but when the sh!t goes down it's a "follow me and do what I tell you to do or stay out of the way".

And I agree with you, I'm not the best or the baddest, but I'll sacrifice it all to make sure my guys come home. I got a few of the older a$$ kickers still on my station and I never hestitate to ask their opinion on situations when it's appropriate.
 
you want to find out who the real Alpha Males are go hang out with some special forces guys in iraq for a few days... those guys know their bad ass and dont have to act like it or brag about it
 
Been a career paid firefighter for about 12 years now. In all its been a good experience. I doubt there are many jobs in which there is a "brotherhood" like in the fire department. Unfortunately, we do have our douche bags whose entire identity is wrapped up in the fire department.

Sure, you'll run some pretty interesting calls, but the vast majority are your run of the mill low stress calls. 80-85% of our calls are medical in nature. I'm not much for false bravado, but there's nothing in the world like being on an interior attack in a working structure fire.

At my department it's fairly difficult to get on. We are pretty picky in our hiring. If you don't have college then you're not getting hired at my department.

Anyway, good luck in pursuing your goal.
 
Thanks man. They said i could do training while in highschool and as soon as i graduate can respond. But the Captain still hasnt called me...
 
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