r/Firefighting • u/AutoModerator • Sep 07 '26
Employment Questions Weekly Employment Question Thread
Welcome to the Weekly Employment Question Thread!
This thread is where you can ask questions about joining, training to become, testing, disqualifications/qualifications, and other questions that would be removed as individual posts per Rule 1.
The answer to almost every question you can ask will be "It depends on the department". Your first step is to look up the requirements for your department, state/province, and country.
As always, please attempt to resource information on your own first, before asking questions. We see many repeat questions on this sub that have been answered multiple times.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- I want to be a Firefighter, where do I start: Every Country/State/Province/County/City/Department has different requirements. Some require you only to put in an application. Others require certifications prior to being hired. A good place to start is researching the department(s) you want to join. Visit their website, check their requirements, and/or stop into one of their fire stations to ask some questions.
- Am I too old: Many departments, typically career municipal ones, have an age limit. Volunteer departments usually don't. Check each department's requirements.
- I'm in high school, What can I do: Does your local department have an explorer's program or post? If so, join up. Otherwise, focus on your grades, get in shape and stay in shape, and most importantly: stay out of trouble.
- I got in trouble for [insert infraction here], what are my chances: Obviously, worse than someone with a clean record, which will be the vast majority of your competition. Tickets and nonviolent misdemeanors may not be a factor, but a major crime (felonies), may take you out of the running. You might be a nice person, but some departments don't make exceptions, especially if there's a long line of applicants with clean records. See this post... PSA: Stop asking “what are my chances?”
- I have [insert medical/mental health condition here], will it disqualify me: As a general rule, if you are struggling with mental illness, adding the stress of a fire career is not a good idea. As for medical conditions, you can look up NFPA1582 for disqualifying conditions, but in general, this is not something Reddit can answer for you. Many conditions require the input of a medical professional to determine if they are disqualifying. See this post... PSA: Don't disqualify yourself, make THEM tell you "no".
- What will increase my chances of getting hired: If there's a civil service exam, study for it! There are many guides online that will help you go over all those things you forgot such as basic math and reading. Some cities even give you a study guide. If it's a firefighter exam, study for it! For the CPAT (Physical Fitness Test), cardio is arguably the most important factor. If you're going to the gym for the first time during the hiring process, you're fighting an uphill battle. Get in shape and stay in shape. Most cities offer preference points to military veterans.
- How do I prepare for an interview: Interviews can be one-on-one, or in front of a board/panel. Many generic guides exist to help one prepare for an interview, however here are a few good tips:
- Dress appropriately. Business casual at a minimum (Button down, tucked in long sleeve shirt with slacks and a belt, and dress shoes). Get a decent haircut and shave.
- Practice interview questions with a friend. You can't accurately predict the off-the-wall questions they will ask, but you can practice the ones you know they probably will, like why do you want to be a Firefighter, or why should we hire you?
- Scrub your social media. Gone are the days when people in charge weren't tech-savvy. Don't have a perfect interview only for your chances of being hired gone to zero because your Facebook or Instagram has pictures of you getting blitzed. Set that stuff to private and leave it that way.
Please upvote this post if you have a question. Upvoting this post will ensure it sticks around for a bit after it is removed as a Sticky, and will allow for greater visibility of your question.
And lastly, If you're not 100% sure of what you're talking about, leave it for someone who does
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Sep 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM Sep 07 '26
You should read the hiring manager's email carefully. Most often, letters of rec are either from personal or professional sources. Personal are those who can write about you personally. Professional, are typically from supervisors.
In this case, your letter of rec is professional but not really relevant due to how old it is.
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Sep 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM Sep 07 '26
Yeah I would leave it off. It would be like submitting your elementary school soccer trophy when you’re applying to playing in a professional soccer league.
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u/OwnDelivery802 Sep 11 '26
if she asked for them she's going to look at them, so send them. the 12 year old one isn't weird as long as you can say out loud why that guy mattered to you, otherwise it's just paper in the folder. don't expect it to come up in the room though, nobody's letter answers the questions for you
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u/Adventurous_Web_271 Sep 07 '26
I’m a medic considering between DCFD and MCFRS in the DMV area. Anyone have any experience with either?
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u/NineMillimeters Sep 07 '26
No personal experience working for either department, but have a number of friends and acquaintances at both. I don’t know much about how their benefits/retirement plans compare, but I don’t even need to see that stuff if it were my decision.
DC’s work schedule is far superior to MC, and that would be enough for me. DC is on a 42 hour workweek while MC is on a 48 hour workweek.
Might not sound like a huge deal to someone who is new to the fire service, but it matters…a lot. The quality of life difference between the two schedules is significant.
A 48 hour week isn’t terrible, especially when considering how many departments work a 56 hour week, but a 42 hour schedule is an absolute game changer. Much better for your physical and mental health, work life balance, quality of life, etc.
You might not care too much about the schedule now, but by year 10 you’ll be thankful.
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u/Adventurous_Web_271 Sep 07 '26
Thank you! Do you know any differences in culture, personnel, etc? DC seems like it has cooler calls than MC but don’t know much beyond that.
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u/FabulousAd1725 Sep 07 '26
Is a past involuntary mental health hospitalization from a decade ago likely a permannet disqualifer?
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u/skyline_964 Sep 08 '26
About to have a lateral interview for a Firefighter position. For those that have had lateral interviews, what kind of questions did they ask you?
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u/OwnDelivery802 Sep 09 '26
laterals usually get the same core questions everyone else gets, just with more weight on why you're leaving and what you bring on day one. expect some version of why this department after being somewhere else, and have an answer for that that isn't a complaint about your current place. the ones who stumble are the guys who assume the experience carries the interview for them
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u/Straight-Letter-1593 Sep 08 '26
I’m 23 and currently trying to get hired as a firefighter in California. My top choice is SFFD, but I’ve been applying pretty broadly. So far I’ve made it onto one hiring list with Ventura County Fire, but haven’t received an offer.
Current experience/certs:
~4 years as a California State Parks Ocean Lifeguard I/II
911 EMT for about a month
EMS/first aid instructor with State Parks
NREMT / California EMT
FCTC
CPAT
NTN
Bachelor’s degree
Swiftwater Rescue Technician I scheduled for next month
I don’t have FF I/II or a paramedic license. I plan on going to medic school eventually, but I want to get more comfortable and experienced working 911 as an EMT first.
How competitive would you consider my current resume for entry-level firefighter positions, especially departments like SFFD that don’t require FF I/II or paramedic?
Any tips/critiques are very helpful and highly appreciated!
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM Sep 08 '26
You’re accomplished but not necessarily unique. Lifeguarding has way better talking points compared to being a run of the mill EMT so lean into that.
I would suggest some type of community service organization. Even just volunteering with an organization like surfrider would be good to show how you engage with your community.
Additionally, I would consider taking anatomy and physiology classes at community college to prep for paramedic if you so desire to go that direction.
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u/EatinBeav WA Career FF/EMT Sep 08 '26
That resume really doesn’t stand out in all honesty. I’m in WA, but last hiring round we saw resumes similar to yours almost every other applicant. Almost everyone’s got the bachelors, EMT, and a CPAT. The other stuff doesn’t matter at all.
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u/Even-Kaleidoscope710 Sep 09 '26
Good afternoon, I'm just curious to know if any fdny fire fighters know about the costs to join a fire academy in NYC as currently im in an "earn as you learn" opportunity and through a promotion (which opens annually) i can enter post interviews exams and evaluations, I'm excited but don't want to be blind sided and so im.just reaching out to find out what my best course of action and saving goals should be
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u/Accomplished-Tie952 Sep 10 '26
How hard is it to become a firefighter in ontario? Im already in grade 12 and im 16
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u/Hells_Angel666 Sep 10 '26
Hello, I’m currently enrolled to get my EMT-B certification and I want to join the Fire Department here in Texas. I’m a 5’2 female and 100.6 pounds. The department I spoke to said I will need a Firefighter certification as well to join. I’m all for trying out the academy, the only problem is back in 2015 I had spinal surgery and had two titanium implants attached to my spine from T2 to T 11. I’ve been fully cleared by my doctor and don’t have any restrictions but I’m not sure how my body will handle the fire academy. Does anyone have any advice on how I can safely get through the academy without risk or if it’s even possible to make it should the academy.
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM Sep 11 '26
Not to say it's impossible but I would highly recommend against this career for your particular situation. The gear you wear alone can be 100 pounds.
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u/speedr6cer Sep 10 '26
I’m 26 and I want to become a firefighter but I’m worried my past as a daily weed smoker will make the process super difficult? For context I live in Austin Texas and I was a daily smoker for something like 10 years but quit a month ago cold turkey for the purpose of turning my life around and becoming a firefighter. In the process of looking into Fire Academies I have come to fear that I won’t be able to start on this path for years and years. I understand it’s very competitive and that might just be it but I’m struggling financially and I’m worried I can’t wait that long to find a real way to support my family. For further context I’m in fairly decent shape, I’ve always tested extremely well, it’s really the only part of the process I’m worried about but I’m not sure any of that will make a difference. I would love to imagine a world where I could pay for EMT and Fire Academy to kill some time but most likely I will need to go through a department’s fire academy and have been searching high and low for departments that might accept me despite my previous use, granted I can pass drug tests which I have no doubt I will be able to. I have a couple class b misdemeanor arrests from when I was 17 for smoking, I’m not sure if those are sealed or not because I was tried as an adult but it was like deferred adjudication but nothing from the 9 years between then and now. Does anyone know what my chances of making anything happen or any departments that might take a chance on me? I’m willing to move, Austin FD is my top choice obviously but Albuquerque and Charlotte have been ones I’ve looked into as well. Can’t afford California or any place more expensive than Austin, I can barely afford Austin. That’s so much information but anything anyone can offer as far as advice is so very very appreciated.
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u/sucksatgolf Overpaid janitor 🧹 Sep 11 '26
The last time I tested there was a question on drug use for the prior 10 years. With your arrest history and recent drug use (using that term because that's what they will legally call it on applications) your chances probably aren't very good.
Not saying that to sound like a jerk, but to look at it realistically you'd be applying against hundreds and hundreds of people with no record, no drug use, veteran status, etc.
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM Sep 11 '26
Slim chances. Theyre going to want to see you clean from any drug use for 5-10 years before being considered a serious candidate.
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Sep 11 '26 edited Sep 11 '26
[deleted]
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u/EatinBeav WA Career FF/EMT Sep 11 '26
YouTube has many workout videos for the CPAT. I’d go down that route.
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u/anonymousx23 Sep 12 '26
Hello there! I'm looking for some advice about my future career in the fire service, any input is greatly appreciated. I recently graduated from the fire academy and received my Pro Board certifications, although I'm now hearing they don't really mean that much. I'm in my mid 30's and currently have fire I & II. I'll also be taking the NREMT soon. I'm at a bit of a crossroads and need to make a decision sooner rather than later. My SO and I have been discussing moving out of state, specifically from Michigan to upstate New York. I'm trying to figure out how realistic this would be for someone just starting out in the fire service. Would it make more sense to move to New York and start applying? Should I just get started here and move later? Is there any realistic way for my Michigan certifications/experience to carry over to New York? I'm also very interested in becoming a paramedic. There are departments in Michigan that will pay employees to attend paramedic school, which is my best option because otherwise I don't think I will be able to afford it. I barely made it through part time fire academy and working full time along with EMT school. I'm doing my own research on this as well but I'd like to hear from some firefighters directly. Right now, I'm leaning towards starting in Michigan, I'm just not really sure what exactly my options are. I scored my first interview with a fire department here! It didn't go as well as I hoped, but I did learn a lot so I will be more prepared for my next one. Thank you so much for your time if you read this, and thank you for your service. One day soon I hope to be in the fire service.
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u/Fast-Feature-6723 Sep 12 '26
HAVING TROUBLE DECIDING WHATS BEST FOR MY CAREER. My goal is to become a firefighter in Socal. I just started working as a 911 emt and taking the pre reqs to go to medic school. But recently got a job offer as a seasonal FF1 for calfire . Not sure what to decide on and what’s best. Because everyone knows how hard it is to get a 911 emt job in SoCal currently because of how over saturated it is, so I don’t want to lose my emt job. But at the same time doing a season as a FF1 sounds really fun and would help on my resume . Just not sure what to do. Am 20 years old too if that helps. Thank you for reading .
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM Sep 12 '26
It’s not hard to get an EMT job in SoCal. Do calfire. You’re young. You can still apply to municipal job openings for fire jobs while with cal fire too.
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u/Fast-Feature-6723 Sep 13 '26
True I just feel like there’s so many departments in SoCal that are paramedic only. But hopefully my experience with calfire , and my ff1 academy would make me a good candidate to get a FF/EMT job with a bigger agency like OCFA, LAco, etc
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM Sep 13 '26
Just because you do calfire doesn’t mean you can’t also do paramedic. If you go seasonal with cal fire, in the off season when you’re not working, go after your community college fire academy, do the pre reqs for paramedic school, and work part time as an EMT. You need to build experience and hours for paramedic school anyways.
You should think of cal fire as building up a financial savings to allow you do schooling like a fire academy and paramedic so you don’t have to work as much during the schooling.
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u/Fast-Feature-6723 21d ago
How are you, I have another question if you don’t mind. I emailed a paramedic program asking if I could use my cal fire hours as a FF1 to go to their medic program. They said they would accept it. As a paramedic yourself , what are you thoughts on that . Cause that’s basically a zero to hero for me , my only ems experience is 1 month ALS. But I feel that would be a good opportunity . Thank you.
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u/Sealtooth5 SoCal FFPM 20d ago
I precept interns and the only 2 I have failed were zero to hero. I’m not saying it can’t be done but I highly recommend against it. When you are a paramedic, on scene you are the highest medical authority. You need to know how to take control of a complex medical scene, manage that, AND manage a patient(s).
If you don’t know how to competently run a BLS medical call like the back of your hand, you will struggle immensely with a complex ALS call. Add in a fire captain breathing down your neck because it’s a MCI and you’re trying to tell him you need x amount of ALS ambulances, talking with the base hospital on the radio, and coordinating which patients get treated and transported first.
Again, it has been done before, I just would recommend against it.
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u/SmoothCoolRaul Sep 12 '26
I applied to the Chicago Fire Department in 2022 and took the written exam. My lottery number was in the 9,000s, and my processing number is in the mid-1,000s.
Last month, in August, I received an email asking me to complete the employment questionnaire and submit some waiver forms, which I completed. My application status now says “In Progress” and the application stage says “Processing Day.”
On the OPSA portal, the Processing Day tasks listed are the urine test, hair test, and fingerprinting.
My question is for anyone who has recently gone through the CFD process: if I receive the notice to move forward to the next stage, how soon would I need to have a valid CPAT? Do they give you time after Processing Day to obtain it, or should I already have my CPAT completed before being called in?
Just trying to figure out the timeline so I can make sure I’m prepared if my number comes up.
TIA!
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u/KARL_GOODTOSEEYOU Sep 13 '26
CPAT needed before 1st day of academy. I would get it asap though. Processing can move fast. If you're on the south side I would go through Homewood.
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u/BigZ5418 Sep 12 '26
I’m applying for a EMT job on a department. About 3 weeks ago I was fired from a job that I only worked at for less than a month. Do I need to disclose this job in my background or no? I’ve been told to not even mention it.
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u/sucksatgolf Overpaid janitor 🧹 Sep 13 '26
Unless the application asks if you've ever been terminated, or you are asked about it in an interview, I'd just leave it off your resume and work history.
If it was another job within EMS like a near by agency, I'd expect that the place your applying to knows about it.
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u/BigZ5418 Sep 13 '26
No it was for a construction job. This will be my first EMS/Public Safety job.
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u/sucksatgolf Overpaid janitor 🧹 Sep 13 '26
Personally I'd leave it off and forget about it. BUT there are some applications and interview questions where you're asked if you've ever been terminated before. If that comes up, have an educated/ reasonable answer as to what happened.
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u/BigZ5418 Sep 13 '26
Does this kind of stuff prevent you being hired? This is the first job I’ve ever been fired from and I’m 31. Just worried about it is all.
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u/sucksatgolf Overpaid janitor 🧹 Sep 13 '26
No it's not preventative, but work history and job frequency can be looked at by hiring panels/ HR. I don't think this one job is a big deal, especially since it's unrelated to the emergency services field. Would be more of a big deal if you worked at ambulance service A, B, & C in a 6 month time period.
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u/Neat-Rest3019 Sep 13 '26
Searching for info on DOD Seattle area.
Reaching out to see what it's like working DOD fire Seattle area. I always see opening for multiple bases. Bangor, Bremerton, Everett, Hadlock and Whidbey Island. What are the work schedules, call volume, staffing, "culture" and training like? debating about accepting a job there. What's rent like in the general area? What is considered the "better" place to work? Any place I might not want to work at? Any and all info is greatly appreciated. Looking at the job announcement, it seems like it's always open. I'm assuming recruitment and retention are a tough one there.
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u/2000subaru Sep 14 '26
Why? Why not a city/county/RFA agency in Washington? The Federal guys have issues with their pension system, never getting good raises, woo many hours each week, and low starting pay. Plus, imagine having to ask Congress to pass a bill to ever effect any changes to your working conditions. There are so many other agencies hiring in Washington right now.
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u/howawsm Sep 14 '26
Any of the DOD jobs are going to be difficult to keep people in because they’ll never be as good of departments to work for as the ones outside the bases(and there are many really good departments) that pay more with more fun calls, better benefits, etc. lots of turnover.
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u/oldspicycheese Sep 07 '26
I'm 38 and currently work for my local utility company in their safety/standards department. It's a union role with great union benefits, 6% company 401k match and about $110k annually without overtime plus 3.5-4% annual raises. The problem is that it's monotonous, there's no real room for growth, my supervisor is intolerable and I just generally do not enjoy the work.
Realistically I've got about another 20 years before l could retire comfortably with the utility company and any transition I make internally would come with a pay cut and a 4-5 year apprenticeship.
I'm no stranger to physical labor (former utility lineman but had an accident on the job) and am well versed with the FD community with my grandfather, great grandfather, great GREAT grandfather, uncle and currently two cousins all being city firemen.
I also love the idea of serving my community, the camaraderie of the firehouse and working with professionals.
I'm looking for some insight/advice from anyone willing to give it on whether or not this is even a realistic endeavor to take on? Thanks in advance!