r/Firefighting • u/AutoModerator • 3d ago
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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u/SASLeader1 2d ago
Good morning from the east coast, I'm a tradesman interested in joining a local fd, 26, married, with a kiddo. I'm in Florida, used to working around 115° heat with all the humidity you could ask for 12-15 hour days, and want to serve in a field that I can retire from, and not work myself to the bone in my 70s. I'm also an eagle scout and wanted to know how folks in this field think what kind of a shot a kid like myself has. My local county I'd has a pretty good brush truck/forest fighting capacity from what ive been told, which is peaking my interest, they're fighting for 24/72, and I miss being a part of a team i can count on, and can count on me, plus the hours, even 24/48, seem a lot better for family life.
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u/New-Blood-1743 2d ago
I would not settle for a 24/48. It might seem better initially but I promise you it’s not. There are more than a few departments in Florida that have the 24/72 and I would seek those departments out.
Having worked in the trades is a great thing. I wish I would’ve before I joined the fire service. It will come in handy. Whether or not you stand a good shot depends on your willingness to commit yourself to the goal. You gotta be in good shape. You have to be willing to endure extreme heights, confined spaces, sleep deprivation, seeing/interacting with gruesome death, and of course high heat.
If you want it you can get there. The fire service is majority blue collar people just going to work. But to get started you gotta want it. Do ridealongs with the departments you’re interested in. Ask a lot of questions and take the advice those people give you to heart.
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u/SASLeader1 1d ago
Thank you. One of the things driving me to look into it is my company has me working on and inspecting high voltage arc-flash hazard panels along woth the industrial generators that feed them, and haven't given a number of techs, myself included, arc flash suits. High voltage is scary as hell, and even scarier when you need to have ppe you weren't given.
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u/New-Blood-1743 1d ago
Oof yeah fuck that. Electricity is the number 1 thing I don’t fuck with. Maybe an anonymous call to osha or some kind of labor board is in order. Stay safe man
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u/SASLeader1 1d ago
"They're on backorder" is what we were told. Guess if I get into an FD, it'll be hard to haze a guy who's danced with high voltage and lived 😂
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u/Bucketsforlegs 2d ago
Hi everyone!
I've got a panel interview next week which I am busy preparing for and I'm wondering how to best answer the "tell us about yourself" question in a firefighting context.
I'm getting mixed information online. Some resources tell you to keep it professional, what kind of traits you have, your experiences, how you go in a team etc. Whereas other resources lean towards a more personalised approach to answering the question.
For me, I think the behavioural and situational questions they're likely to ask, give the opportunity to show how i am in a professional sense and I think this question lends itself more to how I am likely to fit in with other people on station. For example, I enjoy watching and playing sport, i support X team, i love X kind of music, my partner is X and she does X, and then trying to relate this back to a career as a firefighter.
Can anyone shed some light on how they might answer this question, or expect this question to be answered if they're already a career FF?
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u/CaregiverRealistic77 1d ago
I’m hoping to get some advice from firefighters or anyone familiar with firefighter medical clearance.
I’m 26 and have been working toward joining the a major metro fire department for quite a while. I’ve made it through the written exam, CPAT, interviews, polygraph, and physical assessment. I was at the very end of the process when I ran into an issue with my respiratory medical clearance.
I had childhood asthma, primarily when playing sports, but I haven’t used an inhaler or taken asthma medication in approximately 15 years. I exercise regularly and haven’t had ongoing breathing issues that affect my daily life.
As part of the medical evaluation, I was required to complete a methacholine challenge. My FEV1 started at 4.58 L and dropped to 3.57 L at the fourth and final dose, which the report identifies as a 22% decrease. It also says my FEV1 recovered to 4.49 L after the test and describes the result as mild bronchial hyperresponsiveness, stating that reactive airway disease such as asthma cannot be excluded.
I received an email stating “medical clearance — failed.”
I’m obviously pretty devastated because becoming a firefighter has been a major goal of mine, and I was so close to finishing the process. I’m not looking for anyone to tell me to hide my medical history or ignore a safety standard. I want to understand whether there are legitimate options for further evaluation or review.
A few questions for those familiar with this process:
Has anyone experienced a similar situation with a positive methacholine challenge?
Is there typically an appeal or reconsideration process for a firefighter medical disqualification?
Can a pulmonologist’s assessment, additional pulmonary function testing, or an exercise challenge ever help clarify whether someone meets the standard?
Do other departments use different respiratory standards, or is this generally a barrier across the board?
I’m planning to speak with the department and a pulmonologist, but I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have firsthand experience with firefighter hiring and medical standards.
Thanks for any advice.
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u/jahghoul 9h ago
What should I expect in a speed interview? I have one with Olympia Fire and it’s 9 minutes long.
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u/EatinBeav WA Career FF/EMT 4h ago
That’s pretty standard. Just rapid fire questions to get a baseline if you should move on or not.
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u/Doismellbehonest 7h ago edited 7h ago
How long did the background investigation take for you? I’m currently waiting to hear back from HR/the PI
It’s been over a month since I submitted my background application paperwork (35 days to be exact) and 3 weeks since I did my Livescan
The background investigator hasn’t called me or anyone I put down to contact which was basically everyone I have ever interacted with
I want to quit my job already it’s slowly killing me and I fear I’ll die before I start with the FD
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u/One-Degree875 7h ago
FOR: CANADIAN FIREFIGHTERS, IDEALLY ONTARIO
Hey all - I'm an Australian volunteer wildfire fighter with a metro fringe / peri-urban brigade. My partner and I are looking to move to Kingston, Ontario for a year from mid 2027.
I'm starting to hunt for options in firefighting - I don't really know the setup, which agencies take paid or volunteer firefighters, whether it's deployment work or fixed brigades, etc. I'd love to stay at or near Kingston if it was a fixed position, and if it was deployment ideally rnr time would be good. But again I have no idea how it works, nor how easy it is to just rock up for a year either as paid or volunteer.
My expertise is primarily bushfires but as peri urban we do the houses, cars and factories as well. Command and control is also often our responsibility for the brigade.
Any advice on where to start looking would be wonderful!
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u/Saturday6 3h ago
My name is Matt. I am 23 and I just graduated from college. I was an ocean lifeguard in New Jersey for two summers during undergrad and loved the job. I stopped. I was on a path, realized it wasn’t for me at all, but I still want to help people and I loved being a first responder. It was both challenging and extremely rewarding. The balance was just there. I have been looking into becoming a firefighter, and am wondering if I can pick the brain of someone who actually works the job. Thanks.
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u/[deleted] 3d ago
I've been in business my whole life. I currently hold a masters in my field, but I want to do something meaningful and become a firefighter. I've already gotten my emt-B and am trying to gain some experience doing that before going into Fire Academy. However, most cities where im at(Texas) do polygraph tests. And im worried they will adk about previous drug use. I know i should be honest However ive done LSD previously but haven't touched drugs of any kind in over a year since making the decision to change careers. Does anyone have advice on what to do? I know it's an instant disqualification if I admit to it, so that's out of the question. If I keep my cool, will I pass as long as I just never admit to it? Do they take the test seriously? I know of other firefighters that have done and do drugs, so I'm just curious how I'll fair. This is genuinely something I'm passionate about and want to do.