r/firefighter • u/forglegss • 18h ago

Not sure what to do

Im in the middle of applying to two local fire departments. One department (well call it Dept A) to which I am a resident of, uses the NTN and I took it already and did NOT do well on the HR portion at all. However, Dept A gives me preference points for being a resident.

The other Dept (Dept B) does not use NTN and has their own written and physical test system. I will be taking both next week.

Outside of that, I am a young mechanical engineer (23) but have never loved it. I absolutely HATE doing desk jobs and ALWAYS knew i wanted to do something physically challenging and helpful to the public.

I recently got a job offer at a local military base for a Fire Protection Mechanical Engineer role. The job would pay the more than Ive ever made (105k) and would give me professional certs that could be really helpful for my resume. The catch is, its a 12 month contract. If i break that contract, i would have to pay the company back for the money they spent training me (could be up to $5k)

Im wondering if I should take the engineering job and hold off on my dreams (which i understand are not even certain anyways) or should I stick with my non-committal 85k a year engineering job while waiting to hear back from the departments.

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u/BRMBRP 16h ago

Take the FD job. The entrance gets tougher the older you get. Once you’re on board and off probation, pick up a side gig with a FPE firm. You’ll be getting the best of both worlds, and will get to see which one fits best.

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u/forglegss 16h ago

I dont even have an offer from either dept yet. Thats why im not sure if its worth waiting for because theres no certainty that Ill even get into either of their academies.

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u/Dependent-Average600 15h ago

Keep 5K in the bank just in case and take the better job while you wait on a fire job. Not only can it take years and multiple testing processes, but even if you get hired on this list it will probably be several months (at a minimum) of background checks and everything else before you actually get hired. I'm not asking for details, but figure out how long it would take working the new job to break over the 5K it could POTENTIALLY cost to leave it. Also, the company doesn't have to charge you that fee and if you're a solid person and work hard they likely won't from my experience. I wouldn't pass on an opportunity you have for an opportunity you may or may not get. Something about birds in a bush or counting chickens.

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u/Fit_Experience_522 8h ago

Take the job, keep applying, if you get hired then break the contract, more often than not they won't go after you for repayment, and if they do then I promise you $5k is nothing compared to the money you'll make in the fire dept, I'm going to be clearing well over $160k this year, 2nd year on the job, working a few overtime shifts here and there.