Recently, a good number of persons have shown some level of interest to become firefighters and are asking questions as to how they can become a firefighter. This detailed article would lay out an overview on what to know plus steps to take on your way to becoming a firefighter.
If you are interested in becoming a firefighter, there are some important points and facts that you should be aware of, such facts are what would be required in helping you achieve your dream or goal of becoming a firefighter with the best results you can get. For you to secure your path to act fire and rescue recruitment and ultimately secure your future, you should at least have a basic knowledge of the process, procedures and requirements involved.
First and foremost, the first steps involved in chasing your firefighting career or dreams would be the procedure associated with the application, the exam process involved, and the training. The application process covers the health exams you would be subjected to, the physicals, plus the background checks too. As you probably might have guessed, the background checks mainly have their focus on prospective candidates, checking if they have got a previous criminal record or not, and that’s most especially one that centers on arson. Under the background check too, there would also be a look into their driving records and how clean it is.
As would be the case, every location would have its distinctive requirements but the general requirement would be for you to undergo or go through fire academy examination and training.
As common to most departments, prospective candidates would have to be subjected to a psychological examination to ascertain their mental capacity in handling firefighting jobs with the accompanying stress that’s attached to them. This is very important as the job entails having a very good psychological capacity to work under stress.
On successful application and subsequent passing of the prescribed examination, prospective candidates in their journey to become firefighters, are then trained in a fire academy. In the fire academy, you would be trained and tutored on the science of fires and how they work; you would then, of course, learn how to fight the fire. Not just that, you would get in-depth insight on the various kind of equipment utilized in fighting the fire, you would then learn how to use that equipment effectively just like in a real-life practical situation. On successful completion of your training at the fire academy, you will then get a firefighting certificate that gives you the license to fight the fire.
After successful completion of your firefighting training and becoming certified, you would first be exposed to the opportunity of working with a local fire fighting department; the main reason for this is so you can acquire hands-on experience in fire fighting. Meanwhile, there can be a wait with a lot of departments as to whether or not you should be considered and taken on as a volunteer worker or not, without any form of income and whether you would be on a part-time or full-time basis; all through this period, patience would be the keyword here.
When it comes to rules and guidelines in taking in firefighting recruits, there are general guidelines and in some cases, there could be some divergence from location to location, most locations stipulate that a prospective candidate should be a minimum of 18 years of age. This however isn’t the Holy Grail as some could allow those who are 17 years of age to also apply. For the maximum age requirement, it is observed that most locations peg it at 29 years of age, above which most locations won’t accept you. A lot of departments and fire academies also require that you possess a minimum of a high school diploma or GED before they would consider you.
A lot of prospective candidates adamant about pursuing their dreams of becoming firefighters tend to increase their chances of getting in by demonstrating their dedication and ambition for becoming firefighters. There are several ways they do this and it could be through volunteering for fields that are related to firefighting as well as engaging in firefighting ride-along. Other ways could be through gaining useful knowledge and experience in CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) or other training that are medical-related and finally, of course, engaging in learning how to drive vehicles that are emergency type.
In summary, if you are convinced in your heart that firefighting is the right career choice for you, you must check with your local fire departments to understand their guidelines and requirements.
If you desire to improve on your firefighter exam scores and increase your chances of becoming a firefighter, there are helpful resources you can visit online to help you, you would come across a decent amount of firefighter practice quizzes and exams strategies.
