Many people are attracted to the firefighting profession because it is challenging and offers an opportunity to genuinely help the members of their local community. As such, prospective firefighters face keen competition for firefighter positions when they become available.
The requirements to become a firefighter vary somewhat from department to department, but general application requirements to enter a training program are to: be 18 years of age or older; be physically fit; have a clean criminal record.
Personal qualities that are sought are mental alertness, self-discipline, courage, mechanical aptitude, endurance, strength, and a sense of public service. Good judgment and initiative also are extremely important.
Most firefighters have a high school diploma, however, the completion of community college courses, or in some cases, an associate degree, in fire science will significantly improve your chances of securing a job. An increasing number of colleges and universities now also offer 2-4 year courses in fire engineering.
Both a written exam and a physical test must be passed prior to being accepted on to a training program. Around a 100 multiple choice questions make up the written exam, and it covers spatial awareness, reading comprehension, mechanical reasoning, logic, observation and memory. The primary focus of the physical ability test is endurance, upper body strength and agility. Each task is timed and tests your capacity to endure sustained physical activity.
Should you be accepted on to a firefighter training program, you will spend about 600 hours in training, over the course of 12 to 14 weeks, learning how to become a firefighter. A combination of practical training and classroom instruction will see you study how to prevent fires from occurring and spreading and how to rescue people caught up in them. On completion of the training program, you are assigned to a fire company, where you undergo a period of probation.
To progress to senior positions, you are required to gain experience of not just advanced firefighting techniques and equipment, but also building construction, management, public speaking and public relations. The general chain of progression runs as follows: firefighter; engineer, lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief, chief.
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