Expert: Mike Smith Date: 7/16/2008 Subject: eye sight
Question QUESTION: when i am 18 i would like to join the fire services but my eye sight is not perfect. would wearing contact lens's be allowed and counted as perfect eye sight
ANSWER: Joshua Dude,
The simple answer is no. There are some activities and the fire service that do not allow you to wear contact lenses, for instance hazardous materials teams. Under the law if you're not allowed to wear contact lenses while working in hazardous materials field. But the good news to that is that they make a holders for your glasses inside of your air pack mask. It's a little bit of a pain but it certainly wouldn't exclude you from the fire service.
Many the people I know where glasses and once they get used to wearing an air pact with the glasses inside they do very well.
I admire your ambition to work in a fire service being under 18 years old. Study, Study, Study, and get the best grades you can, getting a professional career position in the fire service is very competitive. Try to get your EMT, CPR, basic first aid, and even the CERT program would do you well at your age.
Welcome to the fire science profession.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out,
Mike
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QUESTION: thank you alot for your help. i live right next to a fire station so i hope that i get an opportunity to start off there. i know that you have to be very fit to do this job but is there any way you can test that you are fit enough??
and if you don't mind me asking how did you first start off in the service??
ANSWER: Joshua,
Walk next door and ask them if you can take a pack test. Or if you live in a metropolitan area, ask them if you can take a CPAT test.
Be ready though, many of the guys that take these tests puke. But many of them make it even though they get sick.
If it's a volunteer department they may have no physical requirements and all. But from Mike to Josh, even if they have no physical requirements get in shape anyway. Your own safety and possibly your life could depend on it.
As far as me getting started in public safety, I started out as a police officer, then they required medical training, then they went to PSO concept. That required police fire and medical training.
Being cross trained in all three saves your agency a lot of money.
After they got into it over a 10 year period, they split the divisions because money became available for all three disciplines.
And yes, I've done the tests I told you about the CPAT and a pack test. I puked on the CPAT, and thought I was gonna die during the pack test. But I believed getting fit for the job has saved my life.
Good luck.
Mike
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QUESTION: thank you or answering my question again. but i have still got a couple more to ask if you dont mind.
i will take the pack test as soon as possible but isnt there a certain age that you have to be to do it?
how long does it take to get the FF1 and all the other stuff you need to become a firefighter?
do you think that the pay will rise by 2010?
Answer Hi again Joshua,
To start out with, please don't worry about how many questions you ask me. I signed up to do this to answer questions just like yours.
Age seems to be a department policy that changes from city to city around the United States. Most of the department's I'm aware of will let you volunteer as a firefighter at the age of 18. They will not let you drive the vehicle in most cases the cause you need to be 21 for insurance policy rules. Some areas require you to be 21 to even take the test. So you will need to check with your department you're interested in.
Firefighter one certification in some areas can be done and in as little as one semester. Other areas of the country require that you take a firefighter one, hazardous materials awareness, hazardous materials operations, basic first aid, and CPR. And that could take up to a year. Check with your department you are interested in to see what you have to have to work. Do I think the pay will raise by 2010? Without question. Even though the pay is not great for professional firefighters, it always stays one step ahead of the food stamp line. Some areas offer really good wages. I have met firefighters from Houston Chicago Salt Lake City and many of the larger cities, where firefighters can actually get into a six digit income. Just depends where you want to work.
I hope this information helps, and please don't be afraid to ask more questions,
Good luck, and remember, study, study,study.
Mike
