About Michael Expertise I am a firefighter, fire inspector, public educator, emergency medical
technician and public information officer with 14 years of experience in
emergency services. My goal is to help you find the answers to your
questions.
I am a freshman at San Francisco State and want a career in the fire service. I am from Orange County, and most people there I know going into the fire service are going to community colleges like Santa Ana for fire classes, but I want to go through a four year college and take fire science courses. Is this a good way to do it? And is it okay to minor in a subject with nothing to do with the fire service? Or is it better to follow the majority at city colleges? Sorry, that was more than one question. I appreciate your time.
Sincerely,
Catherine Lombardo
Answer Hello Catherine and thank you for your question.
I'm not too familiar with that part of the country, but I'll try to help.
The courses offered by community colleges and universities will vary from region to region. You'll need to shop the universities in your area to see who offers what fire science courses. You may also consider working on an associate degree from a community college and then transferring to a university. You may even want to consider an out-of-state university or program like Oklahoma State University's School of Fire Protection and Safety Technology (http://fpst.okstate.edu/).
Keep in mind that fire departments are essentially a business whether they are private or public. If no emergency service-related bachelor degrees are offered, you may consider a degree in business administration or public administration.
Emergency service agencies are diverse and a minor you think has nothing to do with emergency services may come in handy like psychology, biology, chemistry, building construction, communications, etc.
If you don't mind I will go ahead and give you my basic emergency service soapbox. Hope some part of this helps!
Here we go:
Everyone will have a similiar, but different path to take. My brother suffered a traumatic brain injury in 1992 and hence my interest in emergency services. I was a volunteer firefighter for about 1.5 years before I took my first career position with a fire department. I worked on my certifications while I was a volunteer and that helped me pay my way. Tweek your path according to your needs!
The emergency service field is very competitive! Dependent upon locale, your starting options will vary. Some, but not all, departments hire strictly entry-level candidates with no experience or training in emergency services; however, many departments require Firefighter I and/orEMT certification. The entry level departments generally pick the candidate they like and train them from within their department and the others pick up those with training and/or experience and just acclimate them to their particular fire department and its operating policies and procedures.
Firefighter I certification is a nationally recognized requirement that was created and maintained by the National Fire Protection Association www.nfpa.org). Talk with your local or prospective fire department about when, where and how to obtain certification.
Some departments require the Fire Service Entrance Exam (FSEE). The FSEE is offered to people seeking positions with fire departments or any entity that requires completion of the FSEE before submitting an application. The FSEE is a standardized test for assessing a person's basic aptitude for the position of firefighter. The test does not assess a person's knowledge of the fire service or firefighting.
EMT certification varies from state to state, but many states grant reciprocity for National Registry EMT-B certification. NREMT is on the web at www.nremt.org. Once again, check with either your local fire department and/or emergency medical service about when, where and how to obtain the proper certification for your area.
The age requirements vary as well. Two of the most common minimum age requirements are 18 and 21.
I am by no means a personal trainer, but will give you an overview of possible physical requirements. The physical requirements vary from department to department. Some require successful completion of a physical agility test (again, varies from department to department, but generally the components of these tests mimic tasks performed in the actual job like hose drags or carries, striking a sledgehammer or axe against a moveable sled or immovable object, manikin drag simulating a rescue, etc.) or wellness test. One standard test is called the Candidate Physical Ability Test or CPAT (http://www.floridafirejobs.org/cpat/CPAT.pdf). Overall physical well-being is a must! Check out http://cms.firehouse.com/content/section/content.jsp?sectionId=11 to see FDNY Firefighter Jim Stefano's take on fitness.
As a college graduate, I cannot express the importance of higher education. I think that the college experience, as a whole, is invaluable (personal opinion). Generally an associate degree in fire science or administration isn't required for entry-level, but it sure does look nice. Many progressive departments require a fire-related associate degree for promotion below the rank of Chief and require a bachelor degree, at minimum, for promotion to a Chief's rank. Degree types range from business administration to public administration to general topic degrees.
Oklahoma State University offers fire service-related bachelor degree programs - OSU is known for its fire service training program. Johnson County Community College (JCCC) in Overland Park, Kansas(southwest Kansas
City) has a solid associate degree program in fire service administration. Type in OSU and JCCC in your internet browser and check out their websites.
Volunteering may be a good avenue to pursue. You may get some or all of your training paid for if you find the right fire department to volunteer with.
Check out all of your options and continue to ask questions!
Emergency services is rewarding and firefighting is only about 5-10% of the actual job. Most of the job is emergency medical and rescue calls.
There is a downside though, to me and what I find disturbing about the job is that overall we are one of the worst countries in the industrialized world in fire deaths per capita!According to Tri-Data Corporation we are only second to Hungary in fire deaths. This is 100% unacceptable for a country with all of our technology and resources. Fire prevention and public education are the keys to reducing these numbers.
What I like most about the job is having the ability to help someone who can't help themself. You don't receive a lot of kudos for deeds, but when you do it makes you feel great!
Emergency service people are generally good decision makers, quick thinkers, like to learn, compassionate, capable of working in harsh environments and personable.
