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Permalink Reply by joshua hughes on July 16, 2010 at 12:51am

hey hunter

heres my veiw as a combat vet of oif with the army and also a firefighter of five yrs +

1. firefighting like said is a awesome career and i wouldnt wanna do anything else but you gotta have the passion for it and an understanding for the job most of all you gotta know the risks and benefits associated with it.

2. the military is always an honorable job heres the thing you dont make much money being in the military trust me i know also not sure if your married or have kids but it really puts a strain on your family life even for your parents and sibilings due to the worries so think about that before making that decision.

3.you can prepare for firefighting like said attend dept. training as much as possible if the guys see you wanna learn they will teach you so show up also get on with a volunteer dept usually they will sponser you to go through the county fire training academy not all but most from my experience do this and last but not least always listen and pay attention to the guys who have expeirence if they tell you to do something do it if they say not to do something dont do it they only telling you what to do for your own safety and theirs.

so if you follow what everyone has said in this discussion i think you will make the decision that best for you all the way around.

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Permalink Reply by hunter stiles on July 16, 2010 at 1:42am

thank you. you have helped alot. im only 15 haha im not even old enogh to be in the explorer group but my volunteer department doesnt mind. i really love fire fighting already and i think it will be what i do the rest of my life. but my department doesnt do much hands on training its just talking so at my house i have my gear what could i do to get fit and ready for a real fire when the time comes? ive seen videos were there are people in full gear crawling through a tight space with ropes hanging down and stuff. i could make that but would it be affective? and what else could i do to improve?

thank you again

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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on July 16, 2010 at 7:27am

The Marine Corps would definitely prepare you well for the fire service in many ways. And if you're interested in the military you should go for it while you are young. Then I think you'd make a better firefighter. Good luck, stay safe. By the way --- "grander" is a good word.

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Permalink Reply by hunter stiles on July 16, 2010 at 11:47am

lol ok

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Richmond on July 16, 2010 at 12:28pm

As stated in some of the other posts it is very hard to find employment in the fire service at the present time due to economical cut backs. Unless you're brining something to the table as far as training goes the competition is pretty stiff. I would suggest that you re-look the Marines or any other Branch of the service so that in 3 to 4 years when your enlistment is up you would have a veterans preference as well as the military mind set of discipline on your side. Also if you look at the Air Force as well as the Marines you may be able to enlist as a firefighter and therefore be able to add experience to your resume.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on July 16, 2010 at 2:19pm

Hello Hunter,

Good for you taking the time to put the question out there to help you with you future career and life. At the young age of 15, doing this type of homework is a good sign for your future. As for your questions, here's my take:

1. there is no other job out there as cool and rewarding as a firefighter
2. unless you are doing the volunteer firefighter gig, getting on a fire department full time is VERY competitive
3. you have to do two things to prepare for your future

* Complete high school, taking as much math and science as possible. You also have to be able to communicate clearly, using a myriad of words to express yourself, in other words, you have to totally kick ass in school to get your mind ready to learn much much more. You will never stop going to school and learning if you are serious about this career.

* Consider after high school obtaining a college degree. In my department now because competition for jobs is so extreme, one has to have a minimum of a associates degree to even be considered for promotion. This means that you may be able to get into a department, maybe, but if you have the college education, then you have the chance to go a lot further with your career. Do the homework now and benefit later buddy.

Best of luck kid!

CBz

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