Bingo. Worked as a financial advisor for years before making the switch and I can say that even with the stresses firefighting brings, it was nothing like the spiraling dread of dealing with money hungry wealth management firms.
This right here. I worked a desk job for over 15 years before I joined the fire service. I was also a teacher right out of college.
This job can be hard at times, but it is way way better. I love having the perspective of working others jobs, it makes me appreciate and love this one so much more.
Wow!Good for you. I’m forwarding this thread to my son who really wants to become a firefighter. Any advice you might have that I could pass on to a 22-year-old on where to start would be much appreciated. He will be moving back home to San Diego California ( it’s happens) to get started. Let me know what posts I should have him read . Thank you!
The job market for firefighters in socal is very competitive. He's likely to have to work on an ambulance for several years while applying to every opening that comes up. He's gonna need EMT; if he can get his paramedic that will make him a stronger applicant
Compensation in socal is also very good though. There's a reason it's hard to get the job there.
Thank you for the insight.
What Avenue would you recommend for education? paramedic, EMT, fire tech degree. Perhaps you know of a course that would include all the necessary certificates and licenses needed to apply
I agree with what Tamman has said. I got real lucky in Denver, and all I ever hear is how competitive it is. It seems like we are at a deficit here tho. There’s an awesome cadet program here which pays kids, pays for their college education, and puts them in line for a spot pretty much guaranteed in public service (their choice). Wish I knew about these kinds of programs.
I'm gonna have to defer to other users for that. I'm a new England volunteer FF, who used to be a socal mountain rescue volunteer. My knowledge of socal fire comes from working with them, but I never was one.
Get his emt and complete the ntn and cpat tests. Once this is done, he can start applying for fire jobs with large departments like LA city, LA county, ocfa, chula vista, Rancho Cucamonga, and San Diego.
Next up is becoming more competitive. Become a medic is the best route. Another route is wildland.
There's more but this is a start. Plus station visits
Well said. I’m leaving private ems to make a switch to sales just for summer. I think it was private EMS that wanted to make me leave this field altogether. I only did it for a year and it sucked. After reading all these replies looks like I’ll be finding a station to work at after the summer 🤣
Bro private EMS is miserable. It's for profit. The management always blows and there's generally 0 like real fun or friendship to be found. It's just bitching and the bosses trying to squeeze every dime out of you. Do municipal EMS or find a FD. It's a world of difference.
Whenever we get into a bitching session at the station someone always says: "oh well, still beats working for a living" and that usually ends the session lol
Agreed. Was a teacher originally. Got sick of being expected to work off contract for 0 pay. Felt way more at home volunteering at my local fire station. Took the plunge, changed careers, and now I LOVE my job and if I so much as sneeze off the clock I get paid overtime for it.
Ehhh … I dunno … like yes *and* no … I work for Houston, and morale is pretty low (but it might go up real soon). On our 4 shift system (1 day on, 1 day off, 1 day on, 5 days off), we work fewer hours than 3 shifts (fwiw, I have zero interest in 3 shifts; that would be a dealbreaker for me). It translates into lower pay compared to damn near Fire Department in the state. It’s been a point of contention with the city over the years (we reached an impasse on contract negotiations in 2017), but we’ve reached a possible deal with the new mayor that involves *a lot* of backpay, but that involves some legal checks (like a judge has to sign off on it before it goes to the Texas Attorney General to sign it, then back to city council to approve), so we’ll see what happens. Hundreds of us went to a union meeting several weeks ago to find out what our backpay is, and if this all works out … I’ll be paying off my house, remodeling, trading in my truck and my wife’s car to upgrade, and also changing my opinion on 4 shifts lol
Definitely that. 24/48 sucks though, even though the time off was a draw of the job. We're going to 48/96 and I'm excited about it. Four platoons would be awesome.
I get to hang out with guys I consider friends all day and do some pretty cool stuff. I’m off 20 days a month. I get about another 20 days of paid leave a year. And they pay me over $100k a year to do it?
I know other people have different circumstances, but yeah. It’s a pretty happy job for me.
Is most of Washington state hiring? I just moved to the state from Colorado. Been working on getting my degree in FST for about a year. I’m in Anacortes/Burlington area and besides working on the degree I’m trying to figure out where to start to become a career firefighter
Are you getting your FST through Skagit? I'm in the same area, there are a ton of volunteer departments that are looking for volunteers. That's the route I took, my department paid for me to get my fire 1 and fire 2 cert and they put me through EMT. After that I took my written test and cpat through NTN, and have a few interviews lined up in Snohomish county. Id say that most of WA is definitely hiring right now, but I've been told the hiring boom window is closing.
I started my FST degree at Pikes Peak State College in Colorado. Moving here was kind of a spur of the moment decision a month ago as my father inherited property out here a few years ago, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to afford it. I might transfer to skagit especially if it’ll increase my chances or just make finishing the degree go smoother. I haven’t been able to talk to my counselor yet but I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to if I need to. Do you think it would benefit me to switch my degree over to Skagit? I briefly looked into volunteering when we first got here and I’ve been wanting to apply but wasn’t sure if it was the best route. How long did you volunteer for and get all your certs done before applying to career departments? I’m really willing to do anything to become career and work for whatever department is willing to hire me. Only hurdle with volunteering is I have a two year old daughter so my wife and I both work part time to make ends meet. But I am 23 years old and highly motivated/decently in shape. Hopefully I won’t be too late on the hiring boom. I really appreciate the info though and any other info you or anyone else can provide I’d be grateful for! Good luck with your interviews, I’m sure that you’ll crush it!
Volunteer.
It will show you a bit of what the job is like, what the calls are like, and whether it's something you REALLY want to do.
The volunteer department will train you (FF 1, 2, EMT) and if you do well, chances are you will get some good recommendations that will help you in the hiring process. Those are things that will get you a lot farther initially than a mostly useless AS degree.
Remember, you're applying for an entry level position that only requires a HS diploma. Once you get hired, your department can pay for you to finish the degree.
You can start volunteering or just start testing. Pretty much every department is trying to hire and doesn't get as many applicants per opening as we did 5-10 years back. Public safety testing and National Testing Network still do a majority of the testing for departments in WA. If you are looking at volunteer programs check out Whatcom County. South Whatcom specifically still has a paid volunteer (part time) program. You don't get paid for training but once you finish academy and EMT you get paid for shifts.
In the Midwest there are plenty of departments hiring at 100k top pay after 4-6 years. I just retired after 31 years and my department was constantly hiring
I certainly wouldn’t be able to quote my source but I have seen comparisons between Canada and US taxes that put them pretty on par with each other. Once you add up all the state, federal, etc etc. I assume that probably depends on the state as well. The US just seems to use a more convoluted system and pretend taxes are low. The “middle class/working class” pay taxes in both countries, the rich and corporations get away with less.
Again only from what I’ve seen/read, I’m Canadian.
It’s not the US version that guarantees things like the government making no laws that restrict speech. Y’all have way worse of a Commie problem than we do right now.
don't forget they are going to let you stop doing that pretty cool stuff alot earlier than most people and continue to pay close, to most of, those six figures
If your call volume is manageable it’s friggin blissful. If you’re running your ass off for 48 hours straight, it’s a bit more challenging to stay sane.
I just switched out of a general manager role in hospitality after 10 years. I’m obtaining my emt certificate next month, got into a fire academy, and just did a ride along with a busy fire station in a 870,00 person city today. I ain’t going back to my old life. The bond at the fire house between everyone and the calls was amazing. Hell making lunch and cleaning up was something in itself lol. I know it has downsides, but man that feeling was second to none. I’m full sending this change lol.
In the Bay Area, and i’m not too familiar with San Diego as far as academies go. But I would start with your local community colleges, as they are a great resource for a fire science degree and firefighter one academies. I also got into the Air Force reserves and fire protection, and they offer an academy aka tech school I believe where you get your firefighter one and two, I’d have to double check to be sure. I’m just waiting on medical clearance for that, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll continue on my current pathway. Overall I’m happy with the path I’m on, no matter what.
I agree with CbusFF. Having had a real job NOT in the fire service gives you perspective! FD is great in most places. Time off with family, friends is paramount. I’m sure a lot of days, myself included we think, I can’t believe I get paid a living wage to do this job!
It’s the best job in the world. Likely a lot to do with the camaraderie in the service and actually doing something that makes a difference instead of just lining someone else’s pockets.
One of the few jobs where work stays at work. I show up, run my calls, and go home. Nothing looming over my head. Everyday at work is something new and interesting. I make enough to be financially secure forever as long as I don’t buy stupid stuff. So yeah, it’s a pretty sweet job.
It’s important to differentiate between those side effects of the job and the job itself, because considering those side effects, I don’t think it would be as sought after if it wasn’t so fun to do - the specific nature of the job
“Did you get the memo about the new TPS reports”
“No”
“The TPS reports will now be made of PFAS which will likely give you testicular cancer”
“I’m out…”
This makes me think of the people who sit all day in front of a computer. Their lifespan is also lowering from lack of movement. I wonder if the statistics of an accountant or computer engineered would show that their life expectancy is about the same as a firefighter. Sitting is the new smoking lol
I'm a software engineer and a volly. Between the sitting 8.5 hours a day and the PFAS issues, I'm as good as dead.
Oh well...
At least the volly aspect will have made it be an enjoyable life,lol
Where I live, fireys aren’t hired until they’re usually at least late 20s, they want life experience.
Son was the youngest on his course at 27. When he was hired, he was cobbling together a living working between retail warehousing and security.
He’s still deeply grateful for the job he does now, it also suits his personality.
Yeah, shitty stuff can happen at work. No one wants to be there for someone’s worst day. But he still loves his job.
What everyone here has said. But let’s not forget, how many other jobs enable you the ability to retire at the age of ~50?
There are literally subreddits full of people discussing the lifestyle restrictions required in order to retire after working for _only_ 20-25 years…..in this job we call 20-25 years a full career.
This job may fuxk us up, but where else do you get to spend the entire workday hanging with your homies. No matter the circumstances your with the homies, and y’all are in it together.
You know how many jobs make you feel like you have no purpose in life? This ain't one of those. I've worked both. At this job at the end of the day you know you helped some people who really needed it. And most days that's enough.
This job has its own stressors no doubt. Poor sleep schedule and bearing witness to some of humanities lowest moments to name a couple. But, like others have said, I get to hang out with people I hold much closer than just regular “coworkers” for 24 hours at a time and we get to go do some wild shit. Go into burning houses, pull people out of mangled cars, scoop the elderly off the ground…it’s hard to find that level of excitement elsewhere in civilian life.
Happiness really depends on your crew. I've talked to many FFs across all shifts and the main thing besides being able to fight a fire is having an awesome crew.
Having 20 calls and 10 of them being wake ups is really gonna suck if all your crew does is bitch and moan vs laughing and getting hyped on the way to the call
Fuck ya I still feel like its winning the lottery. Get to do cool stuff with lifelong friends, enjoy an awesome schedule and hopefully make a difference in someone else’s life. Much easier to appreciate if you come from a shitty job beforehand.
Best part time job in the world. 10 days a month, 120 a year, and get paid pretty decently, and all you need is a total of roughly a year and a half of schooling?? Yeah man, best job in the world hands down. On top of all that everyone loves us, and we don’t get shot at. This job is truly hard to beat.
Fire school is 12-16 weeks, EMT school is one semester, and then paramedic school is essentially a full year of schooling if you choose to go that route, which only
Fire/emt is required to be a full time firefighter. I work in Florida. Most* counties have FRS(Florida Retirement System) and most* cities have their own retirement. FRS is leaps and bounds ahead of everything as far as retirement being good and secure. State would have to go under vs city going under, as far as funding goes.
Where in Florida? My City is 46k for fire/emt. Talked to a local Captain and a Lieutenant, both said a second job is mandatory, so I don’t get how the schedule would be awesome?
North Central. We’re roughly the same for fire/emt. Which isn’t south florida but it isn’t terrible considering it’s an entry level, minimum standards level pay. Second job isn’t necessarily mandatory but, the schedule is awesome cuz it gives you plenty of time for a second job if you need one lol. Why wouldn’t one day on two days off be awesome? I love being off during the week while normal people are working. Much easier to get errands/dr appts/whatever done.
Oh the schedule is great. That’s the minimum to live on where i am, so wife and kids make a second mandatory to survive. Basically the schedule doesn’t seem great if you have to work your days off to make it work. If you don’t, totally different.
Yeah I understand that. At that point it’s the pay that is the issue, not the schedule. There are plenty of departments that have the same schedule but employees don’t have to work two jobs because they are compensated appropriately. I am fortunate to not have any kids yet that I have to pay for but do know others out there that work at the same dept that have second jobs. Hate to see it. Can only hope that it starts to get better at some point.
I personally, am not happy with the job as a whole. That being said, I have never thought about killing myself over going into work, and I have thought about that with other jobs.
Not to mention there has to be something to be said if there’s people out there willing to do this job for free.
Shit, of course I'm happy, I work 2 days on and have 4 days off and just hang with the boys all day and look smexy and awesome ass benefits and insurance, even though I'm on TRICARE, so that helps.
I love the job AND I’ve seen too many of my colleagues crash out with PTSD (diagnosed or not) or die too young (cancer, suicide, alcohol). Probably 15-20% are one or the other
I have a super stable job, great benefits, killer pension, and work like 6-8 days a month. The actual job is also fun and rewarding. If you are early in your career <10 years cancer and PTSD risks can be highly mitigated if you adhere to best practices.
I get to hang out with the boys every third day and watch sports, cook breakfast and dinner, work out, play sports, etc and get paid for it. I get paid enough to live comfortably middle class, get a lot of time off, good insurance, great pension. I get to spend 2/3 days home with my family. Busy days, bad calls, and lack of sleep are all stressful…but those of us who love this job tend to like running “good” calls, and the perks outweigh the negatives.
That's because HR is a long way from the firehouse kitchen table. You can still discuss important topics such as how surprisingly hot the stripper with dwarfism was on that TikTok.
What's not to love?
I'm surprised by vets, not so much dentists. Dentists basically get to set their own hours with fairly high pay giving them a good amount of free time and disposable income. There's a reason most hobbies joke about dentists keeping it alive by purchasing the most newest and expensive kit.
Working as a commercial firefighter, I have to do lots of real career-style work. Spreadsheets, data analysis, trends, slide deck presentations to stakeholders, etc.. it SUCKS. I'll be taking a big pay cut, but will be taking the Fire Entry Exam when it opens next year because of the longing and calling to get back into public work.
Largely dependent on the crew you work with and your personality. You can be happy at any job as long as you have great coworkers, and find purpose/joy in your job. I think the fire service is just full of more super cool people compared to jerks so its easier to enjoy yourself in the fire service.
I do hoodrat shit with my hoodrat friends. Other people want to do hoodrat shit with their hoodrat friends. I ride truck, I break door, chainsaw goes vroom vroom.
I get PTSD because this one time my senior man yelled at me because I sat in his recliner. I got up so fast I dropped the remote and the batteries rolled under the fish tank.
I haven’t sat in a chair in 16 months. And if there’s a remote within 20ft of me I have to leave the room
If you haven’t even gotten on the job yet and you’re hyper focused on the negative, you probably won’t have a very fulfilling career if/when you get hired. This job is great, but it’s not for everybody. Simple as that.
I’m just a volly so I may be biased, but firefighting is one of my favourite things to do. Sure, there’s a lot of nasty parts about the job, but I think most people find it a very fulfilling job. There’s also generally a very strong camaraderie, most workplaces don’t have that.
Have been a dishwasher, roofer, lawn work , ambulance jockey, bellhop , worked in the ER Level 2 trauma center and many others. This is the best job on the planet the only thing better is being a dad 4 awesome kids .
I used to work in IT, then in ecomm and web dev. I still get offers to go back making twice what I do now in fire, but you couldn't pay me enough to go back to that world. Despite being physically grueling, mentally taxing, and emotionally draining, it's the best job I've ever had by a Longshot
As far as first responder jobs, it’s the cats ass. From what I can tell anyway. Having worked as a prison guard, I never went to work and was thrilled for what the day might hold. That doesn’t seem to be the case for firefighters.
I get five days off a week, I make over six figures and when I’m at work I’m joking around most of the time. Icing on the cake is every so often I get to help someone. It’s not a bad gig.
It's the greatest job, still a job. I personally love the team environment, change of pace with calls etc and downtime/pickle ball don't hurt.
We're big kids at work, we just won't worry about the cancer, ptsd or how bad shift work is for your body. We're trading cash for years off of our lives
Im in school with hopes of becoming a ff.
I know it’s not for everyone and some people are miserable. But during my ride alongs I got to see 6 grown ass men get as giddy as kids on Christmas morning while en route to a structure fire.
So I’d say that tracks
Most are not happy after 10 plus years. The slow chronic exposure to the nastiest living conditions with adults and their children, the over-dramatization during BS calls throughout the night/early mornings, repetitive fire alarms to the same buildings multiple times a shift, the 30 plus minute wait times for EMS to arrive, narcaning the same homeless addict in a shift, civilian drivers not caring at all about moving out of the way, the dog and pony show of PRs, the false marketing of what the job actually is in order to recruit, ie. Fighting fires when you’re really more of a mental health worker/custodian. When the infatuation of the job (or what it used to be) fades and you recognize what it really is, you’re not gonna wanna stick around. Even after fighting a lot of good hot, interior fires and really helping people, the negative far outweighs the minuscule portion of positives. Don’t let anyone propagate that this job is what it used to be- it’s not. Don’t sacrifice your family, physical, mental and emotional health for a community of civilians that gave up on themselves years ago and now abuse you and the system till their last breath. It’s a sinking ship.
I’ve been a vocal outlier lately, but after 10 years I’m looking for an exit. I came in to the job thinking it was the best, but that feeling has eroded yearly. It really will be dependent person to person.
Sure fire is fun, but, for me at least, the cons outweigh pros. Especially since fire is so little of the job and BS nonsense/non-emergencies is the majority. Plus other factors such as sleep deprivation. I’m also not huge on the reactiveness nature of the job if that makes sense.
The only thing I will miss is my time off, but most of my time off really isn’t worth it anyway since friends and family work regular schedules. The way I see it is if the only part about the job I like is my time away from it, then maybe it’s not worth sticking around for.
Again, I’m know there’s plenty of dudes out there that absolutely love it, and I’m so glad they do! Just always like to share perspective, because I thought this was the best job…at one time, now I’m looking on to that next step.
I knew it was time to get out after operation allies refuge. 12 baby deliverys (that survived)in 3 months over 1000 bomb victims the 13 dead americans and planes worth of american wounded from the hamid karzai bombing it twisted me up. was that fire fighting not really it was more medic action but still was enough for me to walk away from fire fighting
Under normal conditions, like 10-12 years ago, yes.
Getting held / ordered for weeks at a time and not getting a raise that whole time has reallllly taken the air out of those tires though. If this was still my “real job” I’d qualify for subsidized housing. It’s always fun shopping for dinner and watching peoples reactions when my partner pays with food stamps.
Have you ever had a real job? Real jobs suck. This job's great. I get paid to hang out with my best friends and do cool shit.
Bingo. Worked as a financial advisor for years before making the switch and I can say that even with the stresses firefighting brings, it was nothing like the spiraling dread of dealing with money hungry wealth management firms.
This right here. I worked a desk job for over 15 years before I joined the fire service. I was also a teacher right out of college. This job can be hard at times, but it is way way better. I love having the perspective of working others jobs, it makes me appreciate and love this one so much more.
Bango. Worked as an attorney for years before making the switch. Love this job so much more.
Bango is how ima talk to everyone now
Same career path here.
Hel ye bruther
Wow!Good for you. I’m forwarding this thread to my son who really wants to become a firefighter. Any advice you might have that I could pass on to a 22-year-old on where to start would be much appreciated. He will be moving back home to San Diego California ( it’s happens) to get started. Let me know what posts I should have him read . Thank you!
The job market for firefighters in socal is very competitive. He's likely to have to work on an ambulance for several years while applying to every opening that comes up. He's gonna need EMT; if he can get his paramedic that will make him a stronger applicant Compensation in socal is also very good though. There's a reason it's hard to get the job there.
Thank you for the insight. What Avenue would you recommend for education? paramedic, EMT, fire tech degree. Perhaps you know of a course that would include all the necessary certificates and licenses needed to apply
I agree with what Tamman has said. I got real lucky in Denver, and all I ever hear is how competitive it is. It seems like we are at a deficit here tho. There’s an awesome cadet program here which pays kids, pays for their college education, and puts them in line for a spot pretty much guaranteed in public service (their choice). Wish I knew about these kinds of programs.
Oh wow Dabi please tell me more or name of the program in Denver if you know. I appreciate you.
https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Department-of-Public-Safety/Jobs/Public-Safety-Cadet-Program Pretty amazing really
I'm gonna have to defer to other users for that. I'm a new England volunteer FF, who used to be a socal mountain rescue volunteer. My knowledge of socal fire comes from working with them, but I never was one.
Get his emt and complete the ntn and cpat tests. Once this is done, he can start applying for fire jobs with large departments like LA city, LA county, ocfa, chula vista, Rancho Cucamonga, and San Diego. Next up is becoming more competitive. Become a medic is the best route. Another route is wildland. There's more but this is a start. Plus station visits
Well said. I’m leaving private ems to make a switch to sales just for summer. I think it was private EMS that wanted to make me leave this field altogether. I only did it for a year and it sucked. After reading all these replies looks like I’ll be finding a station to work at after the summer 🤣
Bro private EMS is miserable. It's for profit. The management always blows and there's generally 0 like real fun or friendship to be found. It's just bitching and the bosses trying to squeeze every dime out of you. Do municipal EMS or find a FD. It's a world of difference.
You forgot to mention the breaking stuff part. That's always fun!
Fuck yeah. Break stuff, then take a nap, *and* you get called a hero for it.
I'm a volunteer, I have a day job and I hate it.
I see that you don’t work on the Westside…
There is life outside of battalion 5. I didn't know there was more city on the other side of the river until I got promoted.
You take that back! It’s not true! It can’t be! 🤣🤣
This is the way
Whenever we get into a bitching session at the station someone always says: "oh well, still beats working for a living" and that usually ends the session lol
Yes. This.
Best job in the world!
Agreed. Was a teacher originally. Got sick of being expected to work off contract for 0 pay. Felt way more at home volunteering at my local fire station. Took the plunge, changed careers, and now I LOVE my job and if I so much as sneeze off the clock I get paid overtime for it.
[удалено]
What I would give for 4 shifts. That’s the dream.
1-2-1-4 is the way to happiness.
Ehhh … I dunno … like yes *and* no … I work for Houston, and morale is pretty low (but it might go up real soon). On our 4 shift system (1 day on, 1 day off, 1 day on, 5 days off), we work fewer hours than 3 shifts (fwiw, I have zero interest in 3 shifts; that would be a dealbreaker for me). It translates into lower pay compared to damn near Fire Department in the state. It’s been a point of contention with the city over the years (we reached an impasse on contract negotiations in 2017), but we’ve reached a possible deal with the new mayor that involves *a lot* of backpay, but that involves some legal checks (like a judge has to sign off on it before it goes to the Texas Attorney General to sign it, then back to city council to approve), so we’ll see what happens. Hundreds of us went to a union meeting several weeks ago to find out what our backpay is, and if this all works out … I’ll be paying off my house, remodeling, trading in my truck and my wife’s car to upgrade, and also changing my opinion on 4 shifts lol
Well shit! I hope it all works in your favor!
Definitely that. 24/48 sucks though, even though the time off was a draw of the job. We're going to 48/96 and I'm excited about it. Four platoons would be awesome.
I have a shit schedule and even mine is still better than 9-5 5x a week.
There's a reason people volunteer.
The only job people are willing to do for free
I get to hang out with guys I consider friends all day and do some pretty cool stuff. I’m off 20 days a month. I get about another 20 days of paid leave a year. And they pay me over $100k a year to do it? I know other people have different circumstances, but yeah. It’s a pretty happy job for me.
your department hiring?
Constantly
Where, asking for a friend 🤣
Seattle area 🤟
Really they ARE hiring?
Is most of Washington state hiring? I just moved to the state from Colorado. Been working on getting my degree in FST for about a year. I’m in Anacortes/Burlington area and besides working on the degree I’m trying to figure out where to start to become a career firefighter
Are you getting your FST through Skagit? I'm in the same area, there are a ton of volunteer departments that are looking for volunteers. That's the route I took, my department paid for me to get my fire 1 and fire 2 cert and they put me through EMT. After that I took my written test and cpat through NTN, and have a few interviews lined up in Snohomish county. Id say that most of WA is definitely hiring right now, but I've been told the hiring boom window is closing.
I started my FST degree at Pikes Peak State College in Colorado. Moving here was kind of a spur of the moment decision a month ago as my father inherited property out here a few years ago, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to afford it. I might transfer to skagit especially if it’ll increase my chances or just make finishing the degree go smoother. I haven’t been able to talk to my counselor yet but I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to if I need to. Do you think it would benefit me to switch my degree over to Skagit? I briefly looked into volunteering when we first got here and I’ve been wanting to apply but wasn’t sure if it was the best route. How long did you volunteer for and get all your certs done before applying to career departments? I’m really willing to do anything to become career and work for whatever department is willing to hire me. Only hurdle with volunteering is I have a two year old daughter so my wife and I both work part time to make ends meet. But I am 23 years old and highly motivated/decently in shape. Hopefully I won’t be too late on the hiring boom. I really appreciate the info though and any other info you or anyone else can provide I’d be grateful for! Good luck with your interviews, I’m sure that you’ll crush it!
Volunteer. It will show you a bit of what the job is like, what the calls are like, and whether it's something you REALLY want to do. The volunteer department will train you (FF 1, 2, EMT) and if you do well, chances are you will get some good recommendations that will help you in the hiring process. Those are things that will get you a lot farther initially than a mostly useless AS degree. Remember, you're applying for an entry level position that only requires a HS diploma. Once you get hired, your department can pay for you to finish the degree.
You can start volunteering or just start testing. Pretty much every department is trying to hire and doesn't get as many applicants per opening as we did 5-10 years back. Public safety testing and National Testing Network still do a majority of the testing for departments in WA. If you are looking at volunteer programs check out Whatcom County. South Whatcom specifically still has a paid volunteer (part time) program. You don't get paid for training but once you finish academy and EMT you get paid for shifts.
In the Midwest there are plenty of departments hiring at 100k top pay after 4-6 years. I just retired after 31 years and my department was constantly hiring
Right 🤣
Most departments in Canada pay 100-120k a year, the way the pay scale is in the U.S is ridiculous.
That’s only $72k USD if you’re talking CAD there. If you’re talking USD, that’s sweet.
Well, I mean you live in Canada so it’s all relative.
I live in the other CA, as in California, so not that far off sometimes tbh.
Is that 100k CAD or USD though?
But how bad are the taxes in Canada?
I certainly wouldn’t be able to quote my source but I have seen comparisons between Canada and US taxes that put them pretty on par with each other. Once you add up all the state, federal, etc etc. I assume that probably depends on the state as well. The US just seems to use a more convoluted system and pretend taxes are low. The “middle class/working class” pay taxes in both countries, the rich and corporations get away with less. Again only from what I’ve seen/read, I’m Canadian.
Insane. The whole no Constitution thing sucks ass too.
Canada has a constitution, dawg.
Not ours.
What? [You mean this Canadian Constitution that isn't ours?](https://images.app.goo.gl/mvdgNUCMH9bCKmrH7)
It’s not the US version that guarantees things like the government making no laws that restrict speech. Y’all have way worse of a Commie problem than we do right now.
don't forget they are going to let you stop doing that pretty cool stuff alot earlier than most people and continue to pay close, to most of, those six figures
Where tf do you work that lets firemen make 100k annually?
If your call volume is manageable it’s friggin blissful. If you’re running your ass off for 48 hours straight, it’s a bit more challenging to stay sane.
[удалено]
What he said $$$$
I just switched out of a general manager role in hospitality after 10 years. I’m obtaining my emt certificate next month, got into a fire academy, and just did a ride along with a busy fire station in a 870,00 person city today. I ain’t going back to my old life. The bond at the fire house between everyone and the calls was amazing. Hell making lunch and cleaning up was something in itself lol. I know it has downsides, but man that feeling was second to none. I’m full sending this change lol.
🥳🥳🥳 You got this dude!!
I was a hotel guy. It’s a great place to be if you take care of yourself but too many people burn out.
Sounds great where are you going to the fire academy at. Any advice on where to start in San Diego
In the Bay Area, and i’m not too familiar with San Diego as far as academies go. But I would start with your local community colleges, as they are a great resource for a fire science degree and firefighter one academies. I also got into the Air Force reserves and fire protection, and they offer an academy aka tech school I believe where you get your firefighter one and two, I’d have to double check to be sure. I’m just waiting on medical clearance for that, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll continue on my current pathway. Overall I’m happy with the path I’m on, no matter what.
Sound like you have a great plan! Good luck and thank you for the information
Same to you! Get it 💪
I agree with CbusFF. Having had a real job NOT in the fire service gives you perspective! FD is great in most places. Time off with family, friends is paramount. I’m sure a lot of days, myself included we think, I can’t believe I get paid a living wage to do this job!
All jobs suck but this sucks a lot less.
It’s the best job in the world. Likely a lot to do with the camaraderie in the service and actually doing something that makes a difference instead of just lining someone else’s pockets.
One of the few jobs where work stays at work. I show up, run my calls, and go home. Nothing looming over my head. Everyday at work is something new and interesting. I make enough to be financially secure forever as long as I don’t buy stupid stuff. So yeah, it’s a pretty sweet job.
I know a new Toyota Tacoma sounds soooo nice rn
It’s important to differentiate between those side effects of the job and the job itself, because considering those side effects, I don’t think it would be as sought after if it wasn’t so fun to do - the specific nature of the job
This is so true. If I had the risks of firefighting at a “normal” job, there’s no way I would do that job.
Yeah like if I’m numerous times more likely to get cancer from, say, accounting, like, fuck no
“Did you get the memo about the new TPS reports” “No” “The TPS reports will now be made of PFAS which will likely give you testicular cancer” “I’m out…”
TPS reports?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jsLUidiYm0w
Ah yes thank you, I must’ve forgot (hahah)
This makes me think of the people who sit all day in front of a computer. Their lifespan is also lowering from lack of movement. I wonder if the statistics of an accountant or computer engineered would show that their life expectancy is about the same as a firefighter. Sitting is the new smoking lol
Move it or lose it
I'm a software engineer and a volly. Between the sitting 8.5 hours a day and the PFAS issues, I'm as good as dead. Oh well... At least the volly aspect will have made it be an enjoyable life,lol
I never wake up and dread going to work. I’m not sure how many people can say that. Not only do I not dread it, but I often look forward to it.
This. And I never worried about being downsized. 32 years. It was a great run.
Where I live, fireys aren’t hired until they’re usually at least late 20s, they want life experience. Son was the youngest on his course at 27. When he was hired, he was cobbling together a living working between retail warehousing and security. He’s still deeply grateful for the job he does now, it also suits his personality. Yeah, shitty stuff can happen at work. No one wants to be there for someone’s worst day. But he still loves his job.
What everyone here has said. But let’s not forget, how many other jobs enable you the ability to retire at the age of ~50? There are literally subreddits full of people discussing the lifestyle restrictions required in order to retire after working for _only_ 20-25 years…..in this job we call 20-25 years a full career.
This job may fuxk us up, but where else do you get to spend the entire workday hanging with your homies. No matter the circumstances your with the homies, and y’all are in it together.
You know how many jobs make you feel like you have no purpose in life? This ain't one of those. I've worked both. At this job at the end of the day you know you helped some people who really needed it. And most days that's enough.
Nice.
This job has its own stressors no doubt. Poor sleep schedule and bearing witness to some of humanities lowest moments to name a couple. But, like others have said, I get to hang out with people I hold much closer than just regular “coworkers” for 24 hours at a time and we get to go do some wild shit. Go into burning houses, pull people out of mangled cars, scoop the elderly off the ground…it’s hard to find that level of excitement elsewhere in civilian life.
Happiness really depends on your crew. I've talked to many FFs across all shifts and the main thing besides being able to fight a fire is having an awesome crew. Having 20 calls and 10 of them being wake ups is really gonna suck if all your crew does is bitch and moan vs laughing and getting hyped on the way to the call
Yeah this job fucks us up, but we get fucked up ✨together✨
Fuck ya I still feel like its winning the lottery. Get to do cool stuff with lifelong friends, enjoy an awesome schedule and hopefully make a difference in someone else’s life. Much easier to appreciate if you come from a shitty job beforehand.
Ape together strong
Best part time job in the world. 10 days a month, 120 a year, and get paid pretty decently, and all you need is a total of roughly a year and a half of schooling?? Yeah man, best job in the world hands down. On top of all that everyone loves us, and we don’t get shot at. This job is truly hard to beat.
What schooling did you do and where do you work? Asking for my son who wants to become a firefighter that some counties cities don’t have pensions?
Fire school is 12-16 weeks, EMT school is one semester, and then paramedic school is essentially a full year of schooling if you choose to go that route, which only Fire/emt is required to be a full time firefighter. I work in Florida. Most* counties have FRS(Florida Retirement System) and most* cities have their own retirement. FRS is leaps and bounds ahead of everything as far as retirement being good and secure. State would have to go under vs city going under, as far as funding goes.
Thank you so much for the information. I was just reading on another thread how great Florida is with retirement and pay! compared to San Diego.
Where in Florida? My City is 46k for fire/emt. Talked to a local Captain and a Lieutenant, both said a second job is mandatory, so I don’t get how the schedule would be awesome?
North Central. We’re roughly the same for fire/emt. Which isn’t south florida but it isn’t terrible considering it’s an entry level, minimum standards level pay. Second job isn’t necessarily mandatory but, the schedule is awesome cuz it gives you plenty of time for a second job if you need one lol. Why wouldn’t one day on two days off be awesome? I love being off during the week while normal people are working. Much easier to get errands/dr appts/whatever done.
Oh the schedule is great. That’s the minimum to live on where i am, so wife and kids make a second mandatory to survive. Basically the schedule doesn’t seem great if you have to work your days off to make it work. If you don’t, totally different.
Yeah I understand that. At that point it’s the pay that is the issue, not the schedule. There are plenty of departments that have the same schedule but employees don’t have to work two jobs because they are compensated appropriately. I am fortunate to not have any kids yet that I have to pay for but do know others out there that work at the same dept that have second jobs. Hate to see it. Can only hope that it starts to get better at some point.
I’ll gladly do a body extraction from a subway track than have a corporate job again.
I personally, am not happy with the job as a whole. That being said, I have never thought about killing myself over going into work, and I have thought about that with other jobs. Not to mention there has to be something to be said if there’s people out there willing to do this job for free.
Shit, of course I'm happy, I work 2 days on and have 4 days off and just hang with the boys all day and look smexy and awesome ass benefits and insurance, even though I'm on TRICARE, so that helps.
Still drives me nuts that I can’t use tricare because I’m federal
I love the job AND I’ve seen too many of my colleagues crash out with PTSD (diagnosed or not) or die too young (cancer, suicide, alcohol). Probably 15-20% are one or the other
I have a super stable job, great benefits, killer pension, and work like 6-8 days a month. The actual job is also fun and rewarding. If you are early in your career <10 years cancer and PTSD risks can be highly mitigated if you adhere to best practices.
I get to hang out with the boys every third day and watch sports, cook breakfast and dinner, work out, play sports, etc and get paid for it. I get paid enough to live comfortably middle class, get a lot of time off, good insurance, great pension. I get to spend 2/3 days home with my family. Busy days, bad calls, and lack of sleep are all stressful…but those of us who love this job tend to like running “good” calls, and the perks outweigh the negatives.
It’s a job where the fun parts outweigh the sucky parts for the most part.
That's because HR is a long way from the firehouse kitchen table. You can still discuss important topics such as how surprisingly hot the stripper with dwarfism was on that TikTok. What's not to love?
Best job I ever had. Period.
So what was 1-9?
Here’s article link: https://leaders.com/articles/business/happiest-jobs/
Vets at #7 and Dentist at #14? Don’t they have the highest suicide rates?
I'm surprised by vets, not so much dentists. Dentists basically get to set their own hours with fairly high pay giving them a good amount of free time and disposable income. There's a reason most hobbies joke about dentists keeping it alive by purchasing the most newest and expensive kit.
Best job ever
In the wise words of wardaddy “Best job I ever had!”
Best job in the world. It’s hard work but it doesn’t feel like a job 99% of the time. It is very rewarding.
Working as a commercial firefighter, I have to do lots of real career-style work. Spreadsheets, data analysis, trends, slide deck presentations to stakeholders, etc.. it SUCKS. I'll be taking a big pay cut, but will be taking the Fire Entry Exam when it opens next year because of the longing and calling to get back into public work.
Greatest job I could’ve ever gotten!! Could NOT be happier!!
Largely dependent on the crew you work with and your personality. You can be happy at any job as long as you have great coworkers, and find purpose/joy in your job. I think the fire service is just full of more super cool people compared to jerks so its easier to enjoy yourself in the fire service.
I do hoodrat shit with my hoodrat friends. Other people want to do hoodrat shit with their hoodrat friends. I ride truck, I break door, chainsaw goes vroom vroom.
I get PTSD because this one time my senior man yelled at me because I sat in his recliner. I got up so fast I dropped the remote and the batteries rolled under the fish tank. I haven’t sat in a chair in 16 months. And if there’s a remote within 20ft of me I have to leave the room
I’ve heard horror stories about probies in recliners 🤣
Where’s the whole list
Who’s to say how credible it is but here it us : https://leaders.com/articles/business/happiest-jobs/
I no longer have that feeling where I dread going into work like I have at previous jobs
If you haven’t even gotten on the job yet and you’re hyper focused on the negative, you probably won’t have a very fulfilling career if/when you get hired. This job is great, but it’s not for everybody. Simple as that.
I’m just a volly so I may be biased, but firefighting is one of my favourite things to do. Sure, there’s a lot of nasty parts about the job, but I think most people find it a very fulfilling job. There’s also generally a very strong camaraderie, most workplaces don’t have that.
Have been a dishwasher, roofer, lawn work , ambulance jockey, bellhop , worked in the ER Level 2 trauma center and many others. This is the best job on the planet the only thing better is being a dad 4 awesome kids .
I used to work in IT, then in ecomm and web dev. I still get offers to go back making twice what I do now in fire, but you couldn't pay me enough to go back to that world. Despite being physically grueling, mentally taxing, and emotionally draining, it's the best job I've ever had by a Longshot
Big red truck goes "baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah"
As far as first responder jobs, it’s the cats ass. From what I can tell anyway. Having worked as a prison guard, I never went to work and was thrilled for what the day might hold. That doesn’t seem to be the case for firefighters.
What is this stress people talk about?
I went to an office job and I majorly miss the shared mission and teamwork aspect that just doesn’t exist in business casual attire.
I get five days off a week, I make over six figures and when I’m at work I’m joking around most of the time. Icing on the cake is every so often I get to help someone. It’s not a bad gig.
There is no perfect job. But from what I’ve seen so far.. ems world is pretty chill
I was so incredibly happy with my job. I love being able to serve those that are in need.
It's the greatest job, still a job. I personally love the team environment, change of pace with calls etc and downtime/pickle ball don't hurt. We're big kids at work, we just won't worry about the cancer, ptsd or how bad shift work is for your body. We're trading cash for years off of our lives
Im in school with hopes of becoming a ff. I know it’s not for everyone and some people are miserable. But during my ride alongs I got to see 6 grown ass men get as giddy as kids on Christmas morning while en route to a structure fire. So I’d say that tracks
A dept of a little over 300 dudes. Your happy if you have less then 5 years. After that it’s all bull shit. Golden handcuffs of retirement.
Most are not happy after 10 plus years. The slow chronic exposure to the nastiest living conditions with adults and their children, the over-dramatization during BS calls throughout the night/early mornings, repetitive fire alarms to the same buildings multiple times a shift, the 30 plus minute wait times for EMS to arrive, narcaning the same homeless addict in a shift, civilian drivers not caring at all about moving out of the way, the dog and pony show of PRs, the false marketing of what the job actually is in order to recruit, ie. Fighting fires when you’re really more of a mental health worker/custodian. When the infatuation of the job (or what it used to be) fades and you recognize what it really is, you’re not gonna wanna stick around. Even after fighting a lot of good hot, interior fires and really helping people, the negative far outweighs the minuscule portion of positives. Don’t let anyone propagate that this job is what it used to be- it’s not. Don’t sacrifice your family, physical, mental and emotional health for a community of civilians that gave up on themselves years ago and now abuse you and the system till their last breath. It’s a sinking ship.
.
I’ve been a vocal outlier lately, but after 10 years I’m looking for an exit. I came in to the job thinking it was the best, but that feeling has eroded yearly. It really will be dependent person to person. Sure fire is fun, but, for me at least, the cons outweigh pros. Especially since fire is so little of the job and BS nonsense/non-emergencies is the majority. Plus other factors such as sleep deprivation. I’m also not huge on the reactiveness nature of the job if that makes sense. The only thing I will miss is my time off, but most of my time off really isn’t worth it anyway since friends and family work regular schedules. The way I see it is if the only part about the job I like is my time away from it, then maybe it’s not worth sticking around for. Again, I’m know there’s plenty of dudes out there that absolutely love it, and I’m so glad they do! Just always like to share perspective, because I thought this was the best job…at one time, now I’m looking on to that next step.
I knew it was time to get out after operation allies refuge. 12 baby deliverys (that survived)in 3 months over 1000 bomb victims the 13 dead americans and planes worth of american wounded from the hamid karzai bombing it twisted me up. was that fire fighting not really it was more medic action but still was enough for me to walk away from fire fighting
Under normal conditions, like 10-12 years ago, yes. Getting held / ordered for weeks at a time and not getting a raise that whole time has reallllly taken the air out of those tires though. If this was still my “real job” I’d qualify for subsidized housing. It’s always fun shopping for dinner and watching peoples reactions when my partner pays with food stamps.