I was recently asked by a colleague, "How and when do you begin the journey of becoming a firefighter?" His question helped me realize I have more answers now, at age 62, than I did when I first started at 22 and thought I knew it all.
Question No. 1: How do you recruit for firefighting? In 1979, there were many opportunities as cities were growing. Departments either conducted their own fire academy or you went to a local academy for certification. Much like a military academy, it was 90-percent labor-intensive and small classroom sessions. They wanted hard workers, and practices were old school. There were small, written tests, and it was up to you to pass. Many of us worked "on the floor" as an interview process before we went to school. The departments could work you for a year before school, which would eliminate those who determined the job was not for them.
In 2020, the process has been refined due to high demand and expanded skillsets. Departments must now provide a variety of services that require a very diverse skillset to meet the challenges of emergency response (i.e., fire, medical, hazmat, rescue, and all the other aspects of fire prevention and community service). Most paid departments must have a recruit who is certified before they can work and start the hiring process with a written test. They then require background checks, credit scores, letters of recommendation, etc.
Many students, to enhance their chances of hire, enroll in online or in-person fire academies. Paid departments require medical training prior to hiring, which is a fourmonth school in itself. In fire academies now, it's about 80-percent mental, with time spent on skillsets. Applicants must have some foundational knowledge and skills or they will not succeed. Many join local volunteer departments, which generally require no certifications, allowing them to experience the challenges and demands before committing.
Question No. 2: What is the age range? I am not aware of any age restrictions to join most volunteer departments; however, departments may have their own standards. In Texas, civil service departments for recruit or entry positions generally hire people 18-36 years old. Departments that are not civil service set their own hiring guidelines.
Question No. 3: What abilities should an unexperienced person possess before going into a training program? Today's fire service requires a person be in very good physical condition. There is a required physical agility test - the Candidate Physical Ability Test - where applicants navigate eight separate events on a closed course within a span of 10 minutes and 20 seconds. Each event simulates a physical skill or function firefighters perform: stair climb, hose drag, equipment carry, ladder raise and extension, forcible entry, search, rescue drag, and ceiling breach and pull.
During the test, candidates wear a helmet, gloves and 50-pound weighted vests designed to simulate the weight of PPE. For the stair climb, the first event, candidates don an additional 25-pound weight to simulate carrying a hose pack into a high-rise fire.
Question No. 4: What is the time commitment? To join a volunteer department, the general expectation is eight hours of meetings and training activities. A percentage of training also requires emergency responses. Many people spend months in self-study and physical fitness training in preparation for the application process. I will tell anyone that training is extremely hard with a high failure rate.
Question No. 5: How do you measure mental ability? This is the most challenging of all aspects and the most misunderstood. Most people have had limited life experiences with sickness, tragedy, fire, death, rescue, etc. Teaching the hands-on part of this aspect is easily accomplished. What separates most applicants is the ability to perform, compartmentalize the situation and move on to the next task. You may go from sitting at the station to a bad automobile wreck, an injured child or a devastating house fire, all within a shift or over several days. You must have the ability to cope with stress safely. Fellow firefighters are integral to this process. Above all, the support of family and friends is essential to mental survival.
Some can deal with the ever-changing demands mentally and physically, and some cannot. I salute those who serve; to those who try but must move on, I say "Thank you."
Industrial Rescue uses the most up-to-date practices and equipment to meet the challenges industrial and municipal responders face. Consider us for your training and standby rescue team needs. We promise to provide dedicated, knowledgeable teaching staff and standby personnel with worldwide experience in many different facilities. Visit our training facility at 600 Marina Drive, Beaumont, TX 77703.
Let us show you why and how.
For more information, visit www.industrialrescue.com, or email Elgin Browning at elgin@irisrescue.com or David Owens at david@irisrescue.com.
