How to Become a Firefighter?

How to Become a Firefighter?

Helping others is a way to help yourself. When you engage in an activity for the sole purpose of helping and saving others, you pave a path for your success and well-being. Today we will be discussing a job that focuses on helping and saving others and how you can become one. Firefighters have always been working for others and have risked their lives to save people. It is a form of community service that they provide. Let’s know How to Become a Firefighter?

A firefighter’s job deals with rescuing people and extinguishing fires. They usually work in teams and help people get out of hazardous fires. Their work is quite difficult because they need to risk their lives to save others. Becoming a firefighter is quite hard because it requires a lot of muscle strength and willpower to do the job but if you are determined to get the job, then you can get the job. Before getting the job, you need to understand what a firefighter is, what they do, skills needed, etc. After you have understood the basic things that are related to the job you can effectively train yourself to get that position.

Let’s first start by understanding the job of a firefighter.

Firefighter 

As a firefighter, your main job is to be prepared for emergencies and extinguish hazardous fires. You need to research and investigate fire accidents and determine the actual causes. You need to help people and organizations by teaching them the basics of dealing with situations of fire and what technique they can use to reduce the danger and save themselves. It helps a lot of people take care of their lives and understand the basic knowledge of fire and how to extinguish small amounts of fire to avoid large property damage.

Their work also deals with rescuing people stuck in fires and assisting them. They need to know certain basic medical techniques that can help in saving the wounded person’s life. These techniques can include-

  1. Provide CPR- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
  2. Clean wounds
  3. Provide a safe place to breathe.

 As a firefighter, it’s a basic responsibility to know these basic medical precautions to save them from collapsing after the incident.

A firefighter is also known as a fire responder because they need to give swift reactions and responses to places of accidents. They are usually the first ones to arrive at the scene of an accident and, thus they are called fire responders. Both men and women can choose to become a firefighter. There are a lot of things due to which we have a lot of male firefighters who are also known as firemen. Female firefighters are quite rare because of the muscle strength and workload included in the job. But with the shift in perspectives of different people today we can see a lot of women who wish to pursue it as a career.

These were some common jobs a firefighter needs to do. We will discuss the skills and responsibilities in much more detail later but let’s first start by understanding how you can become a firefighter and what qualifications you need to get the job.

Requirements to Become a Firefighter

There is a lot that goes into becoming a firefighter. You need to be well equipped to become a firefighter because the job requires certain skills that can be developed only through practice. The field of a firefighter is very competitive because many people aspire for the job position. Thus the different requirements to become a firefighter include– 

Education 

An important thing that needs to be attended to is your educational qualifications and understand of whether you fit the criteria needed to become a firefighter. You need the most basic educational qualifications to become a firefighter. As the job completely depends on your skills and strengths, thus you only need basic education to carry out the task effectively and communicate with others. As a firefighter, you need a basic high school diploma or a GED- General Educational Development. Sometimes many people try to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Science to get a head start in finding a job and getting hired. Many people try to study extra as it helps to improve their position in front of others who only have a high school diploma. Getting a bachelor’s degree will help you find a higher-positioned job with good pay. Certain departments that come under this profession might demand you to have a  license or even a certification course. 

Age

Your age matters a lot. As a firefighter, you need to be strong and healthy, and thus, if you are underage it can hamper your performance due to which the group wouldn’t be able to perform well. Thus there is an age bar that you need to qualify for to become a firefighter. In the United States, you need to be above 18 years of age to become a firefighter. It’s an appropriate age for the job as the job is quite hectic and needs an adult who can function well in a chaotic setting. Age also plays a huge role in deciding your position in the job. A young person wouldn’t be able to carry out activities that deal with lifting and carrying things but can easily drive and do small jobs in the work setting. Thus age matters a lot when it comes to becoming a firefighter.

Good physical condition 

An important thing that you need to become a firefighter is having good health and a fit body. When you are physically fit and mentally capable to deal with any situation around you, it makes the operation a success. Having good physical health and appearance will help you get the job easily. As a firefighter core strength is something everyone should develop and if you are physically fit you carry out the job easily. To become a firefighter you need to clear the physical ability test to apply for the position. This test is called the CPAT- Candidate Physical Ability Test and includes a lot of activities and jobs that you need to do as a firefighter like carrying hose, rescue, search, lift oxygen cylinders, climb ladders, enter apartments and houses through climbing, etc. All these abilities are tested under the physical ability test and you need to clear all of them to pass the test.

Stay out of trouble 

The firefighter’s job is quite respectful because they focus on serving the country and helping people in distress and pain. Thus you need to stay out of trouble if you want the job. Everyone at least once in their life has gone through something and still regrets it. It could be getting arrested for over-limit driving, drug usage, fighting, etc. Anyone can get into such trouble. You don’t need to worry a lot if you have been there but you need to be honest about it during your interview process. They will ask you about your criminal background and if you have been in trouble before it’s better to open up about it directly rather than waiting till they find it out themselves. The best you can do is tell them the truth. You can explain to them how the incident has changed you and inspired you to become a better person. 

Pass the exam

To become a firefighter you need to pass an exam related to it. Thus you need to study a lot to get this job as there will be a lot of people who would want to compete with you for the same position. The exam for getting a firefighter job will be an MCQ test where you need to choose the correct option. The test is considered quite easy by many people and you would be accessed on various domains. The test will include reading comprehension, basic math, sizes, and measures problems, personal characteristics problems, firefighter-related questions, map reading and plotting, mechanical understanding and operations-related problems, fractions, and decimal questions, etc. There are a lot of books available out there on the internet that can help you with understanding the exam pattern and the syllabus. The Norman Hall’s Firefighter Exam Preparation Book is a heart and easy guide to pass the exam.

Engage in community services

Community services will help you look more preventative and affectionate towards helping others. To get the job you need to show that you genuinely care about society and the people around you and would risk your own life to serve others. This thought process can easily get you the job. You can try engaging and interacting with your college or school groups, clubs that focus on providing for society, engage in cleanliness drives, attend seminars related to the community services, etc. This will help you in understanding the importance of helping others and you would start valuing the work of others who risk their lives to save the country and its people. You can even organize your seminars where you discuss the community. All these steps can help you clear the interview round very easily. 

These are some requirements that you need to get a job as a firefighter in the United States.

How to Apply for a Firefighter Job

There are a lot of ways you can apply for a firefighter job. There isn’t a single website that you need to visit to apply for this job. You can find it on Glassdoor, Indeed, and other job listing sites as well but today we will be discussing how you can get a firefighters job in Los Angeles. You can go and visit the site JoinLAFD.org to get a job in this field particularly in Los Angeles. Various steps you need to follow to get a job here are-

  1. Click on the link given above and open the website on chrome. Currently, the job site isn’t taking any registrations as the site will open its application in the Spring of 2022. The site also has a lot of important information for those who are preparing for the job. They have customized diet plans, explain the job, explain about waivers and release, intervene process, etc. Thus it’s a great site to know the job a little better.
  1. The site will have a series of boxes out of which you can choose the one which has the ‘Apply Now’ option. This will direct you to the government jobs website where you can apply for the job.
  1. Click on the apply button which can be seen at the bottom of the webpage. This will direct you to an account creation page where you need to register using your email and create an account. Then you can log in using your email and password to apply for the job.
  1. Then you need to give the FCA- Firefighter Candidate Assessment. For the year 2020, the application process was open from 11th February 2020 to 15th August 2020. This assessment is restricted to Los Angeles state only.
  1. After taking the online FCA you need to submit your application by clicking the submit button. It will be sent to get reviewed by a higher authority. You only need to give the assessment once and can use your score to apply for any year.
  1. You need to pay a total fee of $70 after you apply to the ones who have provided you with the opportunity. 
  1. Then you can wait to get accepted. The LAFD will email you regarding your application and if you are selected for the interview to undo or not.

Salary of a Firefighter

A firefighter’s job involves a lot of risks and their job requires them to be active 24/7. It can be the reason why their job is quite reputable in society. The average salary provided to the firefighter is $50,000 per year. This is the average starting salary which can change according to your experience and education. The highest salary paid to a firefighter is $70,000 per year while the lowest salary paid to a firefighter is $45,000 per year.

With this salary, you also get a lot of other benefits. Some benefits you get as a firefighter are-

  • When you work as a firefighter the government or department looks after you for lunch and dinner for the whole day. You don’t need to pay for your lunch and it is completely free of cost.
  • The job helps you to develop yourself professionally. You can learn a lot of skills during your job experience.
  • You are also provided with life insurance when you work as a firefighter.

These are certain benefits you receive when you become a firefighter.

Skills Needed to Become a Firefighter

To become a firefighter, you need certain skills that are important in your work life. You can either develop these skills by practice or learn them through books and videos. In any job, you need to excel in the skills associated with the position to carry out the duties and activities of the job successfully. Here we have curated a list of skills you need to become a firefighter. The list goes as follows-

Integrity

As a firefighter, integrity is an important skill that you need to develop to maintain trust. It helps you trust your colleagues and higher authorities which in turn causes a boost in your performance as everyone trusts each other. When you perform well and have a deeper level of connection with everyone on your team it helps develop a better image in front of people and society. As the work efficiency and quality increase, start believing the firefighters and develop a trustworthy relationship with them where they feel safe and secure around them. Many a time, when a piece of negative news is spread around regarding a firefighter or the crew the public tends to blame everyone other firefighters they know instead of blaming the ones who made the mistake. It creates a loss of trust. Thus developing integrity among group members is important. 

Physical fitness

As a firefighter, you need to have a good muscle build and keep your health a priority. Health matters a lot because you constantly need to be present somewhere and help others. Physical strength also matters because you sometimes will need to lift heavy objects and hoses, which will require good arm strength and core strength. You don’t need to have good muscles and toned abs to get the job but do require a good weight and inner strength to carry out the activities effectively and handle stressful situations. Sometimes we don’t pay much attention to your physical fitness the physical fitness test will compel you to build your strength and improve your body.

Communication

Communication is key to any job and you need to learn those skills as they will help you connect with others and understand them in a much better way. Many times firefighters develop their ways of communicating with their team members to save time and effort. You do need communication skills to talk to your colleagues but you also need them to communicate effectively with the people who have been harmed and rescued. It’s important to reassure them and keep them calm. Communication skills not only mean having good speaking skills but you also need good listening skills. This skill will help you understand higher authorities and attend to their needs.

Adaptability 

As a firefighter, you might need to visit different areas and work in different work conditions every day and the skill of adaptability is what will help you in the long run. Firefighter needs to be able to adapt to their surroundings and be quick in making decisions. You should be comfortable and know that this job will require you to work 24/7 and you sometimes won’t get a chance to even sleep or eat properly. Understanding these things is important because if you are someone who wants to be a firefighter just because of the salary, then you need to drop this idea and choose something else.

Team player

As a firefighter, you need to work in teams and obey each other. Thus being a team player will benefit you a lot. When you work in teams the coordination and power of the whole team enable the team to succeed and achieve their desired goal. We have always heard that teamwork makes dreams work. Thus working tougher helps you bond with your colleagues better, solve problems quickly and help each other in the job. You also need to be a good team leader. Every team has individuals and from that team, some take up the leadership role while some take up the group individual roles. The decisions taken by the team leader will impact every other individual in the team and thus you need to work by the team for success.

Self-Sacrifice 

Being a firefighter will compel you to become a sacrificing person because here your work deals with saving and rescuing people. It is an important skill to learn as it will help you understand others’ points of view and help others. Many people are born with this skill and have an inner zeal to help others and if you are someone who would love to work for others then this job is meant for you. You can develop these skills easily by participating in community activities, volunteering for others, helping in cleanliness drives, etc all can help you develop the spirit of self-sacrifice and helping others for the good of society.

These are some of the skills that you need to possess to become a successful firefighter. There are a lot of other skills that you do need to get this job but these are certain basic skills that you need to develop to get the job. 

Conclusion 

Becoming a firefighter is quite hard but you can do it if you are responsible enough to learn and study everything that you need to get the job. Many people might choose to get into this career for the pay scale and the educational requirements but we need to understand that only the pay scale or the educational qualifications don’t matter. There’s a lot more that goes into the job and, you need to study hard for the FCA and physical tests. Thus you need to understand that every job requires some amount of effort and a set target to achieve it and you cannot achieve something without hard work.

How to Become a Firefighter?

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