Ask a Firefighter anything

490 Questions

Last Answer on June 29, 2022

Do you have to be a volunteer firefighter or can you be a firefighter full time?

Asked by Michael about 10 years ago

No you can be both. There are approx 1.5 million career firefighters with the remainder being volunteer. Jobs in the south tend to be easier to obtain for some reason , of course you need to make yourself marketable by obtaining a degree, get certified as an EMT.

931 Votes

Besides fighting fires, what other jobs do firefighters carry out?

Asked by Ryan over 9 years ago

Public education. Emergency Medical Services. fire prevention to name a few. We do not fight as many fires that we use to.

931 Votes

So you wanna be a Firefighter?

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Hey I just received my gear for my vol. fire department and it is a morning pride with a tail back with a velcro spot for a name plate, do you know any where I could go or look up to order my name plate to place on my tail of my structural jacket ?

Asked by Joe over 9 years ago

Call the manufacturer they usually do. it.

930 Votes

Ive always wondered if this is true or not. But do people call requesting their cats to be rescued from a tree?

Asked by Chels over 10 years ago

True along with birds, lizards.

927 Votes

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In your opinion do think vol. firefighters who are still in school should be allowed to respond to a call during school hours ? or at least carry pagers on them in school?

Asked by alias about 10 years ago

generally no since most departments require 18 yrs of age to enter a structure.

926 Votes

Followup: No, I do not plan to be working while in PM school. I would like to reserve 1 shift/month which is normal in SoCal. But after PM school, what else should I be doing? Any other certs I should get?

Asked by SoCal over 9 years ago

Not that I can think off, just keep nationwide potential in mind.

926 Votes

As a FF who operates on a quint, do you see drawbacks to quints versus separate ladders and engines? Does your department use engines and ladders two, or just quints? Thanks.

Asked by 1738 almost 10 years ago

We use a quint 75' American LaFrance. I personally prefer Quints in that you have all the tools of the trade in one, but there are ramifications with that. 1. Decreased maneuverability based on the size of the rig. 2. decreased amount of water tank. 3. Limits on height of ladder. But overall I personally like having Quints. We do have 3 pumpers and 2 quints.

924 Votes

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Firefighter

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Do you have to be a volunteer firefighter or can you be a firefighter full time?

Besides fighting fires, what other jobs do firefighters carry out?

So you wanna be a Firefighter?

Hey I just received my gear for my vol. fire department and it is a morning pride with a tail back with a velcro spot for a name plate, do you know any where I could go or look up to order my name plate to place on my tail of my structural jacket ?

Ive always wondered if this is true or not. But do people call requesting their cats to be rescued from a tree?

Also on Jobstr...

In your opinion do think vol. firefighters who are still in school should be allowed to respond to a call during school hours ? or at least carry pagers on them in school?

Followup: No, I do not plan to be working while in PM school. I would like to reserve 1 shift/month which is normal in SoCal. But after PM school, what else should I be doing? Any other certs I should get?

As a FF who operates on a quint, do you see drawbacks to quints versus separate ladders and engines? Does your department use engines and ladders two, or just quints? Thanks.

Firefighter

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Do you have to be a volunteer firefighter or can you be a firefighter full time?

Besides fighting fires, what other jobs do firefighters carry out?

So you wanna be a Firefighter?

Hey I just received my gear for my vol. fire department and it is a morning pride with a tail back with a velcro spot for a name plate, do you know any where I could go or look up to order my name plate to place on my tail of my structural jacket ?

Ive always wondered if this is true or not. But do people call requesting their cats to be rescued from a tree?

Also on Jobstr...

In your opinion do think vol. firefighters who are still in school should be allowed to respond to a call during school hours ? or at least carry pagers on them in school?

Followup: No, I do not plan to be working while in PM school. I would like to reserve 1 shift/month which is normal in SoCal. But after PM school, what else should I be doing? Any other certs I should get?

As a FF who operates on a quint, do you see drawbacks to quints versus separate ladders and engines? Does your department use engines and ladders two, or just quints? Thanks.

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