Careers firefighter

Behind every heroic moment, of course, are countless hours of preparation. Career firefighters are highly trained professionals. Their services are essential to every community and every stretch of land across this country. If you make this your career choice, rest assured that the need for firefighters is constant and the job prospects are promising. But this is a competitive field. Wherever you apply, you will need to show that you have what it takes to meet the demands of the job—and succeed in every stage of the hiring process. 

There were approximately 361,000 individuals employed in the fire service in the United States in 2006. About 293,000 were line firefighters, whereas the rest were supervisors or other support staff. The majority of these individuals, about nine out of ten according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), are employed by municipal or county fire departments serving communities of 25,000 people or more. Large cities are the largest employers, but many intermediatesized municipalities also employ career firefighters. 

In addition to career firefighters, there are thousands of volunteer firefighters nationwide. In fact, of the almost 1.1 million firefighters in the United States,... 

You will want to begin your preparation by reading Chapter 1, What Firefighters Really Do. This chapter gives a summary of the duties and responsibilities of a firefighter. You will have the opportunity to evaluate your own interests and abilities as you learn about getting hired, trained, paid, and promoted. It s important to read this chapter carefully so that you understand how to prepare yourself to become a part of this vital and challenging career. 

If you are looking for a vital and challenging career, you are on the right track, Firefighters are true champions of the public good—with hefty doses of bravery and skill mixed in. This chapter describes the duties and demands of the job. You will learn about getting hired, trained, paid, and promoted. You will also find information on how this profession is changing—and how you can prepare yourself to become a part of it. 

Employment of firefighters is expected to increase about 12% between 2006 and 2016. Some new jobs will be created in suburban communities where populations are on the rise. New positions will open up with suburban departments as they add career positions to their volunteer departments to form combination departments. These new positions will provide more rapid response to emergencies and supplement the volunteer response. Employment in large urban departments will be stable—not producing many new jobs, but holding steady on the large numbers they already employ. Overall, the majority of job openings will... 

Do some networking. The best resources for learning about a career as a firefighter are people now working in the field. Start with your family and friends and then move on from there —you are bound to find someone who knows or who can lead you to fire service professionals. Ask them questions. Get some pointers. Find out what it s really like to be a firefighter from people who have first-hand knowledge. 

If you really want to be a firefighter, it s up to you to make the commitment. So take these next steps. Get yourself ready. Take charge of your future. A career in firefighting promises many challenges and rewards. All of them could be yours. 

There are few careers that are as demanding and require expertise in as many disciplines as firefighting. Although improved safety equipment and modern apparatus have made emergency response safer in many ways, there is still the potential of uncertainty and danger in even the most routine response. 

Congratulations The end of the waiting game for you is notification to attend the fire service academy. You are on the road to your career as a firefighter. 

Taking the firefighter written exam is no picnic, and neither is getting ready for it. Your future career in fire fighting depends on your getting a high score on the various parts of the test, but there are all sorts of pitfalls that can keep you from doing your best on this all-important exam. Here are some of the obstacles that can stand in the way of your success ... 

And then do it. Go into the exam, full of confidence, armed with test-taking strategies that you have practiced until they are second nature. You are in control of yourself, your environment, and your performance on the exam. You are ready to succeed. Go in there and ace the exam. And look forward to your future career as a firefighter ... 

Instructor A1 Baeta, who was a track and crosscountry coach for over two decades, points out that the physical demands of the job never stop. Achieving a high level of fitness at the onset of your career as a firefighter is just the start. Many departments around the country are instigating or already have programs for their personnel to stay fit. It is becoming more and more common to find weightlifting and aerobic equipment in firehouses. 

Physical fitness is a crucial part in becoming a firefighter. But staying fit plays a crucial role throughout this career. 

The panel member stops you. I was going to ask, he continues, if, despite your limited college experience, you feel you are prepared for a career in firefighting This is a different question entirely from... 

Firefighters variably risk-embracing, or apt to manage risk in a strategy for career advancement (Lupton, 1999 156) ... 

A knowledge of chemistry is useful to almost everyone—chemistry occurs all around us all of the time, and an understanding of chemistry is useful to doctors, lawyers, mechanics, business people, firefighters, and poets among others. Chemistry is important—there is no doubt about that. It lies at the heart of our efforts to produce new materials that make our lives safer and easier, to produce new sources of energy that are abundant and nonpolluting, and to understand and control the many diseases that threaten us and our food supplies. Even if your future career does not require the daily use of chemical principles, your life will be greatly influenced by chemistry. 

Chances are good that sometime during your transportation career, you ve assumed the role of firefighter. 

Students interested in a career in the gasoline processing and production industry should take courses in science, mathematics, and economics in high school. Refineries employ many skilled technicians for their operations and need laboratory analysts, occupations for which a two-year associate degree is helpful. A refinery also has positions for firefighters and employs members of the medical profession, from paramedics to physicians. 

New Chapter Opener describes the work and career of a firefighter. 

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