arringnl
32 Years Experience
Goose Creek, SC
Male, 54
Currently serving Jasper County Fire Rescue in south Carolina along with Charleston County EMS.
1. There was an instilled desire to help others which probably came from being active with Boy Scouts and a Explorer with our police dept. I obtained my EMT which led into firefighting.
2. Working a 3rd day can be taxing even if you don't run a calls it is the mental wear of the 24 hr shift that is the most tiring. Holidays, Birthdays, school activities with your kids sometimes have to be missed due to working which can be frustrating.
3. There are numerous hazards from fires, collapses and car accidents. We are in dangerous locations as you may have witnessed on the news of a firefighter fall into a roof while fighting a fire. We have been killed while working in the street at accidents. So it is difficult to point your finger at the most dangerous things that we come across.
4. We do not have Sgts we have Engineers. These positions are obtained by time on the job, testing both written and practical exams.
5. Become an EMT first and volunteer with a Fire dept or Rescue Squad in your area.
6. The satisfaction of helping others and knowing that they call you when they know that you will take care of their problems.
7. Probably saving a 2 yr. old that had fallen in a pool and we brought him back.
8. I do not have a particular specialty since we are all trained to do the same but I guess you could say that I enjoy EMS the most.
9. Changes in Construction- Things burn faster and hotter, Increased EMS responses with no increase in resources, and increased cost of equipment makes it hard to obtain.
10. Study. Workout, Sleep, Run Calls.
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I can only speak for Sc but the curriculm is the same. Here they make the classes accomatable for the volunteers by doing classroom portion in the evenings and Sat. Takes approx 3 moths to get FF 1&2.
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Are you working while going to paramedic? If you are, you are going to find it difficult generally to volunteer/work and go to school all at once. Paramedic is a pretty tough class. Getting hired in CA can be difficult due to the competition. You will have a better chance applying nationwide. Paramedics are a dime a dozen in CA. They are hard sought for for instance in SC where I work. Most depts are going to an ALS system and require PM license.
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It is not in compliance with NFPA regulations for duty uniforms that are worn under the bunker gear due to age and degradation.
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Depends on department requirements and state certification requirements. My dept does not do physical endurance tests prior and during employment. Is this a good thing, technically no. A firefighter has to be in shape for hard work and hot environment. Example are community did a Silent Walk on 9-11 in memory of the firefighters that were lost in the WTC collapses. The event had the firefighters wearing all of our gear including SCBA and walk 2,5 miles across our main bridge and the 2.5 miles back. Temperature was 85 deg plus significant humidity which is common here. Many of the firefighters such as myself prepared for the event for weeks exercising in full gear getting body accustomed to the long hours working in gear. The ones that didn't was shown to them yesterday morning by the effects of the walk. Being fit, not necessarily olympic level is required to perform your job just due to the working conditions that we operate in. There is the CPAT test that are conducted and by doing a google search it reveals what you need to do and you will be able to judge your current fitness as a starting point.
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No it gets turned over to Police Dept and no they do not have to pay for it since it is theirs anyway
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can you do both? As online college degree in fire science?
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