Wise people often say that one should make a career out of what they love doing. For instance, if you are in love with painting, you become an artist, or if you love fashion, you become a fashion designer. But what if you love helping people? If the first thought that comes to your head is becoming a doctor, it is true. But what if you do not want to become a doctor? There are many other career options to choose from that involve helping people and becoming a savior. And one such career choice is firefighting.
A firefighter’s job involves driving trucks to reach an emergency, putting out the fire using water pumps, finding and rescuing the victims, and providing any necessary emergency help. It is not a fun job. However, a challenging one if handling emergencies is your forte. If you plan to take up firefighting as your career, here we have a step-by-step guide to becoming a skilled firefighter:
Assess The Prerequisites Of Becoming A Firefighter
Before you jump right in, let us tell you, firefighting is not all about an adrenaline rush and becoming the hero. It needs a lot of mental and physical strength to work as a professional firefighter. And before you embark on making a career in this, you should know everything about what it entails.
First up, to become a firefighter, you need to be of a certain age. You should have a valid driver’s license and a high school diploma. Without these, you will not be allowed to practice. Moreover, there is also an upper cap on the age limit to start a firefighting career, such as 30 or 35. Since the regulations differ worldwide, it would be best to look into your particular state or country’s rules.
Furthermore, a firefighter’s job usually involves finding and rescuing people from a grave situation. It is what they do, and it may often require them to put their life at stake. If you do not have enough courage and determination to fulfill that, you should not pick firefighting as a career.
Pass The Recruitment Tests
Before you get yourself into a fire academy or any post-grad program, you should have to take up tests to get yourself into a firefighting training program. These tests often include two parts where one incorporates a psychical screening while the other is a written test.
As discussed before, firefighting is a physically challenging job; therefore, the recruiters may assess your strength and resilience. You will have to pass a (CPAT) to get into the program. The test-takers will ask you to perform a series of tasks such as climbing a flight of stairs in a given time or lifting a certain amount of weight to ensure you are fit to become a firefighter. Moreover, a written test will evaluate your observation, memory, logic, mechanical reasoning, reading ability, etc.
Enroll Into A Fire Academy
Even if you get into a firefighting training program, an academy can add so much to your firefighting career. You can get physical training and experience during a hands-on training program. However, a fire academy gives you knowledge regarding a wide range of topics such as department organization, communication skills, fire chemistry, investigation, fire suppression methods, etc. And often, these skills are necessary to further your career in firefighting.
Enrolling into a fire academy may require you to fit into specific entry criteria. However, the conditions may vary depending on the academy you choose. It is best to look into the academy you wish to enroll in and meet the criteria they set.
Get An EMT Certification
Becoming a firefighter is a critical job. It involves handling emergencies and rescuing lives. And this means a slight error can end up putting an individual’s life at risk. It is why most jurisdictions in the U.S. require a firefighter to obtain the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license. If you live in any other country, you should look into other certifications that the state offers. These could be mandatory or voluntary licenses that you choose to study.
Such certifications can give your resume an instant boost and also polish your skills for the better. Many institutes provide EMT training, and you can enroll in one before you get the certification.
Get A Post-Graduation Degree
If you wish to follow a career in firefighting, getting a post-graduate degree may immensely increase your chances of getting a job. A post-graduate degree is not mandatory; however, most employers prefer individuals with a degree or certification. It can also widen your knowledge and skillset. You can look into the several options available, such as getting into a vocational school, a bachelor’s, or a master’s program. You can take up whichever suits you best or the one that will help you achieve your career goals!
Start Looking For A Job!
Now that you have met all the requirements to become a professional firefighter, what are you waiting for? You are all set to apply and get that dream job you have wished for all those years!
Conclusion
Like every other profession, becoming a firefighter also has a few prerequisites that you need to fulfill before starting your career. There are a few personality traits that you should possess and some minimum qualifications you should acquire to become a skilled firefighter. We have outlined the step by step process above. And we are sure if you follow our guide, your journey to becoming a firefighter will be smooth and trouble-free!
