Firefighters are real heroes who reach as far as to guarantee the welfare of their country’s people. Whenever there is an explosion or fire outbreak, most people panic and escape from the site. Firefighters, however, run towards the danger.
Firefighters are among the very first officers to hit the scene as tragedy strikes. Firefighters are courageous. They are well aware of the fact that there’s a big chance that things might not go their way, yet still, they don’t hold anything back.
Becoming a firefighter is not a child’s play. The competition is tough and demanding. According to research, over 70% give up their efforts to become a fighter and take another job to make a living.
How to become a firefighter?
Most of them include those who lack fundamental knowledge of where to start exactly. Here are some tips for presenting you with a birds-eye view of the requirements to become a firefighter.
Making up your mind
The job of a firefighter is full of trauma and has a significantly higher chance of developing PTSD. If you are looking to dive into the firefighting department’s world, you should make sure that this is the field you want.
No second thoughts should be present in your mind. Make your decision wisely. There’s no point in returning after the decision.
Education
Education is one of the essential firefighter requirements. You will boost your results and progress your career with firefighting training anywhere, with firefighter courses.
You must obtain High school graduation and a proper driver’s license. Although a firefighter must be 18 years old to serve, limited on-the-job training can begin at a younger age.
Almost 90% of the emergency department requires an EMT certificate. Since about 80% of fire departments deal with emergency medical-related responses, an EMT certificate becomes a prerequisite.
The training will also make you a more suitable candidate when you have more experience and a greater understanding of the work.
The degree also ensures that the fire department would have to provide you less training during the preparation period. It would increase their inclination for you to recruit.
Clean Record
The fire department will do a comprehensive history inspection to ensure that you don’t have any traffic, crime, or chronic drug use incident in the past. The review will cover every little part of your existence.
So having a clean record is necessary. Make sure not to fall into the slippery slope of crimes.
Compassion and self-understanding
Understanding one own thoughts and emotion play a vital role in becoming a good firefighter. Understanding your feelings connects you and your inner self. A lot of contradiction and anxiety gets significantly reduced once you start mastering your emotions.
Firefighters require quick reflexes and some high level of decision-making. It would be best if you did not let otherworldly matters influence your decision.
Comprehending the phases of the firefighter hiring process
How would you ever excel if you fail to realize what steps you will have to get along to go well to be a firefighter? The selection process varies from region to region. So knowing the phases of selection can prove quite beneficial.
Start investigating how divisions are in your region or wherever you hope to join. Do comprehensive research on the nature of the oral interview, written examination, physical agility, background investigation of that particular fire department.
Physical Fitness
Becoming a firefighter requires the candidate to be in the prime of their physical state. Firefighter often requires some problematic physical task.
Therefore, to do well in an actual emergency, a firefighter must have good physical fitness. You should be able to pass the CPAT (Candidate Physical Ability Test).
This challenging test requires speed, flexibility, resilience, and stamina to be well-illustrated. The exam usually involves eight fitness exercises, which must get performed within 10 minutes and 20 seconds.
Following are the phases of CPAT:
- Climbing stairs for 3 minutes with 12.5 lb. weight on each of the shoulder
- Dragging the hose
- To carry the apparatus and moving two saws of almost 75 feet around the barrier.
- Ladder raises
- The forced entrance includes a hammer of 10 lbs. to hit a meter before a buzzer ring.
- The Search includes crawling on hands and knees in a tunnel dungeon.
- Rescue Drills of dragging a mannequin and saving it is also one of the stages of CPAT.
- Ceiling Breach by using a pile to open a hinged door
Taking firefighter tests
What better option than to take firefighter exams to consider all stages of the firefighter hiring? Any exam prepares you better for the next one.
What matters is that you are aware of the procedure. Above all, you have a sense of what to expect in the future when most fire services have identical recruitment process components. If you don’t take the test, you’ll never know your strength and weakness.
The test includes a physical and written evaluation of your problem-solving skills and overall knowledge of firefighting.
Conclusion
Becoming a firefighter is a tough job; it takes a sheer amount of passion and skill to get into the firefighting department. So, make sure to keep in mind all of the requirements we have mentioned above. These tips are bound to bring you success.
