Caden
What does your day to day life as a firefighter consist of?
I know that firefighters put out fires, and help save lives. What kinds of things do you do when there are no fires, and what kinds of emergencies or fires do you respond to? All that I usually hear about is house fires. #career #firefighter #forest firefighter
2 answers
David George
David’s Answer
Caden, house fires make up very little of the day of a firefighter. That’s why it is so important to be in excellent shape, for when one does come in. Depending on where you’re hired, you can go months to a year before getting a working house fire. And sometimes in slow places, it still may not land on your shift. Ambulance assist make up a lot of your time. And smaller fires, like grass, dumpster and vehicle fires. Some stations and departments, are so slow, you may not even turn a wheel, for days. So cleaning and shining will be a big part of the day. If you like to cook, you will be very valuable to your station. Keep your legs and abs. strong. That will help your longevity as a firefighter. If you like the thought of fighting house and building fires, go to a city/state where it gets really cold and the houses are real old. Like Detroit, or Buffalo. I don’t mean to sound like a vulture and like I’m picking on certain communities. But that just the truth, if you like to fighting building and house fires. And if you do, those cities would love to have you. And they always seem to be hiring. Boston, FDNY and Cleveland are coming to mind as well. Apply to as many departments as you can. And good luck. Go to a local fire academy and then start applying. Don’t wait for a big department to send you.
Jimmy Aquilina
Jimmy’s Answer
They also have different ranks so throughout your firefighter career you might have a different day to day role as you did when you first started. For example, my uncle was a driver for one of the engines and would control the water for the men to physically fight the fires.