Firemen?

[cookderosa]

Is anyone here a fireman? My son is interested, and I have a few questions.

[schoeppner]

Fifteen years in the fire service and would happily answer any of your questions. Your posts have helped me greatly Cook and I would love to pay you back in some small way.

[soupbone]

I'm in law enforcement but my cousins are all firemen so i might be able to help as well.

[lmnop098]

I am a NYC Firefighter. I would be happy to answer any questions.

[cookderosa]

Hey!!! Three of you!! Awesome. And to Schoeppner, I'm glad I have helped and happy to see you posting!

My son is a freshman in high school (homeschooled), so he may change his mind. However, he has been talking a great deal about becoming a fireman. He is for sure interested in the helping professions, and is working on getting his CPR/LifeGuard so he can do that next summer.
I took him to meet an old friend (fire capt of our city, but also an ex-boyfriend from before I got married, so while I can ask him for help, I don't want to ask him too much if you know what I mean- I don't want it to get uncomfortable). My old friend was very helpful at getting me pointed in the right direction, but I still have a lot of questions. (I'm NOT a micro-manager-mom, I'm just able to do some school planning for him until he is a bit older)

Here is a really rough plan read it all the way through- what do you guys think?

Now: working on general education CLEPs intermixed with his school work. Summers he plans to work as a lifeguard and I thought he could take some of the free online NFA classes just for fun. (and maybe APUS credit?)

at high school graduation: take the 3 semester EMT-Paramedic program (local) It was suggested that the EMT is almost a requirement anymore, and that Basic/Intermediate are not enough to get work, so Paramedic is the better route (true?)
after paramedic graduation enroll at APUS (or similar) American Public University System and complete a BS in Fire Science. *his gen eds would be finished ahead of time, so it would be the core that he would work on- estimate aprox 1 year*

By following that sequence, he would have his EMT-Paramedic and BS Fire Science in about 3 years and would be about 20 years old.

Now- while this sounds fine and good, I get the feeling that firemen don't enroll in fire science programs BEFORE working as a fireman! What I don't understand is where the working/on the job/etc all fits into the puzzle. I need a better understanding of the whole process, it seems like everything I read on line is a little different- so I don't really know what I don't know :confused:

He also has mentioned being a fireman in the armed forces- is that something you would do after earning your degree or before? (I realize that's a whole 'nother question!)

[soupbone]

Hey!!! Three of you!! Awesome. And to Schoeppner, I'm glad I have helped and happy to see you posting!

My son is a freshman in high school (homeschooled), so he may change his mind. However, he has been talking a great deal about becoming a fireman. He is for sure interested in the helping professions, and is working on getting his CPR/LifeGuard so he can do that next summer.
I took him to meet an old friend (fire capt of our city, but also an ex-boyfriend from before I got married, so while I can ask him for help, I don't want to ask him too much if you know what I mean- I don't want it to get uncomfortable). My old friend was very helpful at getting me pointed in the right direction, but I still have a lot of questions. (I'm NOT a micro-manager-mom, I'm just able to do some school planning for him until he is a bit older)

Here is a really rough plan read it all the way through- what do you guys think?

Now: working on general education CLEPs intermixed with his school work. Summers he plans to work as a lifeguard and I thought he could take some of the free online NFA classes just for fun. (and maybe APUS credit?)

at high school graduation: take the 3 semester EMT-Paramedic program (local) It was suggested that the EMT is almost a requirement anymore, and that Basic/Intermediate are not enough to get work, so Paramedic is the better route (true?)
after paramedic graduation enroll at APUS (or similar) American Public University System and complete a BS in Fire Science. *his gen eds would be finished ahead of time, so it would be the core that he would work on- estimate aprox 1 year*

By following that sequence, he would have his EMT-Paramedic and BS Fire Science in about 3 years and would be about 20 years old.

Now- while this sounds fine and good, I get the feeling that firemen don't enroll in fire science programs BEFORE working as a fireman! What I don't understand is where the working/on the job/etc all fits into the puzzle. I need a better understanding of the whole process, it seems like everything I read on line is a little different- so I don't really know what I don't know :confused:

He also has mentioned being a fireman in the armed forces- is that something you would do after earning your degree or before? (I realize that's a whole 'nother question!)

Hey Jennifer! I'll ask my cousins what their advice would be in his situation. While I wait for their response let me add my own personal suggestions since fire/police/emt are very similar fields. While he's concentrating on school and finishing up the degree he needs to make sure he stays in good physical shape as well. Lot's of fire departments/police departments will see someone who is too small/skinny or too large/fat and immediately write the person off regardless of their educational background.

I would not harp on him and give him a complex but just encourage him to stay physically fit. The physical requirements to do this type of job are just as important as the educational ones. I know a lot of people see fat police/firemen but you stand out in a group if you are more fit. I'll get back to you on the other questions you asked as well. I always appreciate your help here and on the other board!

[frankiebleyes]

I could put in you touch with my Uncle who has been (now retired) a captain of the whole city for well over 20 years. My cousin, who is his son, also has 18 years in. I'm sure they would love to answer any questions you might want answered. Like someone else here said, you've always been so helpful to others, it would be nice to give back if I could.

[cookderosa]

Hey Jennifer! I'll ask my cousins what their advice would be in his situation. While I wait for their response let me add my own personal suggestions since fire/police/emt are very similar fields. While he's concentrating on school and finishing up the degree he needs to make sure he stays in good physical shape as well. Lot's of fire departments/police departments will see someone who is too small/skinny or too large/fat and immediately write the person off regardless of their educational background.

I would not harp on him and give him a complex but just encourage him to stay physically fit. The physical requirements to do this type of job are just as important as the educational ones. I know a lot of people see fat police/firemen but you stand out in a group if you are more fit. I'll get back to you on the other questions you asked as well. I always appreciate your help here and on the other board!

Thank you, I will tell him this. He just earned his black belt in karate after 8 long years, so he's in great shape right now!

[cookderosa]

I could put in you touch with my Uncle who has been (now retired) a captain of the whole city for well over 20 years. My cousin, who is his son, also has 18 years in. I'm sure they would love to answer any questions you might want answered. Like someone else here said, you've always been so helpful to others, it would be nice to give back if I could.

>>

That would be great frankie, thanks!

[schoeppner]

Hi Jennifer, my wife and I also homeschool our four children. It sounds to me like your son is on the right track. Becoming a lifeguard would be a great start learning how to deal with emergency situations. You may also want to check into any Fire Explorer programs in your area.

There is no one path on how to become a Firefighter. There are as many different routes into the profession as there are people involved. Obviously I think that knocking out as many CLEP test as possible is a great idea, especially for General Ed. requirements.

Most paramedic programs I am familiar with do require EMT prior to admission. However I do not think that being a paramedic is a requirement for most departments. My department and most of those in my area require at a minimum EMT and Firefighter I to apply. All of the Firefighters in my department are EMT's and the county runs the paramedic ambulance service. Paramedic certification can however set a person apart in a crowded field of candidates if any of the departments he is interested in run the ambulance service. It also opens the door to working for private ambulance services as well.

As far as a Fire Science degrees go most are AA's and more and more of our new Firefighters are coming into the job with them completed or partly completed. So here again a completed BS in Fire Science degree would set him apart.

I know I have talked about setting himself apart from the crowd a few times, this is because there is usually a lot of competition for just a few spots with most departments. Which is easy to understand because being a Firefighter is the best job in the world. One disadvantage he will have is that he will be young (20 yrs. old) if he follows this plan. While it is not unheard of to start that young most departments are looking for more maturity than that. A large part of that is how he presents himself in interviews.

One other thing is that I encourage in one interested in the Fire Service is to pursue their other interests as well. Having some other interests/ job options help fill the time while they work on getting in the service. Also, sense most career firefighter's work ten 24 hour shifts a month, you have a lot of time to do other activities as well as firefighting. So you are right everything you read on-line about becoming a Firefighter is little different because we all get there in different ways.