Why did you decide to become a Fire fighter?

Question

What made you decide you become a Fire fighter? What do you get out of being a Fire Fighter? The Pros and cons of Being A Fire Fighter? I want to know if it some thing that is really for me? Or if I should go in to a different flied. Would like answers from woman fire fighter also.

Answer 1

I became a volunteer firefighter because of Sept. 11.  I was looking for a way to serve my country.  I attempted to join the military and did not meet the age requirements, I was too old and could not get a waiver.  I contacted the local department near my home and was accepted into the department.  There are many benefits to being a firefighter.  You develop a close working relationship with your coworkers.  You get to serve your community.  You are protecting the lives and property of others.  Neighbors and friends seem to give you a little more respect than usual.  People are more willing to listen to you.  

In my experience as a firefighter, we were able to participate in several fundraisers to help in our community, and also worked closely with emergency services and the police.  A firefighter gets training as a first responder.  We must be able to handle a variety of situations, including medical issues, accidents, chemical spills, fires, and trees on the road after a storm.  (Well, we did, because I lived in a small town.) Larger cities probably have more specialized services to handle different issues.  A first responder basically has to determine what the problem is, and call in the appropriate support personnel to handle it.  A first responder has to take charge of the area and make sure that the public safety is taken care of.

At the station, a large part of your job will be to maintain the equipment, and to receive training.  We would also have meetings to discuss needs of the community and the department, and go over recent events.  Volunteers get the same levels of training as paid firefighters, we just dont recieve a paycheck.  There are some moments of humor in the job.  My first day, I got a radio.  It was about 4 am and I heard what I thought was a call.  I got to the station and there was no one there.  Later I found out that the battery needed to be charged.  They laughed with me about that for about 2 weeks.  There are a few drawbacks to the position.  You are on call for all hours of the day or night.  You would need to drop whatever you are doing and go to the call.  You need to stay at the scene until released\relieved.  You often get very dirty.  You are going into risky situations.  Sometimes you see things you would rather forget.  I once was at a scene where we found someone who burned up in the fire.  But these things come with the job.  Overall, though, I found firefighting to be a very rewarding and fulfilling job.  Just seeing a smile on someones face made all the difference.  I don't know what it is like as a female firefighter, because all of the members of our department were male, but I know that we would have treated the person as one of us, and gender would not have been an issue.

I recommend going to the department near your area and talking with the members there. Check it out, then decide.  There is some heavy lifting involved, so each member of the department gets evaluated on their strengths and weaknesses, and we work together as a team.

Answer 2

Been one since 1998.  Love the trill of it.  It is sad but some department now spend more time running medical calls so we have become ambulance chasers with long hoses.  Get with a local department and do some training.  Make sure you are comfortable wearing an SCBA.

Answer 3

Being a firefighter is a great profession I get alot of enjoyment out of, however you will see many disfigured, mutilated and burned bodys some of which will be children. Fire fighting is a very physically demanding job, you will need to operate tools like spreaders (jaws of life) and cutters ,operate chainsaws on a ladder etc, so if you are slight of build forget it, Also I weigh over 320lbs in turnout gear (I'm a bodybuilder), if things go sideways and I fall through a floor or get caught in a flash over are you going to be able to pull me out, can I trust you with my life, will my daughter be able to see her Daddy again. Think seriously about this profession its more guts than glory. IMHO women have a tough time with the physical aspect of firefighting thats just how it is. I would never want a woman to be my partner.