Career Advice on How to Become A Fire Fighter.

Fire Fighting Careers, General Information.

Feel like running into a burning building to carry out a four hundred and seventy-five pound guy? How about running into a burning building to rescue an old lady who refuses to leave the apartment? Or how does the idea of seeing someone crushed in a car accident sound to you? If these options sound good to you, then you might have what it takes to begin a fire fighting career. A lot of people go to work thinking that they have a tough job or that they are going to have a tough day. But the fact of the matter is that fire fighter careers often consist of having a bad day. Trying to repair a computer problem or deal with a cranky customer or supplier that hardly speaks your language is a far cry from running into burning building or even putting out a tiny fire. In a word, this is a tough job.

Those who are looking to explore careers in fire fighting will need to be in excellent physical condition and pass a battery of demanding physical tests as well. The logic behind this is pretty simple, as fire fighters must be able to lift a good deal of heavy equipment and potentially carry disabled, disoriented or unconscious people out of life-threatening situations. Teamwork is key, if not critical, to overall success.

Fire Fighting Career Facts:

Firemen can be found working in every community around the nation and are trained to handle a variety of emergencies and situations. Usually when there is a disaster ranging from a car accident to a chemical spill, the fire fighters are the first on the scene. They are expected to know how to deal with whatever crisis is at hand. As a result, they are well versed in combating different kinds of fires, spills and accidents. Additionally, individuals working fire fighting careers are trained to administer some basic forms of first aid.

Fire Fighter Jobs, Career Opportunities and Job Outlook- Above Average:

The expected growth for fire fighter jobs is expected to be about nineteen percent between 2008 and 2018. A good percentage of this job growth will occur as a result of volunteer fire fighters beginning full-time paid fire fighter careers. The fact that more and more people are moving to larger cities means that smaller communities are having increasing difficulty in finding firemen to fill new fire fighter career positions.

Fire Fighter Jobs, A Day in The Life:

Fire fighter careers involve the firemen spending a good deal of time based at fire stations awaiting an emergency call. Once the call is received, fire fighters take pride in responding quickly as they realize that lives can very likely be at stake.

Fire Fighting Careers, Average Salary:

The average salary for a fire fighter career is about $44,000 per year, with the top ten percent of fire fighter jobs bringing about $72,000 annually.

$44k

Fireman Careers, Training and Qualifications:

Training for fire fighting careers can be lengthy, detailed and involved. While training obviously focuses on fighting fires and knowing how fire will react and behave in a given situation, additional training also includes how to operate various equipment and tools.

So what else do you need to know for your fire fighter career planning? Fire fighters must have a high school diploma and many fire fighters have associates or bachelors degrees. Some universities and colleges offer programs in fire science, which proves as valuable training. Once you are accepted into a department, fire fighter career apprenticeships are served for up to four years.