Structural Firefighting
OVERVIEW
When most people think of a firefighter, they think of someone wearing
turnouts/bunker gear- the classic thick pants and jacket with the
reflective striping- and perhaps an SCBA (Self-contained Breathing Apparatus) strapped to their back. They think of individuals going into burning buildings, or tearing cars apart to get trapped individuals out. These are structural firefighters; they operate in urban areas. They are there to control and put out fires, and respond to emergencies involving life, property, and the environment.
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Within structural fire there are also different positions. A majority of firefighters are volunteers either working shifts at the station, working on-call as needed, or resident volunteers living in the fire station and rotating duty shifts. View an explanation of the different positions below.
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Some fire departments operate in more population-dense areas, some are more rural. The way a department functions is likely to be based on its location and coverage area. For example, fire departments in bigger cities tend to be career fire positions- they are generally paid positions. A rural department is more likely to have a large portion of its workforce be volunteer firefighters. Every department also has its own slightly different, unique way of doing things. The bigger the city, the more likely there will be a wider variety of skills expected from you simply because there are more people, taller buildings, and tighter spaces.
As the wildland-urban interface grows, we are seeing more and more structural fire departments sending engines, personnel, and other resources to help respond to bigger wildfires. Wildfires are not limited to wilderness spaces, they run the risk of coming to urban areas, and have destroyed many towns, and so in this way too, we see that structural firefighters are not just limited to the urban environment, although that is their primary duty. Just as wildland firefighters are not limited to just the wilderness, and frequently have tasks such as structure protection.
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STRUCTURAL FIRE POSITIONS
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Shift work volunteer firefighters: at the station working shifts with the career firefighters, and they receive some compensation. The majority of firefighters are volunteers.
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Drive from home volunteers: come to the station only when there is a call.
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Resident volunteers: live in the fire station and rotate between on and off duty not
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Part-time firefighters: Paid positions that work part-time
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Full-time career firefighters: Full time paid positions
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Additional Positions
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Fire investigators: need to have gone through police academy and fire academy
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Hazmat teams: made up of volunteer and career firefighters
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Rescue squads: typically made up of career firefighters
JOB DESCRIPTION
The role of a firefighter is varied. There is fighting fires, however, a large part of being a firefighter also involves responding to medical calls, going out into the community and working on fire prevention, raising fire awareness, conducting home fire safety checks, and responding to other types of emergencies, such as traffic collisions, or those involving environmental factors such as floods, or oil spills. Another aspect of the job is maintaining the equipment in accordance with standards and procedures as well as maintaining your own skills and your own physical fitness.
The schedule of a firefighter changes from department to department. What you can expect no matter where you work, is to respond to calls at all hours of the day. Firefigthing does not follow the typical 9-5 schedule, and it is likely that you will work a combination of days, nights, weekends, and public holidays. Most departments follow some variation of a shift schedule. Shifts very n length from department to department, varrying from 12-48 hours, with longer periods of time-off associated with the longer shift schedules. For example, a station may have a 24-hour shift schedule, in which you work for 24, and are off for 48, while two other shifts rotate through.
EDUCATION
You can start your career in firefighting with no education. However, depending on how far you want to take it, or where you want to go, it can be incredibly beneficial to pursue some kind of continued education. Additionally, more and more fire departments are requiring some level of EMS certification. Whether that be an EMR (Emergency Medical Responder), EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), or a Paramedic.
Many community colleges also offer fire science programs or degrees, which can vary from one to two years. While these types of postsecondary degrees or certificates are not a necessity, they can help give preference to new hires.
If you wish to advance further within a fire department then a bachelor’s degree is likely to be required. For example, a bachelor's degree is required to get promoted to battalion chief. Additionally, master’s degrees may be beneficial for those working to move their careers into management and administration. There is no one right way to start your career, you can always start working in fire, and then go back to school when you decide you are ready.
JOB SELECTION
REQUIREMENTS
Once your application moves through the first phase, you will need to complete and pass the following:
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Background Check
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Drug Test
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Physical fitness Test (CPAT)
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Interview Process
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Mental Health screening
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Health examinations
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Aptitude test
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Level of EMS certification, ranging from none to Paramedic
Before working at a department, every firefighter must go through Fire Academy. The average fire academy runs from 12 to 14 weeks, completing 200-600 hours of training. Some of the training and certifications gained through fire academy can also be gained through a fire science program at a community college.
The requirements of the selection process, and the level of competitiveness will varying based on location. For example, bigger city departments are incredibly competitive, and it is not uncommon to have hundreds of applicants.
Moving from department to department can be difficult, as you will be expected to complete a probationary year every time you move. Positions such as these are called lateral firefighter positions. A probationary year is one year (although some are not time-bound) in which you will work on a booklet of tasks to prove your ability and competency in different tasks.
In terms of starting a career in structural firefighting. Volunteering can be a good option. There are also junior firefighter opportunities for those between the ages of 16-18. As well as resident fire programs, where you live in the fire station, and give a certain amount of your time a week, and in exchange, the fire department helps pay for your education.