any firefighters out there?

tacoma87

New Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2005
Location
Charlotte (UNCC)
I have been throwing around the idea of a change in direction in my life....not that its to late in the game being that i am a junior in college. i go to a UNC charlotte and we have a fire safety program in our engineering department and i have been thinking about changing majors and getting my degree in fire safety and getting a job with the Charlotte Fire Department here in NC. i am currently a construction management major heading towards project management for a contractor. i have been workign in construction a good bit of my life and am currently working for a big contractor as an intern. its a great job and the money is and willl be great but i just dont know if sitting at a desk is for me and i have always wanted to be a firefighter.

Soo...with that being said are there any firefighters out there and what do you think of your job. i am not out for glory or to be a hero, i just want to help people, and what better way than to help them out on one of the worst days of their lives. if i dont make a fulltime commitment i know soon i will be training to become a voluteer firefighter but how does everyone like doing it full time. also i have done some research on what is expected of me to get the job and be trained but any input from veterans would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all your help...
Ben
 
I've been a Paramedic/Firefighter for close to 10 years here in Myrtle Beach, SC.
It is a great profession, as long as you can deal with the pay. I work 24 hours on 48 hours off. I earn 24 hours of vacation a month. (you take one day off and your off technically for five days).

Continue on to get your degree, it will give you a leg up on others for sure. Pretty much now days any chance for good solid upward mobility reguires a degree. Im not sure if I ever could work a "nine to five" job anymore. The adrenaline rush from car wrecks and structure fires still excites me even after thousands of calls. If you like not knowing whats going to happen on any given day, you'll enjoy this job.

Again my biggest gripe would be the pay. Benefits are usually top notch, retirement is quite nice with some departments.

Work on your cardio now... start running, start hitting the stairs hard and you'll have a good start for the physical agility test. Down here EMS is everything, we can make you a firefighter in a few classes, but having your EMT-B and preferably your paramedic.... you can pretty much go anywhere you want to around this area.
If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me...
J.R.
 
Im a volunteer/paid part time fire fighter. Looking very soon to become full time somewhere. I love it, wouldnt trade it for anything in the world. Its a lot of hard work, a lot of training (one guy on our department recently went full time with Rocky Mount, he put in over 700 training hours, not couting the 200+ for EMT). If youre still in school the best thing to do is get a fire science degree. Its a two year degree, but its almost mandatory to get promoted in big city depts.

Duane
 
x2 on getting your EMT-B.. Most places will not give you a job without having some sort of EMT cert.

Join a dept as a volunteer as soon as possible, i will always cherish the days when i was a volunteer
 
can you start as a volunteer without any certifications? it seems to be a trend of people saying become a volunteer 1st but i would like to start as soon as possible but i do not have any certifications at the moment. i know charlotte does not have any volunteer jobs but harrisburg right outside does so i may stop in and ask them about it tomorrow or next week sometime.

as for the degree i am planning on staying in school but do not know if i should change majors. if i graduate in fire safety i will have a bachelors of science in fire safety which i am guessing will give me everything an then some over a two year degree. thanks for the input guys and keep the advice coming. i am planning to take a visit to a station nearby and talk to some guys but i dont know what to say when i walk in. any advice would be great.
thanks
ben
 
Ah good luck with becoming a firefighter. Last I heard charlotte had 1,700 (yes that number is correct) apply for 10-15 positions. I've applyed for 7 depts. in nc many of them twice and I've gotten no bites. I volunteered for a while have my EMT-B going for my Medic. But you may have more luck then me. I know some people who got it the first try and others who tried for 5 years. So if you do try for this goodluck

No you don't need any certs to start off. Plus to get them on your own will be expensive. Most of the firefighter 1/2 (if not all) are held through the CC and held at firestations. These classes are mostly on the weekends and there are ~20 of them.

On another note do some research on the dpt you want to work with. Check to see what con ed traning they do, line of duty deaths, and injurys they have. Firefighting is no joke and you can be seriously injured if you or your coworkers dont take it seriously. (speaking of volunteers who dick around, ive known a few who have gotten hurt)

But back to the postive side. I loved it when I volunteered, theres no better feeling then being able to help someone when they truly need it.

Bah I'm rambling
 
i am not set on charlotte...just where i am in school and city that i have come to like in NC that and from what i have heard and read its one of the best in the country....raleigh, gboro, winston, etc are all still viable options. i am not determined to be a Charlotte FF, but good to know about the market here so thanks.
 
I've been a volunteer firefighter for 10 years and still love it. I am a paramedic here in Charlotte as well. Everyone I know that works for CFD loves their job. I've heard that it's hard to get hired for Charlotte, but definately not impossible, and the degree will definately put you above the competition.
As far as training as a volunteer, that will vary by department. one of the best ways I have seen is through Rowan Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury. Every spring and fall semester they offer the entire FFI and FFII certification classes. It is a huge time commitment requiring you to go every wednesday night and every saturday and sunday for several months, but I have heard that it is great training and it will get it all out of the way quicker than anything else, short of an academy at a career department.
Hope this helps, and good luck
 
If you want to make a visit to a nearby VFD, Newell on Old Concord Road has some pretty nice guys and are less than a mile from campus. As far as what to say, just knock on the door and if somebody's there and answers, just tell them you're interested. Same route I plan to take whenever I graduate.
 
Thanks for all the replys, this is really helping me decide what to do as i do not have any friends or relatives who are FF so i cant ask them all these questions about how they like their jobs. Please keep the responses coming and next week i plan on actively searching for a volunteer FF posistion or at least to be able to sign up for a "ride along".
Thanks again
Ben
 
My advce. Get on w/ a volunteer dept and earn your certs. Majority of the places will want FF level 1 and 2 certs , driver ops certs ( mainly EVD) and basic emt. If your going paid I would also get a class b non cdl license as it may be recquired. Some places your a firefighter. Some you also serve as a driver operator. However if your close you may still get hired as you have a time frame to acheive recquired certs depending upon wether full or part time. If you have any height fears try to overcome them. My agility test had me climbing a 95ft tower at a 70 degree angle in full turnout gear.Any task you do also be prepared to do it in any kind of enviroment weatherwise day or nite. Being a volunteer can be a full time job. I spend just as much time at my volunteer dept as I do my paid dept. And if you can't stand to be an interior firefighter you have claustriphobia or don't like heights don't let that discourage you . It's not for everyone but there is so much more to do. Fire life safety programs with the public, on scene safety, traffic control, swapping air bottles and packing unpacking hoses ect. If you make the time to go to classes and seminars the training is there. If you get on a dept that specializes in rescue also it offers that much more. I specialize in marine team rescue such as jet ski operations, boat operations,marine fire fighting,dive team as well as swiftwater and surface water rescue and high angle rescue as well as being a driver operator and level 2 certified. EMT is in the process of being worked on also.

As for education Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville offers a great program to get your Associates in fire science and it's done completely online. Fayetteville is also another option that's a great program. Most everyone I know goes through those 2 and then some even transfer the credits to UNC Charlotte to get the bachelors degree.
 
Biggest thing I miss about where I live now is that I had to leave the fire dept I was at previously..

Start off as a volunteer.. the days of them taking any dipshit off the street and giving him a helmet and a hose are long gone.. We got all the same training as any paid FF, the instructors just came to us! When I left, I was a driver/operator, a NC First responder (EMT was offered, but it's not my thing), and well on my way to Level II cert.. all paid for by the dept.

I miss it dearly, and one of the things in my list of "Mandatory requirements" when looking for the next place to live is to be close to a good volunteer FD.

What other job can you beat in someone's front door, go crazy inside a house with the world's largest super soaker, and get thanked for it? :D It's the best rush I've ever had, and I've done more than my fair share of adrenaline-heavy activities before. It starts when the tones go off, and doesn't stop until you're on the way back to the station.

If I didn't have so many financial obligations, it's probably what I'd be doing now.
 
i have found a VFD near where I live and plan on going and talking to the guys there but was wondering about a stupid question. Should i approach this as a real job opprotunity and come "dressed to impress" or will it be a casual thing and they will not think anything of it if i show up in khakis and a polo or something. sorry for the dumb question but dont want to make a stupid mistake liek that. thanks
 
Be yourself.

Besides, you're trying to volunteer your time.. Not beg for money.. ;)
 
So, what do y'all think about old folks joining? Is it only a young man's game now? Or would a VFD really welcome a FNG that's no spring chicken? I'm a hair over 40, in good shape and got a good head on my shoulders (so I think). Local VFD has approached me several times about hooking up.

I did it for a few years back in the early 80's, when, as Rich said, the days when they'd take "any dipshit off the street and giving him a helmet and a hose are long gone". I was lucky to be in a good dept with good leadership. We were way ahead of some departments, but it was the dark ages of the service compared to today's training and equipment.

I'm not sure I want the adrenaline rush anymore of being the first one inside. I'll save that for the young guys.

I keep thinking about it. What say y'all that are active?
 
kaiser715 said:
So, what do y'all think about old folks joining? Is it only a young man's game now? Or would a VFD really welcome a FNG that's no spring chicken? I'm a hair over 40, in good shape and got a good head on my shoulders (so I think). Local VFD has approached me several times about hooking up.
I did it for a few years back in the early 80's, when, as Rich said, the days when they'd take "any dipshit off the street and giving him a helmet and a hose are long gone". I was lucky to be in a good dept with good leadership. We were way ahead of some departments, but it was the dark ages of the service compared to today's training and equipment.
I'm not sure I want the adrenaline rush anymore of being the first one inside. I'll save that for the young guys.
I keep thinking about it. What say y'all that are active?
Click to expand...

You could easily be a driver/operator, that way the young guns can go in, or you can be a traffic officer, or be an exterior only fire fighter. My dad is 51 and still on. Hes rarely first in on fires, but he still gets in there and uses the extrication equipment on MVAs.

Duane
 
I was a fire/rescue volunteer from 16 to 60, took up the wildland fire and USAR specialties, "retired" last year, and am still a volunteer in the land and water search business. Saw deployment in most of the NC/SC hurricanes, Blizzard of '93 helping run a helicopter search operation out of the Boone Mall, out-of-state forest fires doing communications stuff and helitac ops, doing cold case and live search ops, and plenty more. I wouldn't trade the experiences for anything, and I can't recommend anything more fulfilling, fun, or worthwhile than some part of the fire and rescue services. The training schedules and tedium of mundane day-to-day logistics and house duties will get on your nerves from time to time, but if the service is in your blood, the rewards and good times are more than compensation and so hard to pass up. Go see what interests you, and where your talents are, they'll come out as you train and participate. I started out as a driver/pump operator, so the suggestion in the previous post is a good one as far as I'm concerned.
 
tacoma87 said:
I have been throwing around the idea of a change in direction in my life....not that its to late in the game being that i am a junior in college. i go to a UNC charlotte and we have a fire safety program in our engineering department and i have been thinking about changing majors and getting my degree in fire safety and getting a job with the Charlotte Fire Department here in NC. i am currently a construction management major heading towards project management for a contractor. i have been workign in construction a good bit of my life and am currently working for a big contractor as an intern. its a great job and the money is and willl be great but i just dont know if sitting at a desk is for me and i have always wanted to be a firefighter.
Soo...with that being said are there any firefighters out there and what do you think of your job. i am not out for glory or to be a hero, i just want to help people, and what better way than to help them out on one of the worst days of their lives. if i dont make a fulltime commitment i know soon i will be training to become a voluteer firefighter but how does everyone like doing it full time. also i have done some research on what is expected of me to get the job and be trained but any input from veterans would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for all your help...
Ben
Click to expand...

ben...
my brother has been working in construction (officially) since he was 14. he graduated from ECU with a degree in construction management.

he has since quit his job as a superintendent and has taken up paramedic full time.

so my take on it is this, you gotta follow your heart. he found something that made him happier (although paying way less).

that being said...i don't know any firefighters or emt's that don't have 2nd or 3rd jobs. state benefits-check. :poop: pay-check.

btw, he still does odd jobs on the side, helping his realtor friend fix up dumps to sell, etc.
 
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