Understanding Firefighter Careers

Becoming a firefighter is an exciting career choice! No two days are the same for a firefighter.

Your experience will vary according to the fire department where you work. Firefighters are the front liners whenever there is a fire emergency. But the job of being a firefighter requires more than perhaps you realized.

The Firefighter Career

Firefighting is much more than just fighting fires, although that is a large part of the career. The career path for a firefighter begins through training. Firefighters are trained as volunteers at their local fire departments or attend classes to become certified firefighters. The education you would receive includes vital field training.

Firefighters also need to be certified in life-saving and support techniques. An EMT or EMT-Paramedic credential will go a long way for those who desire a career as a firefighter. The firefighter will know how to extinguish fires, rescue people and animals from burning buildings, and provide emergency care and first aid to fire victims until they can be transported to an ambulance or the hospital.

Firefighter Career Paths

Firefighters can move up in their careers to become fire officers, fire inspectors, engineers, lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief, and fire department chief. The path that a firefighter chooses is up to him or her. Higher-level and supervisory positions often require a degree, such as the one Health Career Institute offers in Fire Science, and years of experience on the fire department.

The firefighter career utilizes a combination of skills. Firefighters need to have good communication and decision-making skills, as well as the ability to work in a team. Physical strength and stamina will also be vital to a career as a firefighter.

Firefighters are the everyday heroes who serve their communities in such an important way. Without firefighters, it would be difficult to stave off the fires that occur in homes, throughout cities and towns, forest fires, and more. Firefighters also rescue people from non-fire emergencies and even save the occasional cat stuck in a tree.

Begin exploring firefighter careers today.