Firefighter Classes Help Please

[skyesspot 0]

I need some help please.

My daughter wants to be a firefighter, but becasue of financial issues right now, she can't go to the JC that would be the best for her. She is going to attend one closer to our house and I am wondering what classes she should take that would be appropriate.

The JC doesn't have a program so we are talking more GE type classes. Any suggestions?

Life is too short. Don't sweat the small stuff.

[lisamariewillbe 1]

Heres what I did

I became a volunteer, they provided the training, I became a real firefighter and let them help pay for some classes. Chicks are in high demand in this profession. And volunteering gives some insight on what the job will entail. As a rookie she can expect alot of things, but for awhile her best friend will be a hydrant.

While volunteering just go through basic general courses, then once she has formed a relationship with the fire house they will steer her in the direction they see fit.

Good luck

Sudsy Fist: i don't think i'd ever say this
Sudsy Fist: but you're looking damn sudsydoable in this

[Superman32 0]

I'm not sure how it works in Cali, but here in NJ, if you get a job or volunteer the state or the department will pay for school. No out of pocket money

Inveniam Viam aut Faciam
I'm back biatches!

[Feeblemind 1]

Many of the states fire departments are ramping up for mass retirements. The reason for this is that many of the employees survived the prop 13 tax cuts are reaching retirement age. Not only that but as the population grows more firefighters are needed to protect the citizens. What this means for your daughter is a lot of opportunity to get the job that she desires. Now that all the commentary is out of the way here are my meager suggestions:

1) Have her get her EMT-1 license. This should be available at your local JC.

2) While She is in school and after she is out have her get into the gym. The testing process and the job require upper body strength and endurance (PM if you like and I can provide further on this)

3) After she obtains her EMT-1 get a job with an ambulance company to gain experience.

4) Contact the departments she desires to work at and submit interest cards and start testing.


Most of the departments now train their personnel in an academy setting. The fire science classes are helpful but not always a requirement.
Blues,

Phil

Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked

[Deuce 1]

Skye, nowadays most firefighters are medical first responders. See if any of the ambulance companies have training for hirees.

Honestly, with the building codes these days, particularly out here in Cali, they mostly cut sick people naked and take their pulse before the ambulance people take them to the hospital.

AMR would be a good start.


JP

[Anvilbrother 0]

A asso. fire science degree is a must. Most of the departments in and around Baton Rouge Louisiana, are making that a must to become an officer. Departments such as FDNY and the others of that size require college to even be a private. If she is going to college, and she IS going to be a FF that is the degree to get, if she wants to get more college business and people related degrees would be right up her alley for when promotions come later in her career.

Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along,

[Deuce 1]

Skye, again, as and ex human resources analyst for Contra Costa County, they are real hungry for female applicants who can pass the very strenuous physical ability test. They will pay her for everything if she can pass that. It's call the (crap I forget the acronym) but it's a really good test. Having passed that, and having ovaries, she's in contention.

That sounds mysogynist, but it's not. They need more physically capable female firefighters, and there's just not that many out there.

[Feeblemind 1]

Quote

(crap I forget the acronym)

CPAT

Certified Physical Abilities Test

All of the posts are correct depending on wear she wants to work. With that said California will be starving for Firefighters and a degree in fire science is not required. It would be beneficial, but is not a minimum requirement.

Captain Z.

Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked

[skydiver30960 0]

You're getting a lot of really diverse responses, which is

a) cool, cuz we rock like that here on dz.com

and

b) a reflection of the diversity of our demographic.

Where will she be working? Big Metropolis or smaller Fire Service? This will have a big say in how much training she'll need before she can hope to apply for a career position. I'm sure some city agencies require a Fire Sciences degree, but here (a medium sized city) all you need is Firefighter I and EMT-B. Touch base with the locals, they'll be able to lead you in the right direction.

Volunteering is a GREAT idea. It's all I'm doing right now (no bites yet on the applications for a career position, I'm still building my Fire/EMS resume), and it's a blast.

I agree with the suggestion of others in that she begin to pursue her EMT certifications ASAP. Different fire services will have different requirements for Fire training before employment, but the fact of the matter is that Fire-based EMS is going to be the wave of the future. While the fire training will be dictated by your local protocols, the EMT training is a State affair, so it's something that she can start now and be confident that it will be worthwhile. I don't know of any fire agency in my area that will even LOOK at you for a firefighter position without having at least an EMT-Basic cert.

Elvisio "not paid yet, but maybe someday" Rodriguez

[popeyefireman 0]

Well it looks like most everyting has been said. But reading through the post I wanted to point something out. Now I have to talk from a Arizona stand point has I don't know Ca system very well.

She needs to get her EMT. Most departments require it for employment. Meaning you can test for the untill your heart is content but come job offer time she better have it.

Start Vol somewhere, it may just be with the comm. asst program, but she need to do it.

Girls are in demand, but from experiance with the CPAT, many women do not pass it. Just to give an example, there is only one female firefighter at the department I work for right now. It is a hard test Physicaly (UPer and Lower body), Mentaly (its ment to pysch you out, and endurance challenging. And be prepared for a challenging carrer as a women in the fire service. A lot of guys feel it is dangerous for them to have a female on their truck. Personaly if they can do the job, and do it as good as the rest of the crew, then I don't care what sex they are.

To even get through a prof. fire academy it would be a must that she can run under a 10 min mile. In my academy some morning we went for five miles and then did all the other stuff.

Most comm. colleges have some sort of fire sience program, some are better then other but when you look at it, it all comes down to passing that state test.

Ive been doing this close to 6 years now. After that much time in I just now recieved the position on the Deartment I have always wanted and I start next week.

In short its hard, demanding, challenging, and not for everyone....but worth all of it. PM me if you have any questions.

Adam
Firefighter/Paramedic

"I Yam what I Yam"

I am not afriad to die, only to die without living.

[Deuce 1]

Quote

It is a hard test

To say the LEAST! I was involved in the first staging of it in Northern California. There's probably a web site describing how to train for it, here's a start:

http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=firefighter+cpat&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D19c8c13fb263d397%26clickedItemRank%3D2%26userQuery%3Dfirefighter%2Bcpat%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.co.henrico.va.us%252Ffire%252Fcpat.htm%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSCPToolbarNS%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.co.henrico.va.us%2Ffire%2Fcpat.htm

Anyhow, that test has to be passable by whoever, and very few females pass it. The two who did (out of over 300 some-odd total who took it) are firefighters now, and had no pre-training. The world isn't fair, male applicants have to have more stuff, like their EMT and Paramedic and females who qualify will be trained on the County's dime.

Gotta pass that CPAT first, and half the men who take it fail.

It is a great exam.

[skyesspot 0]

Thank you very much to all of you who posted your advice. I guess it's pretty clear we will either have to get her to the JC that offers the EMT course or have her start volunteering.

I am thinking about having her take that physical test first to see if she is even still interested after doing it or if she can even do it.

Thanks Again.

Life is too short. Don't sweat the small stuff.

[Deuce 1]

Have her apply for this job ( I would have linked it, but it won't)

COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA
Department of Human Resources
651 Pine Street, 2nd Floor,
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 335-1701
http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/depart/hr/default.htm
INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR THE POSITION OF:


FIRE PREVENTION SPECIALIST
An Equal Opportunity Employer
SALARY
$2,361.58 - $2,870.51 /Month

ISSUE DATE: 04/12/04

FINAL FILING DATE: Continuous.

THE POSITION

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District is recruiting on a continuous basis for qualified individuals to work as Fire Prevention Specialists. Under the direction of the Fire Education Coordinator, appointees to these positions will perform a variety of fire prevention and public education duties on an intermittent (i.e., less than full-time) basis; work hours typically vary from 20 – 40 per week. Some of the duties performed are cyclical in nature and require incumbents to work longer hours from May through November and possibly fewer hours from December through April. Weekend, evening and holiday work is occasionally required.

Fire Prevention Specialists develop, prepare and conduct a variety of educational programs and presentations on fire and injury prevention for the general public, school children of all ages, Fire District staff and citizen groups. In performing these duties, they prepare and maintain educational materials including information sheets, pamphlets, slides, videos and films; setup and operate audiovisual equipment; staff, maintain and prepare educational display booths for community activities; and coordinate with others to schedule presentations. In addition, Fire Prevention Specialists demonstrate the operation of fire safety equipment such as smoke detectors, fire sprinkler models, fire extinguishers and related equipment; conduct field surveys to identify properties not in compliance with exterior hazard standards and advise property owners of abatement requirements.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

License Required: Valid California Motor Vehicle Operator’s License.

Education: Possession of a high school diploma, G.E.D. or a high school proficiency certificate.

Experience: One year of full-time or its equivalent experience teaching, training or making public presentations.

Substitution: Thirty semester or 45 quarter units of education in Fire Science, Speech, Education, Psychology, Sociology or closely related fields may be substituted for the required experience.

NOTE: Please provide a detailed description of the experience you feel best qualifies you for this position on the application form. If you qualify for this position on the basis of college course work completed, as noted above in the “Substitution” section, please submit with your application (either on the application or on a separate sheet of paper) the details of the course work including school attended, name of courses and the number of units for each course.

SELECTION PROCESS 1. Application Filing: A completed Contra Costa County employment application and supplemental questionnaire must be submitted by mail or in person to the Contra Costa County Human Resources Department at 651 Pine Street, 2nd Floor, Martinez, California, 94553. Resumes may not be substituted for the official application or supplemental questionnaire and incomplete application packages will be disqualified. It is the applicant’s responsibility to allow adequate mail or delivery time. An application may be obtained by calling the Contra Costa County Human Resources Department in Martinez, California at (925) 335-1701 OR by visiting our website at www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/depart/hr.

2. Examination: The examination will consist of an evaluation of each candidate’s relevant education, training and/or experience as presented on the application and supplemental questionnaire. Candidates will receive a rating of 70% for meeting the minimum qualifications. Additional points will be awarded to those candidates who possess related education, training, and/or experience beyond the minimum qualifications. The names of successful candidates will be placed on an employment list in rank order for a period of six (6) months.
The Human Resources Department may make changes to the examination steps noted above in accordance with Personnel Management Regulations.


FINAL FILING: Continuous Class Code: RJWE
OPEN ONLY 04/12/04 JL

FIRE PREVENTION SPECIALIST Supplemental Questionnaire

* 1. Check the appropriate letter where applicable and explain where indicated. A. ____ Possession of a high school diploma, G.E.D. or a high school proficiency certificate and one (1) year full-time experience (or the equivalent of full-time experience) in teaching, training or making public presentations. OR B. ____ 30 semester or 45 quarter units of education in Fire Science, Speech, Education, Psychology, Sociology or closely related fields may be substituted for the required experience. (Applicants must provide a detailed list of coursework including school attended, name of courses and number of units for each course).




* 2. Describe your qualifications and/or experience in public speaking. Please include employer name and length of employment.




* 3. Describe your qualifications and/or experience in developing and preparing educational programs/presentation (can include scripts, information sheets, pamphlets, slides, videos, films, etc.) Please include employer name and length of employment.




* 4. Describe your qualifications and/or experience in working in front of visual media (i.e., “on camera”). Please include employer name and length of employment.




* 5. Describe your qualifications and/or experience in working with citizens of all ages: Please include employer name and length of employment. · Children · Adolescents · Seniors




* 6. Describe your qualifications and/or experience in conducting surveys and compiling data. Please include employer name and length of employment.




* 7. Describe your qualifications and/or experience in writing reports and correspondence. Please include employer name and length of employment.




* 8. Describe your qualifications and/or experience in reading parcel books or maps. Please include employer name and length of employment.




* 9. Describe your qualifications and/or experience in “Hands on” with fire prevention equipment such as extinguishers, smoke detectors, fire sprinklers, and related equipment. Please include employer name and length of employment.




* 10. Are you available and willing to work weekends, evenings and holidays? ____ Yes–Available Immediately ____ Yes, Available __________ ____ No




* Required Question

Always get inside somehow, then the moves are easier.

[rigging65 0]

JCs aren't the only places that offer EMT-1 (or Basic) certification. Check out your area, call the Red Cross and AHA and they can probably point you in the right direction.

Some Vol. houses even do in-house EMT-1 certification or are associated with a program. I know the Vol. house I started with had an "in" with the local University extension program (because we let their EMT classes practice patient extrication from mangled cars on our training grounds). Basically, if you were in the dept. and wanted to get your EMT, you had a spot.

You might look into some ROP programs within the local, larger fire depts. Often, they will have associated programs to get your EMT.

The last option, that really isn't a bad idea, but is a bit more expensive, is to go through a private school. NCTI in NorCal isn't too bad. They have several campuses (campi ?) to choose from.

My last 2 cents, having recently been through the long process to get hired and am now working as a FF/P, don't give up. It OFTEN takes many years of testing and retesting to get picked up. But, if it's what she wants to do, it'll happen if she just doesn't give up. I know guys who have been testing, working in Vol. houses, etc. for 4 and 5 years before getting picked up...but they did eventually get hired.

Incidentally, make sure she's sharp on her interview skills. It really makes or breaks your chances!

"...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.
For there you have been, and there you long to return..."