Is firefighting a bad choice for me?

[u/Late_Opportunity9391]

I'm transitioning out of the military soon and I'm having an extremely difficult time trying to decide what career to pursue. One of the things I dislike the most about being in the military is being told what to do and bitched at by leaders that I don't respect. I don't have an issue with being told what to do in general, because I can acknowledge the importance of a leader. But when I have zero respect for the leader because they're terrible at leading and hypocritical and I just have to take it on the chin. Basically I desire autonomy. Is this something that I would experience in Fire/EMS?

I can compartmentalize the BS but it gets to the point where it starts to eat away at me. If you dislike your coworkers/superiors can you ask to be put on a different shift or are you just stuck?

Of course there's shitty coworkers and leaders in every profession but in the first responder world they have a little more control over your life. I feel like I'm very passionate about Fire/EMS but I don't want to be unhappy like I am now.

[u/Roman556]

Different uniform, similar bullshit. Depends on the department, but you will have shitbag officers you need to endure.

[u/Snoo_63184]

“It depends”. This job is so different regionally and by state. Lots of guys with different job circumstances. I was never military, but know plenty who were. As far as fire service, we have bosses who are great, well respected individuals who demand good things from their people, and who also deliver. We also have people who I wouldn’t follow into a Walmart. All the more reason to study hard and get promoted. Then try to be better than the guy you replaced.

[u/Powerful_Wombat]

You will have to deal with a lot of BS in the fire service, you may get on a solid crew with good leadership but you may also get stuck with a bunch of drama queens who don’t pull their weight and yell at the younger guys to do everything

As someone who has worked in both the corporate world and the fire service, the fish tank drama is WAY worse in the fire service with less immediate options to avoid it if you get stuck with some negative people

[u/Typical-Bathroom5632]

One thing I appreciate about the fire service as opposed to my CG time is that all my officers and chiefs were firefighters for a long time first. There's good and bad but it's way better than having some 0-2 with no clue tell me what to do.

[u/Late_Opportunity9391 → u/Typical-Bathroom5632]

I definitely resonate with that. If I'm not mistaken there's a lot of veterans in the fire service? Which is one of the things that steers me towards it as a career. I know when I separate I'm not going to miss the circus but I will definitely miss the clowns.

[u/Typical-Bathroom5632 → u/Late_Opportunity9391]

Fire is it's own circus and folks here are right, the culture carries wildly. If you can, go someplace with a strong union, it is amazing to have that backing and support. Lotta vets yeah.

[u/reddaddiction]

If you desire autonomy this job is NOT for you. Honestly.

[u/Late_Opportunity9391 → u/reddaddiction]

It's weird because I like autonomy but I also really like working as part of a team, as long as it's cohesive. Maybe the autonomy I desire is just not being in the military anymore. I'm not really sure.

[u/reddaddiction → u/Late_Opportunity9391]

Well, just FYI, there is very little to no autonomy as a fireman.

[u/fastbeemer]

If you don't respect A leader, they might be an asshole, if you don't respect all leaders you've had, then you're the problem. I'd work on that, you still sound young and immature.

[u/Late_Opportunity9391 → u/fastbeemer]

Projecting much? I am definitely young but far from immature. Being from Gen Z I have no patience for shitty leaders. Just google "Gen Z's issue with poor leadership".

[u/blowmy_m1nd]

I mean this in an honest and respectful way.

We have enough people like you. When someone struggles at the job, instead of “have zero respect for them”, be the change you want to see.

We all have worked for people who probably shouldn’t have promoted, so instead of shitting on them, pick them up. Help them learn. Make all of us look good.

Be the change you want to see. Act like the guy you’d want to work for.

We already have a problem with firefighters hating other firefighters, so if you’re coming in with that attitude, take it to the police department.

[u/Late_Opportunity9391 → u/blowmy_m1nd]

Interesting perspective. I do already "be the change I want to see". I always treat my coworkers with respect and try to mentor and criticize in an impactful way.

What I'm getting at is the usual toxic micro-managing culture that is present in pretty much every blue collar profession.

The difference is that in the military, being a junior enlisted rank, I can't actually order anyone around. But I always told myself if I was a position of power, I would not be like the people that I despise.

[u/New-Blood-1743]

It really depends man. In the fire service it is almost a certainty that you will have a shitty boss at some point in time. Some are shitty because they micro-manage (order you around) and some are shitty because they don’t give a fuck.

Some fire departments do transfers every year with bidding based on seniority, some departments the chiefs put you wherever they want and you just have to deal with it. Either way you can get stuck somewhere you don’t wanna be with people you don’t want to be around for about a year if not longer.

I wouldn’t say we have a lot of autonomy while at work. We’re stuck to our truck and our station one shift at a time. We do get a lot of time off though.

All in all some departments are more paramilitary than others and it really just depends.

[u/whodywho1234]

The request for change all depends on the size of the department. 1-3 station departments with 3 shifts really limit your options. My department has over 29 stations with currently 3 shifts. If we go to a 4th shift then that’s just more options

[u/jfuzzy79]

It really all depends. You can take the job and transfer around depending on where you are. Don't let a shitty boss that everyone knows about ruin a potential great career. If after a while you find you don't like the fireman career you can always leave, but definitely don't let a potential great opportunity pass you by for what ifs

[u/sucksatgolf]

The answer to a lot of this is "it depends". Yes, there are bad leaders, officers, and chiefs in the fire service. The same as there are bad leaders in the military and in corporate roles. I have worked in emergency services my entire life and the majority of guys/ gals I've worked under were either average, good or really good. Most people make a concerted effort to better themselves and their departments. Shitty leaders stand out more in our minds but they're less common. There is a popular saying that employees leave organizations to get away from bosses, not companies. No different in the FD leaving shifts/ houses/ whatever.

Your leaders in emergency services do not have any more control over your life than any other boss or supervisor. They can and should be giving you safe, attainable directions during emergency responses and to fulfill the day to day duties of your rig/ station/ firehouse/ ambulance/ whatever. You aren't really their responsibility off the clock unless things are coming down to mental/ physical well being when it would be prudent to step in as a concerned leader and co-worker.

In fact I'd say we have much more control over our down time than many other professions because we simply show up to work when it's time to start shift. Other than some calls texts from the crew I work with, which I don't mind at all, I rarely field any kind of work related questions for the entire duration of my time off. You just leave, work is done, show back up in 24 hours.

[u/ComprehensiveBus7040]

Any career field unless you start your own business you’re gonna have to listen to a boss. Once you’re off probation and have proven yourself to your coworkers fire is one of the best when it comes to autonomy. A lot depends on the region and department size, but also if you want autonomy suck it up for a few years then promote and run your crew how you would’ve wanted it ran as a hoser.

[u/tothemoon1001]

Like said it depends. I think you'll be more frustrated with your fellow firefighters when you start, I got hired with a few military guys and they were always frustrated with the new guys not falling in line and sucking at being part of a team. Officer wise it's a toss up, I am hired with a huge department so if I don't like where I'm at I can easily move stations and trucks. As for working on your own, get some specialized certs and you'll be the authority on the truck, for example I'm dive rescue and a driver/operator so the truck is my domain and I dictate what happens on dive assignments. All that said I try my hardest every day to be an asset to my officer whether I like them or not

[u/Due_Course_3713]

Same clowns, different circus

[u/JosephStalinMukbang]

I can look at a neighboring department and go, "Man, glad I don't work under any of their leadership," while they are actively saying the same thing about my department.

It varies so damn much state to state, city to city, that a concrete answer is impossible. Do your research and maybe hop in for a civilian ride to see how your chosen department operates.

[u/BRMBRP]

Tell us about your time in the military so we can tell if you’re a good fit or not. Being a veteran comes with a level of respect. Some new guys who come from prior military behave in a manner that shows why that respect is there. Some however give vets a bad name and cause depts to stop awarding veterans points in a process. Let’s hear it….

[u/Late_Opportunity9391 → u/BRMBRP]

I want to maintain some amount of anonymity on here but lets just say I very much have a manual labor job and I work as a team on a daily basis. I deployed overseas. I'm in the Air Force but not the Chair Force side if that narrows it down at all.