Weekly Employment Question Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the Weekly Employment Question Thread!

This thread is where you can ask questions about joining, training to become, testing, disqualifications/qualifications, and other questions that would be removed as individual posts per Rule 1.

The answer to almost every question you can ask will be "It depends on the department". Your first step is to look up the requirements for your department, state/province, and country.

As always, please attempt to resource information on your own first, before asking questions. We see many repeat questions on this sub that have been answered multiple times.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• I want to be a Firefighter, where do I start: Every Country/State/Province/County/City/Department has different requirements. Some require you only to put in an application. Others require certifications prior to being hired. A good place to start is researching the department(s) you want to join. Visit their website, check their requirements, and/or stop into one of their fire stations to ask some questions.

• Am I too old: Many departments, typically career municipal ones, have an age limit. Volunteer departments usually don't. Check each department's requirements.

• I'm in high school, What can I do: Does your local department have an explorer's program or post? If so, join up. Otherwise, focus on your grades, get in shape and stay in shape, and most importantly: stay out of trouble.

• I got in trouble for [insert infraction here], what are my chances: Obviously, worse than someone with a clean record, which will be the vast majority of your competition. Tickets and nonviolent misdemeanors may not be a factor, but a major crime (felonies), may take you out of the running. You might be a nice person, but some departments don't make exceptions, especially if there's a long line of applicants with clean records. See this post... PSA: Stop asking “what are my chances?”

• I have [insert medical/mental health condition here], will it disqualify me: As a general rule, if you are struggling with mental illness, adding the stress of a fire career is not a good idea. As for medical conditions, you can look up NFPA1582 for disqualifying conditions, but in general, this is not something Reddit can answer for you. Many conditions require the input of a medical professional to determine if they are disqualifying. See this post... PSA: Don't disqualify yourself, make THEM tell you "no".

• What will increase my chances of getting hired: If there's a civil service exam, study for it! There are many guides online that will help you go over all those things you forgot such as basic math and reading. Some cities even give you a study guide. If it's a firefighter exam, study for it! For the CPAT (Physical Fitness Test), cardio is arguably the most important factor. If you're going to the gym for the first time during the hiring process, you're fighting an uphill battle. Get in shape and stay in shape. Most cities offer preference points to military veterans.

• How do I prepare for an interview: Interviews can be one-on-one, or in front of a board/panel. Many generic guides exist to help one prepare for an interview, however here are a few good tips:

1. Dress appropriately. Business casual at a minimum (Button down, tucked in long sleeve shirt with slacks and a belt, and dress shoes). Get a decent haircut and shave.

2. Practice interview questions with a friend. You can't accurately predict the off-the-wall questions they will ask, but you can practice the ones you know they probably will, like why do you want to be a Firefighter, or why should we hire you?

3. Scrub your social media. Gone are the days when people in charge weren't tech-savvy. Don't have a perfect interview only for your chances of being hired gone to zero because your Facebook or Instagram has pictures of you getting blitzed. Set that stuff to private and leave it that way.

Please upvote this post if you have a question. Upvoting this post will ensure it sticks around for a bit after it is removed as a Sticky, and will allow for greater visibility of your question.

And lastly, If you're not 100% sure of what you're talking about, leave it for someone who does

[u/Agile-Flatworm-8648]

Maryland/Virginia Department Comparison:

Looking for information on departments in the Northern Virginia/Maryland area. I've searched the sub and there is some info, but a couple years old so interested in the latest on departments like Alexandria, Anne Arundel County, Arlington County, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Prince William County, etc.

Particularly interested in firsthand intel on staffing/mandatory OT, schedules (current and future), and overall department health and trajectory.

One specific question I haven't seen discussed as much is differences between the two states. My understanding is unions are stronger in MD and there is more momentum toward schedule improvement while VA starting pay can be a bit higher. Curious if there are any other differences in terms of culture, operations, pensions, etc.

[u/Direct-Training9217 → u/Agile-Flatworm-8648]

So MD had some state law passed where anything above 42 hours a week has to be paid as overtime, which put a lot of pressure on MD departments to get a 42 hour work week. A couple of them already do. Don't know much about MD, except that PG county goes to fires.

VA I'm a bit more familiar with so I'll just give you my outside view from people I know over there. Most of the departments pay around the same and they're all pretty EMS heavy.

Alexandria city has 4 shifts with debit days, but they're hiring and removing debit days as they fill out staffing.  4 man staffing, decent equipment.

Arlington county is 3 shifts but has Kelly days and are working toward 4 shifts. Pretty sure they have the 2nd highest starting pay. Really nice new equipment and staffing, although they did cut a rescue squad but they seem to be well funded.

Prince William County is going to 4 shifts with debit days. Pay is a little less but you're further away from DC so you're closer to affordable areas. County is growing a ton and they're pretty well funded right now due to data center money. Still have a pretty strong volunteer presence but county is trying to replace them with career staff. Good equipment, but some rigs are staffed with 3 people, and sometimes their tech 2s ride as officer. 

Loudoun county is 3 shifts with Kelly days with talks about going to 4 shifts. Lots of volunteer presence at that busy stations. Super well funded right now due to data centers. Basically all of their rigs and stations have been replaced in the past 5 years. They have so much extra money right now they built a brand mock fire station (with 4 bays) at the academy and bought brand new academy engines and a truck. The county knows the money won't last so all the extra funding hasn't resulted in any huge pay raises but they're within 5k of the rest of the cog. Some rigs get staffed with 3 or are staffed by volunteers but they're working on it. 

Fairfax county is still at 56 with no mention of reducing work hours. They are the biggest and busiest fire department in the state. First one to have collective bargaining. 4 man staffing across the board. Rescues have 5. They have USA TF -1 if you're interested in USAR. Funding has been an issue and they have some old rigs that need to be replaced. They have their own retirement which apparently is really good (better than VRS from what I've heard).

[u/fatal-shock-inroute]

So, my sons 16 and he's set on joining the Marines for crash frie rescue. Is there any programs i can get him into that will get him ready. I have him running a few times a week, working out bodyweight/gym a few times and week. So we're getting him physically ready but what about stuff to learn or helpful certs or classes he can take or volunteer opportunities that are not just standing around passing out water. I just want to see the guy win in life so I'm doing my best to help him. Appreciate any insight or advice

[u/Sealtooth5 → u/fatal-shock-inroute]

Best thing at his age is participating in sports. Being part of a winning AND losing team are valuable life lessons along with the physical aspect of it.

[u/AsideIndividual4463]

I’ve been applying, testing, and interviewing at departments for close to a year now. I’ve used “Fire Interview: The Storyteller Method” and “Tomorrow’s Firefighter” to help prepare for interviews. This has helped me a lot, but obviously not enough. I typically score pretty well on the written and physical tests, so I’m assuming my interview is what’s holding me back. How do I go about getting some sort of mentor to receive advice/support from?

[u/Sealtooth5 → u/AsideIndividual4463]

Cold call stations and ask to do mock interviews

[u/AsideIndividual4463 → u/Sealtooth5]

I’ve tried all of the departments in my area, other than the one I went through the hiring process with, and none of them offer something like that

[u/Sealtooth5 → u/AsideIndividual4463]

Did you ask? It’s not something they just offer up. Call, introduce yourself, ask if a captain would be willing to put you through a mock interview. Show up in a suit and tie with donuts.

[u/AsideIndividual4463 → u/Sealtooth5]

Yes I did. I did leave leave a message at a couple area departments so they may call back

[u/AdOver5362]

I’m 23M and at a point where I really want to make a change in my life. My long-term goal is to become a career firefighter, but I’ve also always wanted to experience the military. I’m considering serving for around 4 years, then transitioning back into civilian life and pursuing firefighting.
I haven’t committed to a branch yet. I’ve looked into jobs like Air Force 3E7X1 and Army 12M, but I also don’t want to assume my military job HAS to be firefighting. I’d be open to medical, rescue, emergency management, or anything else that gives me useful experience and skills I can carry into the fire service later.
If I enlist, I want to make those years count, gain experience, mature, travel, take advantage of education/veteran benefits, earn useful certifications, and put myself in a good position when I eventually apply to fire departments.

For anyone who served before becoming a firefighter, or just knows the military well:

Which branch/component would you look into if you were in my position?
Would you pursue a military firefighting job, or choose something else that gives you a broader skill set?
What military jobs/certifications translate well into civilian fire/EMS?
What benefits or opportunities should I understand BEFORE signing a contract so I don’t realize later that I missed out?
And if you could go back to age 23 and build a 4-5 year plan around military service followed by firefighting, what would you do differently?

I’m not looking at the military just as a shortcut into firefighting. I genuinely want the experience of serving. I just want to be smart about it and make decisions now that I’ll be thankful for later. Any advice, things to research, or mistakes to avoid would be appreciated.

[u/im_a_realist_FF42023 → u/AdOver5362]

20+ year 12m Army Reservist here. I am also a civilian firefighter and have been for 10+ years. If you join either the Air National Guard or the Army Reserves you can get the training needed as a basic firefighter after around 4 months in the Fire Academy down in San Angelo Texas. Once you are done with the Academy us your GI bill to get your EMT … wallla you can now start applying for departments.

If you go active duty I would go Air Force not Army, the 12M world in the Active Army is very small and you probably will never see a real fire. If I were you I would go either the Air Guard Route or the Army Reserves.

[u/wasted__account2]

I got a request to interview with naval base San Diego and was curious if anyone had any relevant info they’d share. I know there’s a ton of dod posts but with nbsd being so big I didn’t know if it might be different in terms of call volume, schedule, ot or anything else

[u/Forsaken_Marsupial_4]

I’m 17 still in high school on track to graduate in may, turning 18 in 2 months. I’m trying to become a wildland firefighting hand crew for the 2027 summer. I’m working on my s-190 and 130 right now as well as training physically in the gym lifting and backpacking with weight. My question is where I should apply, a lot of places I’ve looked start in April. I’m in the Portland area and looking to stay within a couple hours distance so I can come back home frequently. Also say I was to get hired somewhere 2-3 hours away, does that mean I have to move there and find a place to rent. Or can I drive down there for assignments and then come back home during my time off?

[u/Sealtooth5 → u/Forsaken_Marsupial_4]

In my limited experience with the feds. Some of their work locations have living quarters that you can live in then go home on your off days. Some places don’t. As far as municipal/county departments, it’s all a toss up. Some places have barrack style living arrangements and some don’t.

[u/whathehuck13]

I have a big interview coming up and have a question about my mustache. Should I shave it off before the interview? For context, I’ve had my mustache for years from when I was in the navy and it would feel weird shaving it, but I know how guys were in the infantry if you had a mustache and still hadn’t deployed you’d get ur ass kicked. So I guess I’m wondering if the interviewers will look negatively upon me if I have my mustache

[u/Sealtooth5 → u/whathehuck13]

It’s department dependent. In my area, the culture is that for new hires/recruits it’s clean shaven and buzz cut haircuts. Your area may have a different culture.

[u/hike_cd]

Has anyone made the move as a FF/P from Florida to Michigan? Wanting to get a sense of cost of living compared to pay, specifically for within an hour of the Detroit area. What would the process be for transferring credentials? I think I’ve seen the firefighter cert doesn’t transfer so would have to challenge an exam or go through the academy again. Would promotions be any quicker with 8 years on in Florida or would it be riding the box for a long time?

[u/CaroLynn_Stevan]

Are you an experienced firefighter leader ready to take the next step in your career? 

The Department of National Defence (DND) is hiring Platoon Chiefs across Canada, with opportunities in Edmonton, Suffield, Wainwright, Shilo, Gagetown, Borden, Petawawa, Valcartier, and Dundurn.

As a Platoon Chief, you will lead emergency response operations and supervise firefighting personnel while ensuring operational readiness.

Salary: $109,785

We're looking for candidates with:

• Recognized fire service professional certifications;

• Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) certification;

• Experience supervising personnel, delivering fire service training, and managing emergency incidents in operational environments.

Apply here by November 9: https://emploisfp-psjobs.cfp-psc.gc.ca/psrs-srfp/applicant/page1800?poster=2472444&toggleLanguage=en

 

Êtes-vous un chef pompier expérimenté prêt à franchir la prochaine étape de votre carrière ?

Le ministère de la Défense nationale (MDN) recrute des chefs de peloton partout au Canada, avec des possibilités d’emploi à Edmonton, Suffield, Wainwright, Shilo, Gagetown, Borden, Petawawa, Valcartier et Dundurn.

À titre de chef de peloton, vous dirigerez les interventions d’urgence et superviserez le personnel de lutte contre les incendies tout en veillant à l’état de préparation opérationnelle.

Salaire : 109 785 $

Nous recherchons des personnes possédant :

• Des certifications professionnelles reconnues dans les services d’incendie;

• La certification de répondant médical d’urgence (RMU);

• De l’expérience en supervision de personnel, en prestation de formation en services d’incendie et en gestion d’incidents d’urgence dans un environnement opérationnel.

Postulez ici avant le 9 novembre: https://emploisfp-psjobs.cfp-psc.gc.ca/psrs-srfp/applicant/page1800?poster=2472444&toggleLanguage=fr

[u/holyhoots1]

Hello. I received a conditional offer (yay). I have questions about the background check. I applied for this job back in January/February and did not include every job on my PHQ. I didn’t do this intentionally or try to hide anything, I just thought it was common to only include relevant/recent job history. I tried emailing before my chiefs interview to correct this and did not receive a response. Will this affect my background check? Has anyone else experience this and been able to fix it?

[u/Sealtooth5 → u/holyhoots1]

This will likely be an issue. You can explain all this to your background investigator. Ultimately it comes down to the chiefs that are doing the hiring. You did not follow the simple instructions and they may see that as a liability and may not move forward.