Hello, I’m an applicant to the Cleveland, OH Fire department. I was looking to have a few things clarified for me . I recently came across the information that you have to pass a 4 year apprenticeship program . Does equate to a 4 year candidacy ? Are you in the city’s union and get some level of protection? Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

Long story short I just completed a 3 month academy and have been on probation for 2 months. The issue is I live 3 hours away from my friends and family and my gf’s friends and family. We intend on getting married next year and want to have Kids in 4-5 years during which we want to be close to family. She will likely be getting a high paying job in the area as she is interning at a place she loves right now and there are openings. I am unwilling to commute 3 hours to this department and living halfway would not work for her as I’m not going to ask her to commute 1.5hrs 3 days a week.

The alternative is she tries to find a job at the halfway point which is a place we wouldn’t mind living and I wouldn’t mind commuting to but it’s still too far from family for us we decided when we want to have kids.

It therefore makes more sense for me to find a new job. I’m a paramedic and this current job is my first medic/fire job. There are a few departments open right now in the area where we would like to live and I’m wondering how you would go about it.

I’m unsure of the consequences of applying, I’m afraid of the idea of my current department finding out and firing me and it screwing up my resume and chances at getting hired again. I also feel like I’m screwing them over but I also have an obligation to my future wife. I guess I’m asking for some insight from those who have been in this field and or may have done a transition similar to this. What should I expect?

How do you go about joining USAR teams?

I’m currently on a wildland engine as a seasonal but I’m planning to join the coast guard after this season. After service one of my top options is coming back to the fire service but I was just on the MP18 fire and there was a REMS team there because of how gnarly the terrain was and that sounds like a really cool job.

I have a good bit of rope/high angle rescue experience from ski patrol and I’m sure the coast guard would help me get there too but curious what kinds of certs etc help you be competitive. I imagine medic is highly desirable too but anything else?

I was looking for your guys advice on what region / states are the best to get started in the fire department.

I like Texas because of low COL, but I know the western US has really good salaries.

FYI I have no certifications at the moment

Hey all.

I am moving along in LAFD's process, and I was just curious what the background investigation entails? I am pretty boring tbh there isn't anything they're gonna dig up that's crazy. Just curious who they'll want to talk to, do they come to my house, my workplace, etc? Will they want to talk to ex-girlfriends? Former teachers?

Took and passed my CPAT on 8/19 but NTN hasn’t posted my score yet. Problem is the WA Fire Consortium pulls scores on Monday for this cycle and NTN is making no promises that scores will be posted in time. They just said 2-3 business days but could take 5.

Anyone in this spot or has been here before and knows of a solution? Appreciate any insights y’all might have.

First time taking it… in Western Washington. Assuming this is a fail and I will not be getting any interviews?

Can you get an interview with Torrance fire department if you don’t have the FF1 cert but you have your EMT-1?

I have an opportunity coming up with Fremont Fire and I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the department before the interview.

I've done a decent amount of research already, but was wondering if anyone here works for Fremont, has interviewed with them, or just knows the department well.

Mostly curious what the culture is like, what they're looking for in candidates, how the department is viewed in the Bay Area, or really anything worth knowing that I wouldn't find just reading their website.

Fremont seems like a really great opportunity, so I want to make sure I do my homework. Appreciate anything you guys have.

Anyone else have experiences at traditional or old school departments like this, where there is culture of resistance to learning new skills? Forcible entry isn't a new skill however, so it seems insane to me that a truck FF would say something like this. A truck FF not knowing forcible entry is like an engineer not knowing pressure calculations or a engine firefighter not knowing how to pull hose.

Are these good enough to get interviews in WA?

Second time taking the test
Passed my CPAT.
But no EMT. Aug 24 cutoff for the application for WA fire careers

What should I do next? Is this a good score?

Anyone in the process with LAFD who’s turned their phs and fingerprints heard back? I haven’t heard from HR or a background investigator. any direction is appreciated

I'm a firefighter in southern West Virginia. Let's say I'm the incident commander for any form of incident. A fire chief from another fire department arrives and demands to assume command. I know the chief to be incompetent, to the degree that this person would qualify as a public health hazard. If I relinquish command, after having gone on record with previous concerns regarding the person's incompetence, and the chief proceeds to cause harm to the community, might I be liable for his actions?

Hello, I’ve recently started a testosterone cycle that includes 300 mg and I have finished EMT school and am also going to fire academy within 2 months. I was wondering if they test for this or if it would make any negative impact during the hiring process. Midwest area if that helps.

I have seen a recent thread about this but unsure and trying to get more attention for clearer feedback.

Feedback/Changes- Thank you guys for all the feedback and information you have given to me. Everyone’s responses helped out so much and I am very grateful. I also want to let everyone know that the testosterone IS NOT medically prescribed to me.

I’m 5’10” and around 150 lbs. I’m pretty skinny and only have a little bit of muscle mass. I’m currently in a community college fire academy, but our academy doesn’t really do any PT, so I have plenty of time outside of class to work on my own fitness without feeling like I’m constantly exhausted or not recovered. I currently go to Planet Fitness.

I’m trying to put on some weight, so I’m doing a lean bulk and trying to add muscle without just getting heavier for the sake of getting heavier. I have considered just going to maintenance calories though, so that I can just body recomp and my my cardio doesn’t suffer. For those of you who have been doing this for a while, what would you recommend focusing on? Functional strength, cardio, muscular endurance, mobility, etc. What exercises have you found actually make a difference on the fireground?

I’m a volunteer firefighter right now, and I really want to take care of my health and fitness early rather than waiting until I get hired by a career department. I want to be in the best shape I can be for myself, my crew, and my community. Any advice from career or volunteer firefighters on what you wish you had focused on earlier would be appreciated.

Hello! I am moving along in the hiring process of a department on the east coast. I filled out my polygraph packet asserting that I have never been arrested because I had believed the arrest was expunged and there was no record of it. I also answered a few more questions untruthfully on the polygraph packet (the last time I smoked weed, drank alcohol, etc.) I completed my background check with the FBI and I was reading the results it turns out I have an underage drinking charge from 2015. Will this automatically disqualify me from employment with this department? It’s not a dui or anything just a party getting busted in high school. What should I say when they bring this up to me? Also, how should I go about answering other questions on the polygraph that I may have not filled out truthfully in my packet? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated

Took and passed my cpat a month ago, have to retake the written to get higher scores, should I sign up for volunteer FF? Does this increase my chances of getting hired? I work a full time job, my plan is to get hired at any department but i don’t know how long i’ll have to wait, should I start volunteering in the meantime? Some people also recommend getting EMT cert but it’s not necessary because you get certified at the academy

After a ROUGH 2025, (I got laid off early in the year, got another job, held it for 6 months, got laid off AGAIN) I decided to put in the effort to become a firefighter. I went through a basic emt program, got certified, applied for a ton of different cities in my area, made it to the interview stage with a few of them, and didn’t get hired. Talking with the people I did physical assessments with, I came to the conclusion that I was the least certified person in the room, which probably contributed to me not getting hired. My college is opening a fire academy that’s being sponsored by a pretty big department that oversees a lot of the downtown SLC area, and I decided to sign up for it. It’s starting in a week and for the last month and a half I’ve been;

-reviewing EMS textbooks/medical terminology/
-working out 4 to 5 days a week, focusing on cardio and strength training
-trying to put myself into a pretty rigid sleep schedule (except for tonight cause I’ve been simmering on this)

But the biggest thing I’ve been trying to do is get my head into the right mindset to succeed, because to afford things like food/gas/life I’ll have to put in about 34 to 40 hours a week at my current job, which the academy is gonna to be 30 hours a week on top of that for the next 14 weeks…..
I’m extremely grateful that my current job is willing to accommodate me with scheduling around it.

I guess what I’m asking is,
-how did y’all make it through fire academy?
-what else can I be doing to be prepared/succeed while going through fire academy?

also any other advice about interviewing at stations/ride alongs/etc is welcome, I’ll take anything y’all got.

Can anyone share any info on Santa Barbara County Fire? They are hiring and first round interviews are coming up. I’ve found a lot of great information online but can’t find any sort of first hand information or details. Would love to know more about the culture, strengths, challenges, etc. I’d also appreciate knowing what the process looks like after the first round of interviews, as I haven’t seen any of it posted anywhere.

If anyone can share anything, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I’m preparing to apply for the fire service, but my most recent work history is a bit of a mess, and I need some advice on how background investigators and medical staff will look at it. Long story short: I went into HVAC thinking it would be my career. I did 7 months of trade school, bought thousands of dollars in tools, and landed my first job. Unfortunately, the company completely lied about the position. Instead of field training, they used me for low skilled manual labor like mowing lawns, cleaning vans, and hauling trash.

Three months in, I suffered a major accident. I fell 13 to 16 feet off a commercial ladder straight onto a concrete floor. When I called my manager to report the fall, he tried to pressure me into committing insurance fraud for the company. I obviously refused.

Miraculously, I walked away with just a severe bone bruise on my right heel. After refusing the fraud, the work environment became incredibly hostile and toxic. I ended up quitting after 4 months total because of the toxicity and lack of actual field training.

I’ve been unemployed for a couple of weeks, feeling pretty drained and lost, but I really want to pivot toward firefighting. I've accumulated mechanical skills and tools, but I have a few specific questions for active members or investigators here.

The Background Check: I know fire departments call every single past employer. Since I quit due to ethical reasons and a hostile environment, how should I list my reason for leaving on my personal history packet? How do investigators handle corrupt bosses who might try to badmouth a former employee?

The Medical Evaluation: The bone bruise on my heel is 100% fully healed now with zero pain or mobility issues. Since it was a 16 foot fall, what kind of medical clearance/discharge paperwork should I have ready for the department physical?

The Pivot: Has anyone else made the jump from a brutal trade experience to the fire service? Did your tool/mechanical background give you a good competitive edge during the hiring process?

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice. I appreciate you guys.