How to Become a Firefighter In California

This article was derived from the many people that call me wanting to know how to start a career in the fire service. This is personal advice I've given on many occasion. I've been told it has been helpful for people so I hope it helps you on starting a new career path. Remember, you're never too old to start something new.

Things You'll Need

• Dress nicely when visiting Fire Departments, even to ask questions.
• Always bring a Resume even if you don't have much emergency response experience at least get your name out there.
• Be courteous and take notes when asking questions of fire department personnel.

Instructions

1. Working in the training division of a state affiliated fire service Unit I receive a lot of calls from up and coming recruits that want to know where to start their career in the fire service. I thought it might be beneficial to extend some of the advice I've doled out in the years of doing this my job.

   So where do you start?

   First you must consider where you want to work. Like they say location is everything. Are you available to work anywhere? Is there a location you prefer? Are you able to leave for long periods of time? These are all questions just some of the questions to ask yourself before you consider a fire service job.

   Once you've picked your location you must decide what branch of service you would like to go with. Do you want to work for local city government, county government, state, or federal? Look into each and see their track record on hiring. If you live in a rural area like I do, chances are there is not a lot of turn over in the fire departments so you might have to wait longer to get a full time job there. Second question should be are you willing to work seasonal for a few years before you get a full time job? Most fire service jobs require you put in a lot of personal commitment. A lot of this time is volunteer and not paid.

2. Once you've decided where and who you want to work for now you have to find out how to get there.

   Get familiar with the service you've chosen. Call or visit the fire departments and ask questions. Check out their web sites. If you are enthusiastic and genuinely want to start a career in the fire service there are no dumb questions for fire service personnel. Believe me, we've heard them all and really, how else will you find out unless you ask?

3. Lets go back to the "who" category. The selections are:

   Local City Government - these contain usually smaller response areas than State or Federal fire service. The more urban you get the higher in pay and faster pace the job will be. The more rural you get the lower in pay and the job will be slower paced. Turn over in city departments is usually very low. Each city department has their own requirements for the job so you should check out their web site or talk to their designated training officer to learn what their prerequisites are. Some might require you to do double duty as a Paramedic and Firefighter.

   County Government - More urban counties will have funded fire departments and full time paid jobs. The more rural you get the more these counties rely on volunteer firefighters. Usually counties will default to the State standards they are in. Such as, Tuolumne County, since it is a rural county we have a joint contract with the state of California to supplement our firefighting needs with CAL FIRE employees and stations. The county is half volunteer, half CAL FIRE just like Amador County and Riverside. The response area can be the entire county so become familiar with their borders and station locations.

   State - Each State has their own standards. Most default to cover minimum training needed, we'll get into training later. The state fire department in California is CAL FIRE. It is split into Units that respond in geographical sections all along the state. When you pick your location become familiar with the Unit closest to that location; you can find that units information at www.fire.ca.gov. Response will be only within the State you choose. A CAL FIRE employee extended fire assignments can range from 15 days to 45 days but their usual schedule is a 72 hour work week. Turn over rate for CAL FIRE is currently high due to many "baby boomers" now retiring. To start out in this career you are a seasonal employee and work your way up to full time.

   Federal - Your response area is the entire United States of America. You can be deployed to respond anywhere for any length of time when working for the United States Forest Service firefighting division. Turn over rate for this job is high due to the stresses of the job itself. It takes physical endurance and long stretches of time away from home. Some assignments can last a few months. Currently you start out as a seasonal employee and work your way up to full time but

4. Now to the meat and gravy of your career - Training.

   Most fire departments are required to train their employees to a minimum standard. This standard is contrived of rules set by OSHA, NFPA and a various other entities that enforce fire employee safety. Remember, this is a high risk job, you can never learn too much.

   First you must find a Fire Academy. Fire Academy education can be found in different variations across many platforms. You can look to your local college for a Fire Science Academy; this will usually cover all the basics of your training but also cost you money to attend. Volunteering at a local fire department is a great way to get the training you need for little or no cost to you. Also most departments look to see if you have at least one year of volunteerism under your belt. Volunteering takes many hours of your personal time with no monetary reimbursement. Usually volunteer academies range from 150 hours to 200 hours of classroom and drill training scheduled after working hours and on weekends. State and Federal agencies will sometimes higher seasonal personnel and will train them to the minimum while they are on duty or getting paid but they will give job priority to those that already have the training.

5. There are many different disciplines (class courses) a department can choose from. You should be come familiar with the universally recognized disciplines. Some agencies that supply the disciplines are California State Fire Marshall, IFSTA and NWCG. There are others but these are the "biggest" recognized certifications and lesson plans recognized. State Fire Marshall (SFM) offers specialized courses such as Driver Operator, Command, and specialized rescue courses. IFSTA Firefighting Essentials is usually used by local and county governments to basic train their personnel. NWCG is utilized primarily by the US Forest Service but also is recognized by state and local government. Its courses focus on beginning training to specialized position training. Most academies will include the following courses:

   • Emergency Medical First Responder
   • CPR/AED
   • I-100 Introduction To The Incident Command System (NWCG or FEMA) This course is available online for free here: http://training.nwcg.gov/courses/i100.html
   Or here: http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS100A.asp
   • S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior (NWCG) This course is available online for free here: http://training.nwcg.gov/courses/s190.html
   • Confined Space Awareness (SFM)
   • S-130 Firefighter Training (NWCG) This course is available half online here: http://training.nwcg.gov/courses/s130.html. You must be signed off on the field portion by a registered instructor.
   • Rapid Intervention Crew Tactics (SFM or IFSTA)
   • S-212 Wildland Fire Chain Saws (NWCG)
   • Basic 32 (NWCG) and/or "67 Hour Wildland Fire Academy" (CAL FIRE) and/or Firefighting Essentials (IFSTA)
   • Hazardous Materials Full FRO (SFM)
   • EEO/Sexual Harassment
   • Defensive Driving

   Reoccurrence training is also required to keep your certifications up to date. EMS First Responder requires 16 hours of continued education within a 2 year period. An 8 hour hazardous materials training is required annually. 4 hours of EEO training is required annually. 8 hours of defensive driving training is required every 4 years.

   This is the minimum training required to become a firefighter and the reoccurring training you must maintain. Training could be offered free locally or on some you might have to pay to maintain your currency.

6. You've picked your where and who now you know how to get in. Try getting all the minimum required training before applying for a seasonal or full time job. Fire Departments, just like companies, would rather hire the one who already has the experience and training needed to do the job. Most Fire Departments look for at least one year of volunteerism or on the job training. You might want to start as a volunteer then work your way to a seasonal position then to full time.

   Good luck and I hope my advice has helped you on your way to your new career.

Tips & Warnings

• Not all governments are the same; always check with the government you choose on what the requirements are. The courses stated in this article pertain to most of California.

Resources

• California State Fire Marshall (Training)
• National Wildland Firefighting Group (online courses)
• IFSTA
• FEMA (online courses)