Firefighter/EMT question for career.?

Question

I am seeking a career as a Firefighter in the NW of the USA. I am voluteering and am a Firefighter 1 and will obtain my EMT Basic by next Spring.

I hope to be hired by my City but realise that it is a better senario for them to hire Paramedics than Basics (the Dept' is small) and I just want to be a Firefighter rather than a Paramedic.

Do you know of other States, Cities, Towns etc that hire just Firefighters without EMT status? Or with just a Basic status?

Do you have recommendations to advance my career?

Answer 1

If you strictly want to be a firefighter, your best bet is to check out bigger cities. A lot of firefighters in places like NYC, DC, and Chicago are strictly firefighters. A reason for this is the large number of private ambulance and ALS services. Locally, for me at least (IL), Ridge, Superior, and other services operate in the suburbs alot. In a large city, the volume of ambulance calls requires a separate ambulance service, whether its city-operated or privately contracted. Likewise, the large number of fires, false alarms, accidents, rescues and other types of calls, require a separate fire service. If you look at Firehouse Magazine statistics, it will give you an idea of the number of runs a fire companies and ambulance companies make each year. Even on engine and truck companies in cities, the firefighters are usually First Responders or EMT-B's. They usually don't work ambulance shifts though, just answering medical calls until an ambulance can arrive.

If you really like fire, you might consider a career with a wildland fire service, be it contracted or municipal. Seeing you are from the Northwest, it might not be too far to your nearest wildland department or contractor.

If all else fails, you can also look into overseas contracting. I know Halliburton is hiring contract firefighters to go to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan to fight fire on military bases. Of course the "hazardous environment" disclaimer is at the bottom, but the money's better than you could ever make in the U.S. The job's not permanent though.

Unfortunately, because of advancements in fire protection technology (ie. sprinkler systems, construction methods, HVAC, etc.), the demand for designated firefighters is slowly becoming less prevalent. A lot of cities have to incorporate ambulance services in order to justify a fire/rescue department.

So, I guess the answer to your question would be to maybe consider a career in wildland firefighting or contract work. Most fire companies also operate ambulances, so you would be hard pressed to find a strictly-fire company. Even if you did, they are undoubtedly the most competitive to get into, since a lot of people prefer fighting fire over tending to trauma. Its just more fun!

Answer 2

During my full time career as a Firefighter I took every opportunity to gain as much knowledge as I possibly could which related to my job, why? Because it made me a better more diverse Firefighter. I owed that not only to the community but to my fellow Firefighters. Do the same and go for everything.

Answer 3

My husband is a volunteer in our town, he's a FF1 and just needs to take the EMT test. Unfortunately most want EMTs because firemen are first responders for all sorts of things, falls, breathing problems, heart attacks etc.
You'd feel good knowing that because you were an EMT you helped save someones life that was in an auto accident.

Answer 4

they want most firefighters to be basic...go to the big city, they dont need everybody to be paramedics.

Answer 5

If you want to look in to firefighting only, perhaps being a hotshot is for you?
http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/people/hotshots/IHC_index.html#northwest