Do all fire departments have rescue elements? I want to get a job saving lives, not really property, any help?

Question

I am currently researching various civilian careers in the SAR field. but it seems that there is not much information out there on the select group of people we rely on when in desperation! I have always wanted to be a firefighter, but ( and by all means I am not trying to sound immature or vain ) I want to do it to help PEOPLE...not really PROPERTY...I can see myself with an ax going through a wall or roof to save a life...but I dont see myself with 3 other people holding a hose trying to put out a garbage fire...any help...i know i want to save lives for a living, just dont know how to get there! THanks

Answer 1

As a matter of fact you do seem immature and vain. Any fire would be life threatening if it was allowed to just burn, so all firefighting is potentially life-saving.

Answer 2

From reading your question I really dont think you have a realistic view of what a firefighters job entails. There are no jobs in the fire service where we get to sit back and just go to the "BIG one"...... 99% of our work is a combination of EMS and saving property. No department pays a crew to sit back until someone is trapped in a burning structure......

Stick to EMS..... It really doesnt sound like the fire service is a career for you. Firefighters have to be team players, be doggedly determined to finish any task, do whatever needs to be done regardless of whether they feel its glamorous or not, and we take an extreme amount of pride in the job we do whether its "with an axe going thru a wall or spraying water on trash fire". I really have no room on my crew for a prima donna that feels they are too valuable to the job we all love to do.

Lastly......you DO sound extremely immature and vain

Answer 3

The main job of any firefighter is to save lives, but putting out a garbage fire is just part of the job (that fire can grow and threaten lives BTW).

Something to think about, when you save property, you are helping people, someone owns that house, with loads of stuff that once lost may never be replaced (photos of deceased relatives and other items).

Every fire department has rescue elements, even forest fire depts. they may not use them every day, but they are ready when needed.

Answer 4

There is always EMS. In many places it is attached to the Fire department; either as firefighters, or as a standalone group of medics. There are also "3rd service" EMS departments, as well as private ambulance companies or companies formed by hospitals.

Do not belittle firefighters though. In our juristiction, we have a 3rd service EMS department, but all of our firefighters are EMTs (at least), and they spend much more time on medical calls than on fire calls.

Answer 5

If you don't want to fight whatever type of fire comes along, go with a private EMS squad. Because fire dept EMTs, unless they have a totally separate ambulance svc, like FDNY, have to do whatever comes their way.

I did an ambulance ridealong during EMT school and even though the medics I rode with for the shift were EMT-Paramedics, they still had to suit up when we were called to a fire.

Answer 6

YES.
EMT(EMERGENGY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN)
EMT-B (BASIC)
EMT-1/85 AND 1/99 = INTERMEDIATE
EMT-P (PARAMEDIC)

EMT -B 100-200 HRS TRAINING
EMT 1/85 200-400
EMT -1/99-400 - 600
EMT-P 800 - 1200

EMT 'S ASSIST PARAMEDICS IN ALL AREAS OF MEDICAL RESPONSE AND GAIN FURTHER KNOWLEDGE FROM THE EMT-P

DUE TO A SHORTAGE OF NURSES AND DOCTORS DURING KATRINA, MANY EMT'S WERE EMPLOYED TO DO MEDICAL WORK THAT OF AN RN OR DOCTORS ASSISTANT LEVEL

Answer 7

EMT's or Paramedics are those who respond to accident scenes and homes to help victims.

Good Luck

Answer 8

Yes they do.