Firefighter: your questions, answered

The shift usually starts with a rig check. You go over the engine or truck, test the SCBA packs, check the saws, confirm the medical bag is stocked, and fix anything that's off before the first call. After that there's training (hose drills, ladder throws, a review of a recent call), then station duties like cleaning the bathrooms, mopping the bay and washing the apparatus. Some departments add building inspections or preplanning visits to local businesses. Calls interrupt all of it, day and night. You'll eat dinner cold more often than hot, and some nights you'll get woken up again and again for lift assists and false alarms.

Most career departments hire through a civil service process. You apply when the department opens a testing period, take a written exam, pass a physical ability test (often the CPAT, the Candidate Physical Ability Test), then sit an oral board interview. After that come the background check, a medical exam, a psychological screening and sometimes a polygraph. If you get an offer, you go through a fire academy before you ride on a rig. Some departments hire you and pay you through their own academy. Others want you to show up already holding Firefighter I and II and an EMT card. Read each posting closely, because the requirements differ from city to city and state to state.

An EMT certification is one of the most common requirements you'll see in postings, and even where it isn't required it puts you ahead of people who don't have it. It also proves you can handle the medical side, which is most of the work. Paramedic is a bigger commitment and a real advantage, since many departments run paramedic engines and struggle to fill those seats. If you're starting from nothing, get your EMT first, work on an ambulance for a while, and decide about paramedic school once you've seen the job up close. Certification rules vary by state, so check with your state's EMS office for what applies where you live.

The CPAT and similar tests are timed courses done in a weighted vest. Expect a stair climb carrying extra weight, a hose drag, an equipment carry, raising and extending a ladder, a forcible entry simulation with a sledge, a search crawl and a dummy drag. It's not about being huge. It's about grip strength, legs, and being able to keep moving while you're already gassed. Train with stair machines in a weighted vest, farmer's carries, sled pushes and drags, and intervals that leave you breathing hard. Many departments run practice sessions before the real test. Go to them, because the stair climb catches a lot of people who looked strong in the gym.

The panel, usually a few officers and sometimes someone from HR or the community, wants to know if you're honest, if you've done your homework on their department, and if you'll be easy to live with. You'll get questions like why this department, tell us about a time you had a conflict with a coworker, and what you'd do if you saw a crew member steal from a patient's house. Know the department's call volume, its stations, its apparatus and its community. Answer situational questions with a clear chain of command and integrity first. Practice out loud with a firefighter if you can find one. Rambling is the most common way good candidates sink themselves.

Many career departments run long shifts where you're at the station a full day and night, followed by a stretch of days off. The exact rotation depends on the department. That schedule is a big reason people want the job, since you get whole days at home and some firefighters run a side business. The catch is that you miss holidays, birthdays and school events when they land on your shift, and mandatory overtime can pull you back in on your days off. Sleep gets broken on busy nights, and working through the night more than once in a row is hard on your body. Ask current firefighters how often they get held over before you commit.

The figure on this page shows what firefighters are being paid in live postings. What moves it most is the department itself: a big city or a well-funded suburb usually pays more than a small town, and volunteer and paid-on-call departments pay little or nothing. Beyond base pay, look at the step raises built into the contract, overtime, and extra pay for being a paramedic, a driver or a hazmat technician. The pension and benefits are often worth as much as the salary, so read the union contract, not just the posting. Promotion to engineer, lieutenant and captain happens through promotional exams, and each step adds pay.

The calls that stay with you. You'll see dead children, bad overdoses and people who died alone and weren't found for a while. Most of the time you handle it and go back to the station and eat dinner, but it adds up. Cancer risk from smoke and contaminated gear is a real concern too, which is why good departments push you to decon your gear and shower after fires. Many departments run peer support teams and give access to counselors who understand first responders. Use them early. The firefighters who do best over a long career are the ones who treat their head and their lungs as seriously as their knees and back.