Fire Careers

County of Santa Barbara (CA) FIREFIGHTER EMT Lateral Transfer

County of Santa Barbara (CA) is accepting applications for FIREFIGHTER/EMT LATERAL TRANSFER Until Aug. 22, 2016 Salary $66,391.29 – $81,042.87 Annually Do you want to be a firefighter? We can help. FREE ACCESS to 3,400+ fire depts. looking to hire Firefighters.

COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR THE POSITION OF:

OPENING DATE: 06/30/16

CLOSING DATE: 08/22/16

THE POSITION

… Read the rest

Autobiography

Good morning, a fire dept I may be going into backgrounds wants an autobiography! Hand written two pages. HELP!

How to Write a Two-Page Autobiography

By Erica Sweeney

A short, two-page autobiography can be an essential resource in the corporate world, academic arena or other areas. It can introduce guest speakers, be part of a company’s press release or outline individual accomplishments for an employer. Writing a short autobiography can also be therapeutic because it will be a … Read the rest

Firefighters and Crossfit

Old school wisdom…

Will you being your career like an empty toilet paper roll?

Firefighter Education Requirements & Suggestions

As with most employment opportunities, the higher the education level, the better; particularly in regard to salary and promotions. The same can be applied to the career of a firefighter, mainly due to the fact that most departments require certain certifications and credentials, such as the emergency medical technician (EMT), and at the very least a high diploma or GED. On top of that, having a college degree will increase a fire fighter hopeful’s chances of obtaining employment in this … Read the rest

Personal Qualities Needed to Become a Firefighter

Working as a fire fighter entails physical and mental strength and endurance. With great responsibilities and difficult challenges that fire fighters face in times of fire incidents, sometimes strength and endurance aren’t enough. No matter how much training a fire fighter take, if they aren’t determined enough, the performance and work evaluation will only fall through.

Whenever a fire fighter applicant tries to get the job, senior fire fighters and recruiters do not consider physical aspects alone as there is … Read the rest

Firefighter Code of Ethics – All Future / Current Firefighters Can Learn From This

In today’s daily Firehouse Magazine email (a great, free resource to keep you informed of fire service news stories), there was a great article that ALL current and future firefighters can learn from that is based on the actions of a small number of firefighters that are causing a black eye for the majority of firefighters who are trying to do the right thing.

It is a piece on the “Firefighter Code of Ethics,” and here are the opening comments:… Read the rest

6 ways to stall your firefighter job search

In today’s Sunday paper, I noticed a timely article titled “6 ways to stall your job search,” by Larry Buhl, and I wanted to share it since I think it really provides a lot of guidance for future firefighters. Now before we go any further, I’ve heard more and more people say they don’t read the daily newspaper because they don’t have time or they don’t think it’s relevant. I believe it’s critical for fire service professionals to be in-tune … Read the rest

Unity of Command Answers the Conflicting Order Dilemma

A typical Firefighter oral interview question: “Given a task by your company officer at a fire ground, you encounter another Captain who gives you a different task. What is this situation and how will you handle it?”

Unity of Command answers that question!

Begin To Dress To Your Success!

Make an excellent, long standing first impression; show that you are serious and set the bar higher for others to reach!

Oral Board Questions

As someone taking either an entry level or promotional level oral interview, there should be no “trick” or “surprise” questions if you have done your research/homework.

Meaning, there are many websites and books that have sample oral board questions that pretty much cover the majority of the types of questions you’ll be asked

You NEED this job!

I can hardly express how much you need this job. I worked for two years, taking every test I could until the day finally came when I earned my badge. After that, I became a card-carrying member of the American Fire Service. I was honored to be a part of a fraternal organization of unparalleled quality. I learned over the years that no matter where you worked or what your rank, any firefighter would bend over backwards to do whatever … Read the rest

The concept of “kaizen”

One of the most important things I believe a firefighter should both embrace and embody is the concept of “kaizen”, or “continuous improvement”.  Above all traits – physical, mental, emotional – the desire to improve yourself each day has the potential to make you a top notch firefighter candidate and a welcome addition to any fire department.  Once on the job, the concept of continuous improvement is what separates average firefighters from exceptional ones; mediocre commanding officers from those that … Read the rest

Small Thought about Customer Service

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to 165 future firefighters at the California Fire Explorer Academy in Oxnard, CA. I chose to speak about a future in the fire service and advice on taking oral exams. One subject in the conversation was customer service and what it means to you as a firefighter.
Customer service is an added value, how you can add value to a trip to the store, a code 2 run to assist a person back … Read the rest

Invest in your Success…”you gotta’ pay the cost to be the Nozzleman!”

No one talks about the fact that to begin to compete for today’s firefighter jobs “you’ve got to pay to play”, meaning that to realize your goal of becoming a professional firefighter requires that you shell out some cash.

How To Answer Firefighter Oral Board Questions. (Or…You’re Not Dan Allred.)

Playing the Game

When I speak to a person who wants to be a firefighter, I explain that it is important first to have the passion for the game, that to want to be a firefighter is consuming.

3 Basic Tips for Surviving an Interview in the Fire Service

The quest for giving the perfect interview seems to be the desire of every aspiring firefighter. Making sure appearances are clean and professional, having the perfect resume printed on paper that probably costs more than its worth, and investing heavily in deodorant to handle the stress during the agonizing moments before your name is called in to interview are all things that everyone in the fire service seems to have experienced. The fact of the matter is that in many … Read the rest

Fire Station Visits

This past couple of weeks we did a few station visits and had a blast doing it!

First, I got to visit the Berryhill Fire Dept. in Oklahoma. I was happy to hear that the department was taking firefighter applications in anticipation that a couple of paid positions may open. The engine room was full equipment the probationary firefighter who showed me around was a few weeks away from getting off probation

Next, we went by Fresno, CA City Station … Read the rest

Causes of Stress, for fire service and non fire service persons.

In order to eliminate or at least control stress, it is vital to know and understand the causes of stress. Of course, there are many causes of stress and they are as varied as the people who suffer from stress, but there are a few places to look first. And by learning about these causes of stress, you can figure out where stress is entering your life.

Low Back Pain

Low back pain is among the most debilitating injuries in the American workforce today. Firefighters are not immune. But what can we do ourselves?

There is no magic bean for mechanical low back pain. There are a variety of choices for care for your back pain: chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, physical therapy, pain killers and muscle relaxants. Whatever your choice: Your healthcare provider cannot help you nearly as much as you can help yourself. Any treatment they do really needs … Read the rest