4 ms·

I've been a software engineer for the past 20 years but I'm really looking at changing things up and doing something totally different—I just can't stand spendi

I've been a software engineer for the past 20 years but I'm really looking at changing things up and doing something totally different—I just can't stand spending so much time in front of a computer anymore (I find myself looking for excuses to do physical activity away from the screen). This sounds exactly like the sort of thing I'd enjoy, and I'd get to learn lots of useful skills and serve my local community at the same time. I'd be fine with taking a pay cut. Do you have any advice for someone wanting to become a firefighter? Or any resources that you can point me to?

therealdrag0 9y ago
Consider: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/02/24/467984297/episode-424-how-much-is-a-firefighter-worth http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/02/24/467984297/episo... There's a lot less fires than there used to be, might not be the best career to change into.
monkmartinez 9y ago
It is mostly EMS now... just fair warning. A lot of your options, like software engineering, depend on where you live and/or where you would like to re-locate. That is, lots of volunteer and professional options on the east coast... while mostly professional paid/career options on the west coast. I cannot speak to the volunteer tier of the fire service, I am simply ignorant to the demands of that side. I can speak to the west coast professional model. To be clear, there are lots of professional options on the east coast too. I just don't know them. In my humble opinion, this job is not for everyone. This job like any other has lots of cool shit and tons of horrible shit too. The ageism that may or may not exist in software is real in firefighting. Not due to politics or opinion or the SV stuff.... NO, It has do with the physical stress the body takes in this profession. It isn't commercial fishing, but sleep deprivation and picking up patients that weigh 500lbs, fighting brush fires all day, stress from seeing bad situations, etc. is real for most Fire/EMS folks today. The academies are tough and the competition to get in is really high. For each class in my department, there are generally about 3K applicants. We select 30 or 40 and of those 15-25% will wash out of the academy before it's over. If none of that makes you change your mind, go get EMT certified, Firefighter I and II certified, then take and pass the CPAT test... After that, start testing at every department that has open applications. You could probably script the app process :)
- nbadg 9y ago
  I went through academy (didn't work as FF though, just as EMS)[1] in Cleveland, in a program heavily oriented towards professional programs, and would echo most of this. [1] I graduated just fine, but had pretty major time conflicts with grad school and decided not to go into FF full-time, which pretty much precluded my ability to do it at all, unfortunately.
nbadg 9y ago
I'm not OP but I went through fire academy in the US with someone doing a similar career change as you're thinking about. He was in his late 30s or early 40s, and as I remember, academy was too physically demanding for him and he dropped out. Fire service, and in particular urban and wildlife firefighting, can be quite physically challenging. More suburban or rural areas are less demanding, but are mostly staffed by volunteers. Four things to keep in mind: first, in most US jurisdictions these days, firefighting is coupled with EMS. So if you're squeamish around trauma, it's probably not going to be a good fit. Second, it's pretty physically demanding. Even if the academic side comes naturally to you, it's a very physical job. Third, it can literally kill you. If you don't handle stress well, it's not going to be a good fit. Fourth, it's a team effort. Even on extremely understaffed departments, you're always dependent upon other people, and they are always dependent on you -- sometimes, in both cases, for survival. Out of my academy class, roughly 1/3 the class struggled with the academic portion, roughly 1/3 struggled with the physical portion, and the last 1/3 had to work at it, but didn't really struggle. For reference, these are some of the kinds of things we needed to do: + Simulated rescue of 165-pound dummy + Move hose lines, both charged (with water) and uncharged (no water) + Climb ladders until you suck the bottle dry + Crawl through a wire entanglement tunnel in full gear (I think we also went through one round with "blindfold" inserts in our SCBA masks) + Drills with time limits on almost everything (donning gear, doffing gear, bottle changes, on-air, off-air...) And so on. My advice would be, get in shape first, and manage your expectations. Many departments will be pretty hesitant hiring someone who's 20 years more senior than all of the rest of the recruits. Volunteer would probably be a better fit, but less of a career change and more of a side project.

therealdrag0 9y ago

Consider: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/02/24/467984297/episode-424-how-much-is-a-firefighter-worth http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/02/24/467984297/episo... There's a lot less fires than there used to be, might not be the best career to change into.

monkmartinez 9y ago

It is mostly EMS now... just fair warning. A lot of your options, like software engineering, depend on where you live and/or where you would like to re-locate. That is, lots of volunteer and professional options on the east coast... while mostly professional paid/career options on the west coast. I cannot speak to the volunteer tier of the fire service, I am simply ignorant to the demands of that side. I can speak to the west coast professional model. To be clear, there are lots of professional options on the east coast too. I just don't know them. In my humble opinion, this job is not for everyone. This job like any other has lots of cool shit and tons of horrible shit too. The ageism that may or may not exist in software is real in firefighting. Not due to politics or opinion or the SV stuff.... NO, It has do with the physical stress the body takes in this profession. It isn't commercial fishing, but sleep deprivation and picking up patients that weigh 500lbs, fighting brush fires all day, stress from seeing bad situations, etc. is real for most Fire/EMS folks today. The academies are tough and the competition to get in is really high. For each class in my department, there are generally about 3K applicants. We select 30 or 40 and of those 15-25% will wash out of the academy before it's over. If none of that makes you change your mind, go get EMT certified, Firefighter I and II certified, then take and pass the CPAT test... After that, start testing at every department that has open applications. You could probably script the app process :)

nbadg 9y ago
I went through academy (didn't work as FF though, just as EMS)[1] in Cleveland, in a program heavily oriented towards professional programs, and would echo most of this. [1] I graduated just fine, but had pretty major time conflicts with grad school and decided not to go into FF full-time, which pretty much precluded my ability to do it at all, unfortunately.

nbadg 9y ago

I'm not OP but I went through fire academy in the US with someone doing a similar career change as you're thinking about. He was in his late 30s or early 40s, and as I remember, academy was too physically demanding for him and he dropped out. Fire service, and in particular urban and wildlife firefighting, can be quite physically challenging. More suburban or rural areas are less demanding, but are mostly staffed by volunteers. Four things to keep in mind: first, in most US jurisdictions these days, firefighting is coupled with EMS. So if you're squeamish around trauma, it's probably not going to be a good fit. Second, it's pretty physically demanding. Even if the academic side comes naturally to you, it's a very physical job. Third, it can literally kill you. If you don't handle stress well, it's not going to be a good fit. Fourth, it's a team effort. Even on extremely understaffed departments, you're always dependent upon other people, and they are always dependent on you -- sometimes, in both cases, for survival. Out of my academy class, roughly 1/3 the class struggled with the academic portion, roughly 1/3 struggled with the physical portion, and the last 1/3 had to work at it, but didn't really struggle. For reference, these are some of the kinds of things we needed to do: + Simulated rescue of 165-pound dummy + Move hose lines, both charged (with water) and uncharged (no water) + Climb ladders until you suck the bottle dry + Crawl through a wire entanglement tunnel in full gear (I think we also went through one round with "blindfold" inserts in our SCBA masks) + Drills with time limits on almost everything (donning gear, doffing gear, bottle changes, on-air, off-air...) And so on. My advice would be, get in shape first, and manage your expectations. Many departments will be pretty hesitant hiring someone who's 20 years more senior than all of the rest of the recruits. Volunteer would probably be a better fit, but less of a career change and more of a side project.