{"id":21,"date":"2016-07-15T04:15:59","date_gmt":"2016-07-15T04:15:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/?p=21"},"modified":"2019-09-28T01:32:06","modified_gmt":"2019-09-28T01:32:06","slug":"joining-the-fire-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/joining-the-fire-service\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Joining The Fire Service"},"content":{"rendered":"

Going through the process<\/strong> of joining the fire service can be long, stressful and a roller coaster of emotions.\u00a0 There are several questions to ask yourself<\/a> before jumping into this career.\u00a0 Here\u2019s 5 important tips to remember when working your way through the process.<\/small><\/p>\n

Am I willing to be patient?<\/span><\/small><\/h4>\n

No one seems to tell you this when you\u2019re in fire school. Going through the process takes time. It can take anywhere from 2-8 months depending on the city\/district you are applying for. <\/small><\/p>\n

The good news is that this gives you ample time to prepare. You need to be in peak physical condition as a fireman. Use this time wisely to begin a rigorous training regimen. <\/small><\/p>\n

Also, the long process gives you plenty of time to prepare for the interview<\/a>. The interview is without a doubt the toughest, and most important part. \u00a0If you\u2019re smart you\u2019ll spend months preparing for it. <\/small><\/p>\n

Am I making good decisions?<\/span><\/small><\/p>\n

Sounds simple, and rather obvious, but you\u2019d be surprised how many people screw this up. <\/small><\/p>\n

During the long process of becoming a firefighter, you will undoubtedly be subjected to all sorts of background checks, reference checks, criminal record checks and the list goes on. <\/small><\/p>\n

Anything you do (especially if there is a paper trail) can and will be found out by the prospective department you are seeking employment with. Don\u2019t do anything to jeopardize your ability to get hired.<\/small><\/p>\n

What have I posted on social media?<\/span><\/small><\/h4>\n

It is amazing, and scary, how much you can find out about people by doing a quick search on facebook\/twitter\/instagram etc. The last thing you want any department seeing is a picture of you passed out drunk at a party or an angry rant from when you were dumped. <\/small><\/p>\n

First, no one cares you got dumped and second it\u2019s embarrassing; so get rid of it. <\/small><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t want your future department seeing you in that way. Remember, if you do get hired you will be a representative of the city\/district and that department. A good question to ask yourself is \u2018If I saw my social media profiles, would I hire me?\u2019<\/small><\/p>\n

What are my expectations?<\/span><\/small><\/h4>\n

If you listen to Hollywood, or any television show about firefighting, they would lead you to believe that everyday is action packed; full of explosions, fires and non stop drama and action. <\/small><\/p>\n

Well, let me be the first to tell you that it is not. Some days are slow and boring while others are extremely busy. You will be witness to some of the most incredible selfless acts you\u2019ve ever seen, and will will also experience some of the most heartbreaking events you can imagine. <\/small><\/p>\n

That being said, one thing is for sure; you never know what that day is going to hold..<\/small><\/p>\n

Who have I been taking advice from?<\/span><\/small><\/h4>\n

Everyone has an opinion, but be careful<\/strong> who you listen to. \u00a0I truly cannot stress this enough. \u00a0<\/small><\/p>\n

During your journey to become a fireman you will have all sorts of people give you their \u201ctwo cents\u201d as to what you should do, how you should do it, what to say (or not say) and the ever so infamous \u2018oh, I know _________ at the fire department, I\u2019ll put in a good word for you.\u2019<\/small><\/p>\n

\n

The best advice I can give you, as a soon to be firefighter, is to look very carefully at the people you take advice from. If they’re not in a place where you want to be, you probably shouldn\u2019t listen to what they have to say. <\/strong><\/em><\/small><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Put another way, don\u2019t listen to the guy (or gal) who will tell you things like ‘you have to know someone to get hired’ or ‘the system is rigged.’ \u00a0They\u2019ll tell you how they tried, but they just got screwed. <\/small><\/p>\n

Chances are they didn\u2019t get screwed, they just couldn\u2019t cut it. I can tell you as someone who had no \u201cconnections\u201d that it is possible to start with nothing and get the job you always wanted; sooner than you probably thought possible. \u00a0<\/small><\/p>\n

I, like you, started with nothing and no job experience yet I was able to become a paramedic, finish the fire academy<\/a> and get hired all in less than 2 years! \u00a0Take it from me, you have what it takes, you just need someone to show you how.<\/small><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Going through the process of joining the fire service can be long, stressful and a roller coaster … <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThinking of Joining The Fire Service? | FireFighterNow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Going through the process of joining the fire service can be long, stressful and a roller coaster of emotions.\u00a0 There are several questions to ask\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/joining-the-fire-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Joining The Fire Service | FirefighterNOW\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Going through the process of joining the fire service can be long, stressful and a roller coaster of emotions.\u00a0 There are several questions to ask yourself before jumping into this career.\u00a0 Here\u2019s 5 important tips to remember when working your way through the process.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/joining-the-fire-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FireFighterNow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/firefighternowcom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-07-15T04:15:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-09-28T01:32:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Firemen-Training-e1468556140924.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Josiah Raiford\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Joining The Fire Service | FirefighterNOW\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Going through the process of joining the fire service can be long, stressful and a roller coaster of emotions.\u00a0 There are several questions to ask yourself before jumping into this career.\u00a0 Here\u2019s 5 important tips to remember when working your way through the process.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Firemen-Training-e1468556140924.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@firefighternow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@firefighternow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Josiah Raiford\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/joining-the-fire-service\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/joining-the-fire-service\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Josiah Raiford\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e146aa78bc91e38b30623acbec83e00f\"},\"headline\":\"5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Joining The Fire Service\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-15T04:15:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-09-28T01:32:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/joining-the-fire-service\/\"},\"wordCount\":743,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/joining-the-fire-service\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Firemen-Training-e1468556140924.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Firefighter Knowledge\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/joining-the-fire-service\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/joining-the-fire-service\/\",\"name\":\"Thinking of Joining The Fire Service? 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