Question about Becomeing a Firefighter?

[ems-buff 81]

As i was reading all the post on employment for becomeing a firefighter for Westchester. I came across something, is MVFD the the only fire department in the county that has a lower age requirement, and the only department that does not need collage credits to apply? Also why do you need to be in collage anyways to become a fire fighter or a police officer? Just some questions that i have on my mind that i was hopeing that this place can help me with.

Thanks all.

[foreman1923 22]

I myself ask that question every time i drive to college why do i need college credits to become a fire fighter.

[ny10570 745]

Simple, have you seen teh lines of people out there trying to get onto these jobs?? Why not toughen up the standards and get those out there that have the ability and desiore to advance their education. Requiring a few college credits a great way to weed out alot of the idiots who probably would have failed out of the academy anyways.

[BFD1054 1,552]

well said ny10570!!! College is never a bad thing, nor is any chance to further your education, in whatever aspect you can! As stated, having a college background may mean the difference between getting on the job or not. Once you get on the job and put a few years in the service, college will most certainly help you to advance up the ladder in rank (which results in $$$). If you're trying to get on the job (FD, PD, whatever), i strongly advise anyone to take as many tests as possible in as many municipalities and states as possible. This will not only give you better test taking skills, but also increase your chances of getting on a job. If you can swing taking college courses, whether it be full or part-time, do it! If you already work full-time, take night clases and continue to take FD/PD exams. If you don't get on a job or it takes awhile to do so, at least you will have an education to fall back on!

Also, keep in mind, as a firefighter or police officer, you are a public servant. You are representing whatever City or Town you are employed by. You may not think college will help with being a firefighter or police officer, but it definately will! You will have to write reports, interact with the public and co-workers, as well as bosses. You want to come across as educated, not just some yahoo off the street that was able to pass a test. If you have bad speaking or writing skills, the public, as well as co-workers, will pick up on this and it will reflect poorly on you!

By the way, i am in no way on any job, FD or PD. I am speaking on observations i've made, as well as interacting with career firefighters and police officers. I do however, have a college background and have done several criminal justice internships where i learned alot about these things. I also have many friends and family in the emergency services field.

As a volunteer, i am always seeking to improve on my skills and knowledge in the fire and ems field. I take as many classes that i can fit into my schedule. Hell, i take courses on topics that i may never think i will make use of. But these courses just add to my training background and will overall improve my skills as a firefighter/emt.

Just remember, training is everything and think of education as training!

Edited November 2, 2005 by BFD1054

[BIGRED1 71]

i took the westchester test and have been waiting awhile for a spot to open up. in that time i finished college at night(less homework, people have better additudes). so now i have a B.S. in Business and i plan on never using it in the way most people do, by putting it on a resume and doing the job search thing. As the other guys said it will help in advancement later on, it gives you a solid backup plan should it not work out being a firemen or cop also. plus most of the guys who take the test that it is there to weed out are the "Joey's" who just took it as a goof and may take a spot away from someone who is really looking for a career. i think they should raise the number of credits even higher, cause if you can last a few years in college you can most likely handle reading the essentials to firefighting book, which is bigger then most text books i ever had in school (and a hell of a lot more interesting too )

[cas2383 22]

College is in no way a waste! Especially if you want to be a firefighter, you need the higher understanding of how the world works. Plus what do you plan to do if you get hurt, most people cant live on disability pay, always good to have a back up, and these days no one hires without at least a 2year most a 4 year degree.