Hi. My name is James. That's me on the far right, taking a break from a recent fire to pose with my crew. Yep, I'm living the dream. I work full-time at a great fire department. I can honestly say that deciding to become a firefighter was the best possible career choice I could have ever made. You see, I was just like you...on the outside looking in. I knew I wanted to be a firefighter, but I didn't know how the whole hiring process worked. I spent years trying again and again to get hired by different departments before I finally figured out what to do in order to stand out from the competition and land a job. Don't make the mistakes I made. I created this website to help others in their quest to gain employment as a firefighter and truly "live the dream".
So what's the answer? Actually, it's really simple. You need a plan. I am going to recommend a few things that I used to get me where I am today. If you want step-by-step help along your quest to gain employment as a firefighter that will catapult you above and beyond your competition then you need a fire hiring guide. I recommend two. A fellow firefighter from Phoenix named Jeff Walker put everything you need to know together in his book How to Get Hired By Any Fire Department In The Country. Consider this the applicant's bible for the process. Like me, Jeff was once on the outside looking in. His book walks you through the entire hiring process from beginning to end and it's a simple must have for any aspiring firefighter out there. Jeff's book can be ordered online and is a VERY cheap investment in your future.
Another great step-by-step hiring guide is Roger Waters' The Keys To The FireHouse. Roger is also a career firefighter and his experience on hiring boards and the hiring process in general led to the creation of a great book on getting hired. The book is very inexpensive and well worth the money. I highly recommend either one of these hiring guides. You don't neccessarily need both, but remember knowledge is power when it comes to getting hired. If you can afford it, get them both. You will be miles ahead of your local competition.
Most departments start the hiring process with a written exam. These tests are usually your typical civil service exams and are not hard to score well on, providing that you know what and how to study. When I was testing, I purchased several study guides that REALLY helped me prepare. I highly recommend the following two fire exam preparation books:
Norman Hall's Firefighter Exam Preparation Book
Master the Firefighter Exam, 15th edition
Either one of these study guides will help you prepare for the written exam you're going to face. They come with practice tests so that you can better prepare and come test day you'll nail it and proceed to the next step which will probably be the interview. Both Jeff and Roger cover inteviewing tips and techniques in their books but if you want to ace the interview, then you need The Ultimate Interview Guide. This guide offers a money back guarantee and will give you the confidence you need when you walk into your fire department interview. You can't go wrong here, and again, the nominal price is chump change when you consider investing in the best damn career out there.
Becoming a Firefighter is not easy. It takes hard work but that's what we like to see. As firefighters, we want someone who's not afraid to work hard to get what they want. If you do work hard, and believe in the dream, it is achievable. I am living proof of that! If you have any questions about my blog here, feel free to drop me a line. I love helping people and will offer whatever I can to help you out. Good luck and stay low!
J. James, firefighter/E.M.T.
Twin Falls Fire and Rescue
Local #1556
