Things to know before applying to become a fireman?

I have applied, and if i were you, i'd apply anyway.

The chances of actually getting in are slim to none considering how many people actually apply for 1 single position.

The application form in itself is mammoth.

You don't have to take the job even if they offer it to you, and along they way you will be reminded of the things you will have to encounter, you also get a dvd with the application... "So you think you can become a Fire Fighter?"

Give it a go, you have nothing to loose :)
 
Ben M said:
yes, but people don't want to read stories of kids dying of smoke inhalation whilst hiding in wardrobes, do they?
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Believe it or not I don't think it would bother me too much. I was thinking more along the lines or motorbikers hitting things ( Splat ) and people being burn't to death.
 
You said you have to wait for another 3-4 years, just wondering, is there no other fire service you can apply for?
If I'm unable to get into the army, I'm going to be applying for the Police. I know for a fact I'm very unlikely to get into Merseyside Police Force, at least for a few years, where as if I moved to London I could join the met much much easier.
 
I thought the primary requirement was the ability to be able to drive a Taxi and then take the fire fighters job as a way of supplementing your income while you sleep.
 
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Tomsk said:
Check eyesight requirements. They might not accept surgically corrected eyesight.
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Yep, I was nearly turned down because my eyes where a bit red and it was only after explaining that I had been working in a nightclub on nine hour shift less than six hours before the examination that they relented and I got through.

Mohinder said:
You will have to go into HOUSES which are ON FIRE.
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Yep and sometimes without water in order to perform a snatch rescue. More often than not the house fires you have to enter are started deliberately and somtimes they are booby trapped. Got to feel sorry for the bored kiddies haven't you?

If you have a fear of heights get over it quickly as that will be checked. Be prepared to get all the crappy jobs like bagging bodies and cleaning up intestines, it's the newbies job after all. Be prepared to experience life at it's worst as you'll spend most of the time dealing with fires in the crappy part of town and the way some people live their lives, a good going house fire actually makes the place look better.

Dead bodies are something you WILL have to deal with, from dead without a mark to being burned to a cinder with not much left of them. My first was an electrocution at a sub station when the chap who died picked the wrong cable to saw through in his search for copper. Melted to the railings and the cables and the metal electrical box, it was hard to see where one thing started and another began.

Get used to RTA's where some people will walk from a horrendous crash and some will die from the slightest bump. Some of the people you save will later die in hospital will others who you think will not last mere minutes actually pull through.

BUT, you have to get in first. Being a white, heterosexual male is not in your favour as the Government is pushing for more ethnic and female firefighters to be recruited. Hopefully, your local Brigade isn't as anti-white man as some others. Best of luck.

As for all those who complain that we get to sleep on our nightshifts (when we get the chance) well boo hoo. Go complain to the EC who insist that we rest as our shifts are so long. On a similar point, waking folk up with bright lights and loud noises is regarded as torture so it's a double edged sword, although, I'm not complaining. :D
 
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eddiemcgarrigle said:
As for all those who complain that we get to sleep on our nightshifts (when we get the chance) well boo hoo. Go complain to the EC who insist that we rest as our shifts are so long. On a similar point, waking folk up with bright lights and loud noises is regarded as torture so it's a double edged sword, although, I'm not complaining. :D
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What sort of length shifts are you looking at?
 
eddiemcgarrigle said:
Yep, I was nearly turned down because my eyes where a bit red and it was only after explaining that I had been working in a nightclub on nine hour shift less than six hours before the examination that they relented and I got through.



Yep and sometimes without water in order to perform a snatch rescue. More often than not the house fires you have to enter are started deliberately and somtimes they are booby trapped. Got to feel sorry for the bored kiddies haven't you?

If you have a fear of heights get over it quickly as that will be checked. Be prepared to get all the crappy jobs like bagging bodies and cleaning up intestines, it's the newbies job after all. Be prepared to experience life at it's worst as you'll spend most of the time dealing with fires in the crappy part of town and the way some people live their lives, a good going house fire actually makes the place look better.

Dead bodies are something you WILL have to deal with, from dead without a mark to being burned to a cinder with not much left of them. My first was an electrocution at a sub station when the chap who died picked the wrong cable to saw through in his search for copper. Melted to the railings and the cables and the metal electrical box, it was hard to see where one thing started and another began.

Get used to RTA's where some people will walk from a horrendous crash and some will die from the slightest bump. Some of the people you save will later die in hospital will others who you think will not last mere minutes actually pull through.

BUT, you have to get in first. Being a white, heterosexual male is not in your favour as the Government is pushing for more ethnic and female firefighters to be recruited. Hopefully, your local Brigade isn't as anti-white man as some others. Best of luck.

As for all those who complain that we get to sleep on our nightshifts (when we get the chance) well boo hoo. Go complain to the EC who insist that we rest as our shifts are so long. On a similar point, waking folk up with bright lights and loud noises is regarded as torture so it's a double edged sword, although, I'm not complaining. :D
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Wow, thanks a lot for this post. Dead bodies and all that nasty stuff is just something that goes with it. I'll just have to deal with it when it happens. :)
 
I have 3 pieces of advice for you:

1)Get very fit
2)Get even more fit
3)Get used to doing not a lot for ages at a time, then bursting into action at 110% at a moments notice. Perhaps take up ping-pong, and hire ninjas to attack you at random intervals while you are playing. That might prepare you.
 
Robert1986 said:
Dead bodies and all that nasty stuff is just something that goes with it. I'll just have to deal with it when it happens. :)
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You'll find out that you're one of two people when it comes to dead bodies. You'll either just take it in your stride and it won't bother you or it'll be the biggest hindrance in your career path.
 
chrispystix said:
Try not being allowed to sleep on night shifts.
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If your nightshift is at least 14 hours long, complain to the EC.

Azagoth said:
You'll find out that you're one of two people when it comes to dead bodies. You'll either just take it in your stride and it won't bother you or it'll be the biggest hindrance in your career path.
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I never bothered with anything and took it all in my stride, including hunting for a young boys scalp in the wake of an explosion. Now I have a son of my own, I'm not looking forward to the next dead youngster I have to deal with. I never thought it possible but there you go.
 
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