Since childhood most men and women remain in awe with the heroic activities of firefighters. These highly trained specialists risk their lives every day fighting fires and saving lives. Their job appears to be adventurous to most of us. Those of you, who believe that immense physical strength and courage to take risks is enough to become a firefighter, think again!
Firefighting is a highly competitive field and firefighter training is a rigorous process. Thousands of applicants apply every year across the country, but very few among them get selected. Many departments hire every two years and usually only thirty to forty job positions get opened for applicants at a time. Few fire departments allow applicants holding a high school diploma to apply for the job, while others insist that the applicants must have two years of college credits from an accredited college or university. To get an upper hand in the competition with the other applicants for getting into the training, many applicants obtain paramedic certification before applying to become a firefighter. This makes them more desirable to hiring departments, since knowledge in paramedics can prove very useful for the kind of tasks involved in firefighting. The popularity of this field of firefighting has given rise to new education subjects like fire science, and students can get a four-year degree in this branch.
Before applying for firefighter training, there are few prerequisites that one must fulfill. Depending upon the fire departments, the age criteria can vary between eighteen years and twenty one years. The applicant must have a clean criminal record and a perfect corrected vision of twenty by twenty. Most importantly, of course, the applicant must be physically fit. There are three tests that a candidate needs to clear to enter the firefighter training program. These tests are a written test involving logic, memory, mechanical reasoning and observation, an aptitude test and a candidate physical ability test, also known as CPAT. To pass CPAT, candidate must be able to climb an extended ladder quickly. This test aims at testing the agility, body strength and endurance of the candidate.
Firefighter training ensures that overall grooming of the recruits matches the demands of the job. They are trained to think critically and clearly and solve problems quickly, though under extreme stress. To give the recruits a hands-on experience of real life situations, the trainers purposely set buildings on fire, which are structures, built or acquired, for the purpose of getting burnt during firefighter training. These are behavioral trainings that help to instill good habits in the recruits through repeated exposure. Of course, all these trainings are conducted under high supervision and in accordance with standard safety rules.
Typically, before such close-to-life firefighter training, the instructor gives a briefing of the day’s activities to the recruits. They then dress in their multi-layered specialty clothing, involving high standard technologies. These clothes are specially made for firefighters and are capable to withstand up to twelve hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, each recruit has to wear a breathing apparatus, which weighs thirty pounds approximately. Once the drill gets over, the instructor checks the students for injuries. He also reviews the activity and provides constructive feedback to each candidate.
Once they successfully complete all the stages of the firefighter training, the recruits undergo a probation period before becoming active firefighters.
