Firefighting: A Crucial Career

Andrew Beitler

Hane

English Literature

24 March 2023

Firefighting

Firefighting is an extremely crucial career in every community. A firefighter may not have to go through multiple years of schooling or training to have a basic job, but with only a small amount of training, firefighters are tasked with very important and lifesaving jobs. The benefits of firefighting are undeniable for anyone who is passionate about becoming a first responder. For people who enjoy high pressure conditions, working in a team, and providing service to people of the community, firefighting can create a successful working environment and career.

Becoming a firefighter is very accessible as long as the applicant has a high school diploma. Other requirements

Those who chase the career have to have not only the technical skills, but skills in their personality. Firefighters must meet the physical requirements of the job. Advancing into houses to extinguish fires, carrying ladders, hose lines, are a small list of the physical demands of the career. A firefighter must meet these demands of the fast paced and dangerous working conditions. With these fast paced conditions, the ability to work under pressure is crucial, and most thrive on it. A firefighter must also be able to work as a part of a team. Everything that a firefighter will be with his or her team, and their team will depend on them. One day in the job is never the same as the one before, so firefighters must be adaptable and flexible. A firefighters schedule is unlike any other career. 24 hour shifts are very common and departments split them up in different shifts, or teams. “People interested in becoming a firefighter often ask what a typical firefighter’s schedule looks like. Though a full-time firefighter typically works 56 hours per week, their shifts are most likely broken into 24-hour shifts. Almost all fire departments operate on a 24-hour rotation with 10 shifts per month. Similar to other public safety industries, fire departments operate based on both their department’s needs and the needs of the community they serve.” (What Does a Firefighter’s Schedule Look Like?,

Fire departments are constantly looking for more firefighters and medics. Emergencies are what keep departments in business and people in the community will always have a need for first responders. The outlook of firefighters only shows that there is a demand for emergency personnel, and it is only ever growing and jobs will always be available. “Employment of firefighters is projected to grow 4 percent from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 28,000 openings for firefighters are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.” (Firefighters : Occupational Outlook Handbook,