r/Firefighting • • 4d ago

Employment Questions Weekly Employment Question Thread

3 Upvotes

Welcome to the Weekly Employment Question Thread!

This thread is where you can ask questions about joining, training to become, testing, disqualifications/qualifications, and other questions that would be removed as individual posts per Rule 1.

The answer to almost every question you can ask will be "It depends on the department". Your first step is to look up the requirements for your department, state/province, and country.

As always, please attempt to resource information on your own first, before asking questions. We see many repeat questions on this sub that have been answered multiple times.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • I want to be a Firefighter, where do I start: Every Country/State/Province/County/City/Department has different requirements. Some require you only to put in an application. Others require certifications prior to being hired. A good place to start is researching the department(s) you want to join. Visit their website, check their requirements, and/or stop into one of their fire stations to ask some questions.
  • Am I too old: Many departments, typically career municipal ones, have an age limit. Volunteer departments usually don't. Check each department's requirements.
  • I'm in high school, What can I do: Does your local department have an explorer's program or post? If so, join up. Otherwise, focus on your grades, get in shape and stay in shape, and most importantly: stay out of trouble.
  • I got in trouble for [insert infraction here], what are my chances: Obviously, worse than someone with a clean record, which will be the vast majority of your competition. Tickets and nonviolent misdemeanors may not be a factor, but a major crime (felonies), may take you out of the running. You might be a nice person, but some departments don't make exceptions, especially if there's a long line of applicants with clean records. See this post... PSA: Stop asking “what are my chances?”
  • I have [insert medical/mental health condition here], will it disqualify me: As a general rule, if you are struggling with mental illness, adding the stress of a fire career is not a good idea. As for medical conditions, you can look up NFPA1582 for disqualifying conditions, but in general, this is not something Reddit can answer for you. Many conditions require the input of a medical professional to determine if they are disqualifying. See this post... PSA: Don't disqualify yourself, make THEM tell you "no".
  • What will increase my chances of getting hired: If there's a civil service exam, study for it! There are many guides online that will help you go over all those things you forgot such as basic math and reading. Some cities even give you a study guide. If it's a firefighter exam, study for it! For the CPAT (Physical Fitness Test), cardio is arguably the most important factor. If you're going to the gym for the first time during the hiring process, you're fighting an uphill battle. Get in shape and stay in shape. Most cities offer preference points to military veterans.
  • How do I prepare for an interview: Interviews can be one-on-one, or in front of a board/panel. Many generic guides exist to help one prepare for an interview, however here are a few good tips:
  1. Dress appropriately. Business casual at a minimum (Button down, tucked in long sleeve shirt with slacks and a belt, and dress shoes). Get a decent haircut and shave.
  2. Practice interview questions with a friend. You can't accurately predict the off-the-wall questions they will ask, but you can practice the ones you know they probably will, like why do you want to be a Firefighter, or why should we hire you?
  3. Scrub your social media. Gone are the days when people in charge weren't tech-savvy. Don't have a perfect interview only for your chances of being hired gone to zero because your Facebook or Instagram has pictures of you getting blitzed. Set that stuff to private and leave it that way.

Please upvote this post if you have a question. Upvoting this post will ensure it sticks around for a bit after it is removed as a Sticky, and will allow for greater visibility of your question.

And lastly, If you're not 100% sure of what you're talking about, leave it for someone who does


r/Firefighting • • 12h ago

General Discussion FDNY & NYPD Automatic Buff Website

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14 Upvotes

Good evening, folks,

I've been working on a project for quite a bit! It's like NYC Firewire but 100% automatic/automated, and it takes in community feedback with the up/downvotes. Good way to see who has what going on.

The website is free, makes no money, no ad revenue, etc... just a buff website.

Would like to get feedback on it!

It's an LLM that is currently learning transcription and FDNY houses/procedures too so it becomes "smart".

https://nycalert.ai/


r/Firefighting • • 10h ago

Health/Fitness/Cancer Awareness Quick survey regarding fitness and cardiovascular disease in fire service for my college paper.

5 Upvotes

Hello I’m writing an essay for my college course regarding fitness and cardiovascular disease in the fire service. 1 of the requirements is I need a surgery instrument. I have made a 6 question google forum survey. This is for educational purposes only. Thank you for your time.

This is the survey link https://forms.gle/UrsmtMgkGJo1NmDY6


r/Firefighting • • 17h ago

Ask A Firefighter Do people like 24/48 Schedules

14 Upvotes

I recently got a job offer with a department offering 24/48 schedule. I always thought of that as the norm but lately I’ve been seeing some people post about their 24/72 schedules or even better 24/96. Just wondering if anyone has experience with the 24/48 schedule and if it’s good for a healthy work/life balance or if you’re constantly feeling drained. Thank you


r/Firefighting • • 11h ago

General Discussion A small game inspired by firefighting aircraft

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5 Upvotes

I’m the developer of Super Scooper, an upcoming iOS game inspired by water-bombing aircraft. I’ve put a lot of care into it and thought the trailer might interest some of you here


r/Firefighting • • 16h ago

Videos LAFD Engine 17, Engine 25, & Truck 9: Several Rubbish Fires (Industrial Eastside)

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6 Upvotes

r/Firefighting • • 18h ago

General Discussion Thoughts on this article?

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8 Upvotes

r/Firefighting • • 16h ago

General Discussion High rise question.........

5 Upvotes

I have a question regarding high rise firefighting (which we hardly do). There is a couple of high rise buildings in our area (10 plus stories) that only have 1.5 outlets in the stairwells. Our current set up is a 2.5 TFT valve where we connect our 2.5 inch hose bundles to. We do have reducers / adapters for the valve. If we had the valve connected to the 1.5 standpipes via our reducer, how much of an issue would this cause? I understand you should never go small to big but this is what we currently have. We do not carry any bundles smaller than 2.5. Would there even be enough pressure to flow our lines? (We also have an inch and an eighth nozzle on our bundles). Thanks.


r/Firefighting • • 14h ago

General Discussion Do not buy from Trifecta Leather concepts

3 Upvotes

My experience with Trifecta Leather Concepts

On May 28, 2026, I placed an order for a Boston style shield with Trifecta Leather Concepts and paid $57.94 by credit card. As of October 15, 2026, I have not received my order.

I contacted the company multiple times seeking an update or resolution, but I have not received a satisfactory response. The company's website lists typical lead times of 8–16 weeks, and that period has passed.

I have filed complaints with the North Carolina Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission, and I have initiated a credit-card chargeback through Capital One.

I am sharing my experience so prospective customers can make an informed decision. I will update this review if the company delivers my order or resolves the dispute.

I would highly recommend reading the reviews for this company before considering order a shield. Wish I had


r/Firefighting • • 1h ago

Ask A Firefighter Why a 24/72 isn’t possible.

• Upvotes

Our medium sized department takes pride in being one of the most in shape, job ready departments in the state. But to allow enough people in to transition from a 24/48 to 24/72 we would need to lower the standard in our academy. What are you alls thoughts on our current predicament ?


r/Firefighting • • 13h ago

General Discussion Can’t tell if alarm went off due to carbon monoxide or smoke— can I get advice on how to proceed

0 Upvotes

I live in a new building with all electric appliances. This morning I was air frying something greasy and all the alarms went off in my apartment. The food was dark and crisp, but not burned. I didn’t visually see any smoke in my apartment. Strangely, a few days ago, I was frying something and it did get smoky but the alarm did not go off.

Anyway, I opened my windows and after about 7 min, the alarm cut off. It wasn’t until I spoke with my landlord that he mentioned that it’s a smoke and CO detector that I had considered it could be carbon monoxide. Neither me nor my roommate are experiencing any symptoms.

I immediately went out and bought a three new CO-only detectors that have a digital display panel so that if there is any CO, I can see what the reading is were it to go off again and so I could isolate the problem if the alarm rings again. So far, so good. I haven’t seen any readings of CO.

Is there anything that I should be doing now or anything I could’ve done differently?


r/Firefighting • • 19h ago

General Discussion Why is there not an ‘All Clear’ sound for fire alarms?

4 Upvotes

Howdy, all. In short, I’d like to know why there’s not an ‘All Clear’ signal for commercial/commercial residential buildings (at least) in the US.

The alarm goes off, everyone evacuates (hoping they don’t think it’s a false alarm), and then people wait, fire/PD show up, inspect the building, and then the alarm goes off.

I had this happen just last night where the whole buildings alarm went off, fire/PD came and 15 mins later the alarm went off until I realized the flashing lights were still activated, but not the sound (they just muted the alarm).

According to an email sent out by management, they said there was an issue with the sprinkler system and that the alarm system contractor would be out the following business day (alarm turned on at 22:21 and was muted at 22:52 with the email going out about 12:30).

This had me wondering why a manual ‘all clear’ code isn’t used or is the all clear the alarm being muted/turned off.

I will add that having this would be helpful as if the power went out or the alarm panel had a fire in the room or failed, then the alarm would go off. I know, slim chances, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned doing EMS, it’s that if it can happen, it will.

Note: I’m not fully educated on how the alarm systems work but I have a higher than average understanding.

Note 2: The alarm system contractor inspected everything less than a month ago including fire extinguishers and sprinklers.

Thanks!


r/Firefighting • • 13h ago

Tools/Equipment/PPE Brand new TL2 Damage under brim?

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0 Upvotes

Just got a brand new tL2 out of its box. Is this just a crease that didn't get paint or damage? I don't feel anything with my nail. It's under the back left side. It's my first leather.


r/Firefighting • • 1d ago

General Discussion Is a 48/48 - 72/72 schedule as bad as it sounds

71 Upvotes

Hey guys, I got an offer for my local department and this is the schedule they run: 2 days on - 2 days off followed by 3 days on - 3 days off. This sounds absolutely terrible but I’m looking for my first firefighting job and this is my only offer. What would you guys do? Should I keep looking?


r/Firefighting • • 1d ago

Fire Prevention/Community Education/Technology Are these 6 in 1 air quality monitors any good?

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12 Upvotes

My father purchased these on Amazon and was wondering if they’re any good. He specifically bought them for Carbon monoxide detection. Any advice is helpful thank you.


r/Firefighting • • 1d ago

Ask A Firefighter Wanting to be a better rookie

32 Upvotes

I got hired on as a FF/EMT about a month ago. The department I work at is relatively small and has a low call volume. Although I do my job when on calls, check my truck in the morning, and do my cleaning duties. It’s been brought to my attention I’ve got to show more initiative to improve/learn as a rookie who goes to academy in 6 months. My department has been notoriously known for being hard to get hired at. Besides a few other guys who have already been to academy, I’m the newest by 5 years in the department. Most guys have already been here for 12 years or more. Therefore, they tend to take it easy at the department. Nobody has brought me to the bay and told me to do drills, or anything like that at all.

I’m making this post to ask what are some things I could do while I’m on shift that would possibly impress the guys above me. I’ve started on the wrong foot and want to try and turn things around.


r/Firefighting • • 3d ago

General Discussion I painted the pov of someone you've saved

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1.7k Upvotes

You guys probably get this a lot but seriously y'all are so damn cool. Thank you so much for what you do

Not sure if I'm allowed to post this here, I apologize if it's not the right place


r/Firefighting • • 1d ago

General Discussion How do I keep my passion for firefighting?

0 Upvotes

Hi, I am a high school sophomore and my school district has a program where you can go to a different building for two hours a day and learn real life skills and perform what those professions do.

I am in the firefighting program so we learn hose rolls, work with bunker gear and scba, learn about the truck and the job, and do bi-weekly workouts. We basically prepare to do what you would typically do in the academy on a much lower scale.

The only problem is this class lasts two years so next year is my last year to be able to do it. There is a class only available for seniors and it is an EMT class and i am planning on doing it senior year, but I really really don’t want to lose my passion for firefighting during that year. What can i do to keep up my desire to be a firefighter during that time?


r/Firefighting • • 2d ago

Tools/Equipment/PPE Adjustable Fire Helmet Strap

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29 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I’m a leather worker and would love to share this with y’all. I’ve had a bunch of guys love this design and I hoping for some feedback. Buckle for quick attachment is metal and there is a quick adjust with teeth on the other side. I was thinking of selling them for $30 and an extra $15 for your name. Is that reasonable?


r/Firefighting • • 1d ago

General Discussion Interesting in hearing stories about if anyone ever committed stolen Valor, lying about being in the fire service

0 Upvotes

Is it known did it ever happened, also what came out of it very interested I hear about it military wise but I never hear about first responder stolen valor


r/Firefighting • • 1d ago

Training/Tactics Foam works on class A fire too!!

0 Upvotes

I have noticed many trucks on my department do not run foam for some reason. Our foam is capable of class a and class B fires, depending upon the percentage set

At a low percentage like 0.1% it helps break up the surface tension and penetrates fires better.

Since 99% of our fires are class A I don’t understand why people do not use foam rated for class a on those fires.

How often do you use foam on class A fires?


r/Firefighting • • 2d ago

General Discussion Union Meetings with Admin?

3 Upvotes

Alright, I know the answer to my question but I want some input from the masses.

Would it be acceptable for the association president to have “chiefs meetings” while on duty, and by himself? How would your membership go about this?


r/Firefighting • • 3d ago

Photos Gotta love Philly Fire and the emblems on the trucks

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735 Upvotes

r/Firefighting • • 2d ago

Tools/Equipment/PPE Cairns helmet liner replacement help

2 Upvotes

Got a new helmet and took out the liner to wash it after a fire. And it’s kicking my ass trying to get it back the right way. Anyone have any videos or something that can help me out.


r/Firefighting • • 2d ago

General Discussion What foam is everyone using?

7 Upvotes

We got approved to buy new foam to replace our current c-word causing foam. Does anyone have any recommendations for or against anything? We’re looking for class B foam, not really any other requirements 3% x 3% or 3 x 6, doesn’t matter. The only thing I’m current on is F500 encapsulating agent, but I also know it gets a lot of hate. Me knowing about F500, being old enough to remember protein foam and calling it 3 x 3 or 3 x 6 apparently makes me our leading foam “expert” so any help is appreciated.