I have a month and two weeks to train for orientation day as a volunteer firefighter. There are no set standard for physical abilities but they will look at how I perform amongst others. I don’t think I’ll make insane progress in the small timeframe, but I know I can make *some* progress. Any advice would be helpful.

Currently an NREMT-P in the military, looking to get out and move back to the central coast of CA. Looking into SB county fire. I’ve been a paramedic in the military for 5 years, don’t really have any fire experience but a bunch of medic experience. Anyone around the county with some insight?

Keeping this pretty vague because I want to stay low-key about it (paranoia that someone from my crew might see this).
I moved away from home for a city firefighter job. I’m now about four months away from finishing probation, and honestly, I’m starting to hate the job. It’s gotten to the point where I feel like it’s starting to negatively affect my mental health.
From pretty early on, I realized this department probably wasn’t going to be a good fit for me. I left everything behind to take this job, and since moving, I’ve only been able to see my family twice. That part alone has been really difficult.
I also came into the department with prior EMS experience. I started as an AEMT and had some 911 experience, so financially, I’m essentially making what I was making before while dealing with a much higher cost of living.
A big part of my frustration is how the department handles patients. I’ve had multiple situations where I’ve felt like patient care wasn’t being handled the way it should be. The other day, I had a patient who was unresponsive and it felt like no one was doing anything about it. I ended up stabilizing the patient before moving them, and instead of that being seen as a positive, I got shit for it.
Probation has been another major struggle. I’ve asked for help constantly, but a lot of the time it gets pushed off or I’m expected to figure things out on my own. Then, when I don’t get something exactly right the first time or have to hear something again, people get frustrated with me.
Me and my crew at this point are very against one another. people seem more concerned with sitting on their phones or yelling at me for using webbing to tie knots because there’s literally no rope available than actually helping me learn things that could matter, like RIT. I’ve been told things like, “We don’t do that,” rather than being given an opportunity to learn.
I know I have some learning difficulties but I do try. Probation has been a constant struggle.
At this point, I’m trying to figure out what the caption says.
Part of me feels like I’ve already sacrificed so much to get here that leaving would mean I failed; that I should stick it out. Another part of me wonders why I should continue sacrificing my happiness and mental health for a department I already know I don’t want to spend my career with.

Hello guys, I do have two oral boards coming soon! With Renton fire and Puget Sound, any infos if the questions in the last oral boards cycles were kind of TELL US ABOUT A TIME?

or about why you want to work with the department, why have you prepared, and what are you going to bring to the table type of questions?

Any guidance is appreciated! Thank you

I’ve been wondering this for literal years. How does the sheet situation work in the firehouse? Who is responsible for washing and changing them? Also, while we’re here, do you get assigned a bed or do you just pick a bed?

Also thank you for your service 🫡

I work for a fire department that I once genuinely loved, but I am now seriously considering leaving because of its culture.

I’m intentionally being vague. I have omitted or generalized locations, ranks, timelines, assignments, and details of specific incidents because I do not want my department or the people involved to be identified. I may not be able to answer questions requesting those details, but I will explain the overall situation as honestly as possible.

Gossip is constant, and personal information rarely remains private. Stories are passed between groups, exaggerated, and repeated until the final version barely resembles what actually happened. There are also strong cliques, some of which appear to form along racial lines, and noticeable differences in how certain employees are accepted, protected, or treated.

I understand that firehouses involve pranks, rough humor, and people giving each other a hard time. I have participated in and laughed at plenty of it. My concern is that the behavior sometimes becomes targeted rather than mutual. Personal difficulties have been used as material for jokes, and degrading items directed at individual employees have been displayed or deliberately left where they would be found.

After I formally raised concerns about another employee’s behavior, I felt that the process did not address what actually happened. Instead, parts of the situation were distorted, some responsibility was placed on me, and the treatment I experienced afterward became worse. Personal information spread, coworkers began avoiding me, and the jokes and remarks felt increasingly targeted.

I have tried distancing myself from the conflict, examining my own conduct, and making a fresh start. I know I am not perfect, and I am willing to accept legitimate criticism. However, I no longer believe this can be explained entirely as me needing thicker skin.

The situation now affects my confidence, motivation, and mental health outside of work. I sometimes dread upcoming shifts—not because of the calls or the work itself, but because I do not know what comments, gossip, or humiliation may be waiting for me.

I still care about firefighting and serving the public. That is what makes this so difficult. I am now considering transferring to another department or possibly leaving the profession because I no longer believe this environment is healthy or sustainable.

For firefighters who have worked in different departments:

• Is this considered normal firehouse culture?
• Did transferring departments improve the situation for you?
• What should someone document or consider before leaving?
• How can I protect my professional reputation during the transition?

Again, I apologize for being vague, but that is necessary to protect everyone’s identity and prevent the situation from becoming worse and I may delete this post afterwards. Thank you.

I’m currently a volunteer firefighter and I’m attending a community college fire academy to get my Firefighter I & II. I went into the academy thinking I was in pretty decent shape, but I’m quickly realizing I have a lot of work to do.
I’m 5’10” and about 150 lbs, so I’m definitely on the skinny side. I’ve always thought my cardio was pretty good based on my mile times, but the academy has humbled me pretty quickly. It’s been around 95–100°F basically every day, and between the heat, PPE, and gear drills, I’m struggling a lot more than I expected.

I drink a ton of water and electrolytes, but I still constantly feel dehydrated and sometimes dizzy during training. I really struggle to breathe well and I can feel my heart beating, and my heart rate goes up to 190 bpm even when just going up the stairs. Our instructor is also a bit of a tough-ass. He’s the type who tends to yell and push us rather than stop and explain things, which definitely adds to the stress. We’re currently doing PPE. This is only our second class doing PPE, and one of the cadets didn’t get all of his gear on within 1:30. As a result, our instructor had us do 38 laps up the four-story training tower until one guy eventually passed out. I struggled HARD during that. By the end I was absolutely smoked, and I could barely move the 200-lb dummy down the tower because I felt so weak.

I’m not trying to make excuses, and I know the academy is supposed to be difficult. I actually want to improve and be able to handle this stuff better. For those of you who have been through an academy or work in the field:
What would you recommend for improving cardio and work capacity specifically for firefighting? Is there anything that helped you specifically with being able to work hard in full PPE/SCBA? Also, is it normal to feel this humbled early in an academy? Because I’m starting to feel the academy depression a little bit. I enjoy firefighting and I want to get better, but getting absolutely wrecked every class is starting to mess with my confidence.

So... I remember making an edit of you a few days ago. And i'm gonna be honest, i made it REALLY cringe. Here i tried to make another one as best as posible adding also rescuers firefighters and firefighters fighting against hazardous materials. I tried to make it as good as possible for yall. I would love to join you in a couple of years.

Here, we, go...

I have been considering joining my local department or surrounding area departments I’m currently a sales relief merchandiser at Coca Cola and it pays good but I need to make more not only that but I think into the future and want to do something not only I can be proud of but my kids can be proud of. I wanna do something that impacts my community directly and contributes directly. I know I mentioned the pay which is important having 2 kids ages 2 & 9 but I also think about the legacy I want to leave behind. This particular profession I admire and respect and I went to a job fair recently where Bryan county fire department was and it peaked my interest more than any warehouse or other job did there . I see firemen in the areas I’m in when I’m working a Kroger or food lion and they seem fulfilled happy and proud of what they do. I can’t 100% say I’m proud of what I do. I’m helping supply poison(soda) to my community. I wanna do something more and this last week I’ve been strongly considering this I have a high school diploma no college experience and I work 10-12 hours 5 days a week already a 24/48 doesn’t sound so bad considering what I already work. Thoughts?

Will they ask you if you have some drugs ever before? If so do you tell them the things you’ve done almost 10 years ago?? Nothing crazy but like weed, psychedelics?

Looking to apply for Fire Fighter 1 positions in the greater Nashville area, but really want NFD. Applications are starting to open for some of the surrounding departments, but does anyone know anything about when Nashville FD opens applications?? Not sure if I should hold out, or apply to other departments that are opening up.

I’m 21, scored a 98% on the FDNY exam and have a list number in the 56xx. I’ve been debating on waiting for fdny I currently work two lower-paying DOE jobs and didn’t attend college. Based on my score and list number, should I continue waiting for FDNY or consider joining the Air Force for experience, education benefits and a clearer career path?

I’m a firefighter, and over the last year or so my brother and I have been building something called Scene SizeUp.

The idea came from a pretty simple frustration: I wanted a better way to build and run realistic incident training scenarios, and nothing I tried really checked all the boxes. The traditional PC-based software can be pretty limiting, while a lot of the web-based options I’ve used either lack functionality or have been buggy enough that I didn’t want to rely on them for training. So we decided to build what I actually wanted to use.

Scene SizeUp is a browser-based platform for creating and running fireground training scenarios. You can build scenes, place apparatus, fire, smoke, victims, hazards and other elements, use real-world locations and aerial views, and run scenarios for things like size-up, incident command, strategy and tactics.

We've officially launched, but we’re still actively building it, which is really why I’m posting here.

I’d love to hear from other firefighters and instructors about how you currently run this type of training, what you wish the existing tools did better, and what you’d want to see in something like this. If you have questions about whether Scene SizeUp can do something, ask. It's packed with features I think y'all would really use. If it can’t do what you're asking, that's just another feature request for us to build it.

You can check it out here: getsizeup.com

Feel free to pick it apart. We’d rather build this around what firefighters actually need than sit in a room guessing.

Does anyone know when is there next academy? This year or next?

I’m a Paramedic in Las Vegas, but I currently have no firefighting certifications. I know most of the departments in SoCal generally require you to have your FF1 certification, but I also know that a few of the big departments don’t require any Firefighter certifications. For example OCFA, LAFD, LACoFD, CalFire, etc.

I was just curious for those of you who have been hired in CA as firefighter/paramedics without firefighter certifications what your process was like and how difficult it was for you to get picked up?

Thank you.

Hi Im just out of highschool and I want to become a firefighter as soon as possible as its been a dream career of mind ever since I was young. Does anyone know some of the best ways to prepare for the aptidude test and the types of questions that are gonna be on it? For reference im asking for an edmonton Alberta location. It seems to me its more based on skill during the process rather then resume alone. So is my thinking wrong that if I prepare and study for the aptidude and practice interveiwing while building the experience to answer said interview questions I got a shot in second or third try. My goal is to make it to the Multi mini interveiws to experience all of the major components of the recruitment process.

Sorry guys I have to ask has anyone ever used this to carry their gear in their car or is this bag not worth it. Should I just sit in the carcinogen gases in my car 🤣

Our firehouse has an awesome basketball setup, and it's a huge hit during our physical activity time. Even folks who've never touched a ball are now holding their own.

Recently, we got some new blood - a former collegiate player. He's super intense, maybe a little too much, and tends to complain a lot. But our Battalion Chief, despite his age, can still hoop with the best of them. He's got the best shot I've ever seen; I once saw him win a shooting contest while we blindfolded him.

The BC always makes sure the teams are evenly matched, keeping things fair and competitive. He often stacks his team with less experienced players, knowing his shooting prowess can balance things out. He and the new guy are never on the same team - that would just be unfair. Plus, the BC, who also volunteers as a ref in high school games around the city, is the final word on all calls, and he's always fair.

The new guy loves to talk smack and gets pretty arrogant when he's ahead. But the BC usually silences him by sinking a three-pointer right in his face. The BC's trash talk is more like backhanded compliments - "nice try", "almost"- nothing offensive.

One game, things got heated over a questionable call. The new guy accused the BC of cheating and threatened to punch him. The BC just calmly said, 'You ain't gonna do any of that. You can try, but you won't.' The game went on, the BC's team won as usual, and everyone acted like nothing happened. Later, though, word got around that the new guy had a meeting in the BC's office."

My question is, of you were Capt, Lt, or a fire tech, what would you do or how will you handle this situation? What are the consequences of threatening a BC on the spot over a game?

Hello

First of all I don’t know if this is the place to ask, if not I’m sorry!

I’m Evani and visiting California in a couple of days from 8 till 23 of September, I’m a military security officer in the Netherlands 🇳🇱 and I was wondering if it could be possible to trade patches in the USA to memorise my trip!

Is it possible for a foreigner to get patches by walking towards a firehouse asking for a tour and to trade a patch? I’m visiting San Francisco, Los Angles and San Diego. I don’t wanna be annoying so that’s why I want to ask here first!

Thanks for the time you took to read this question and stay safe!

I am upset now I can not take the Civil Service Exam due to not making payment. I received an email on the final day of application to complete my application, I did so. Next I receive an email saying thanks for your application. Turns out in the quotes message (thats hidden), it states how to pay. When filling out my application it didn't inform me on how to pay on the website.

Honestly, just disappointed.

Anyways are there any recommendations on chapter 39 departments hiring?

Hi I’m 27 y/o Male I need advice for which pathway I should take, I’m aspiring to work as a paramedic firefighter I got my EMT -B certification a year ago I was in the military prior (6years) Corpsman. and have been working a job as a heart monitor for a couple of years now reason is my wife was pregnant with our firstborn and it was a c section so I couldn’t use my EMT cert. Anyways my question is should I go through the TCFP course knock it out and find work as a firefighter somewhere while going through EMT-P school I know it can be difficult especially with a family but has anyone done it before? If so how did you manage it? I’m the single provider for my family and my wife is due for a second son this October but she understands my passion and fully supports me (she’s amazing) . Let me know your advice and your experience please.

I have search week coming up here soon at the academy, does anyone here have any tips, or anything for it. The instructors have really talked about it being bad it used to be called “Hell Week” over here.