Firefighter Training

Answer 1

Whether a person joins a volunteer fire department in a small town or decides to become a professional firefighter in a big city, he must undergo training in order to become an effective firefighter. While a small town fire department may have members of its company undergo training on a regular basis, a professional needs to undergo training in the classroom and on the field.

Firefighting training may begin with certain types of classroom instruction. The candidate needs to know the details of how fires get started, the different types of fires there are, how to fight each type of fire, and how to use the equipment. He may also receive instruction on how to get in and out of burning buildings as safely as possible.

Firefighting training takes place in specialized schools or in community colleges. The programs offered are frequently diploma programs rather than degree programs. City departments require that their firefighters undergo a specialized program before joining the department. Sometimes these schools may be sponsored by the city itself, although most of the time they are not.

Firefighting training does not limit itself to book learning alone. Even though books can teach a person the basics, they do not give candidates the hands-on training that will save them in the field. Most firefighting schools have buildings and devices that let a person simulate the real experience.

In the hands-on portion of firefighter training, the candidate learns how to handle hoses, extinguishers, axes, ladders, and even the trampoline-like item used to rescue people trapped in the higher levels of burning buildings.

As with any other type of vocational training, financial aid is available for those who qualify. A candidate who learned firefighting experience from the military may find that he can skip some of the classes required, although military and civilian firefighting requirements are not the same. The Navy, for example, expects sailors to know basic fire fighting techniques before a recruit gets out of boot camp.