Firefighter Recertification: Fill & Download for Free

Quite a lot actually. The day in a typical firehouse starts at the kitchen table where many firefighters usually drink coffee and some may have something to eat. A few guys from the previous crew may stick around and shoot the shit a little about virtually anything as they watch the morning news. It is here that pertinent information is passed along about equipment problems or other matters. It's also very common to have a lot of lighthearted joking at the expense of someone in the room. While harassment is no longer tolerated, it still takes a pretty thick skin to work in a firehouse. Around 8:00 AM or so, this gathering usually breaks up when the old crew goes home and the oncoming personnel filter out to do their truck and equipment checks. This ritual usually requires the completion of various check sheets that must be filled out and filed or entered into a database. The company officer usually assists as needed in this process as he is responsible for checking his own SCBA and other equipment such as the thermal imaging camera and his portable radio. In fact, personal equipment checks are usually done by each crew member before doing the rest. All of this is done at a casual pace and is often accompanied by discussions or even a little humor here and there. This usually takes a half hour and often longer, depending upon the weather and other factors. This is also when the apparatus are washed, wiped off or even waxed. If the weather is good, the trucks are often pulled outside so the bays can be swept and hosed down. Depending upon the condition of the station, the agenda may include a little housework, although most of this is done prior to shift change in the morning.Next comes the work of the day which may be scheduled or spur of the moment if repairs are needed for equipment, etc. Generally, this time is reserved for some form of training which may be done in the firehouse or out in the community. Some training is also done with multiple companies and stations at a centrally located fire station or elsewhere. The following list shows the many types of training that may be conducted on any given day at various locations.* Ladder drills.* Hose drills.* SCBA drills ( Self Contained Breathing Apparatus)* Water supply and pump operations.* Live fire training.* EMS certifications and recertification.* Hazardous materials.* Rescue* Driving* Vehicle extrication.Anyway, this list doesn't even begin to cover the many different types of training that we receive during the day and occasionally during the evening. It ranges from honing everyday skills all the way to high angle rope rescue training which are rarely used. Then there's. Human Relations training and subjects that I cannot even think of at the moment. Some of these sessions last all day, while others may take only an hour or two to complete. Furthermore, we also do mundane training such as street drills and pre-fire incident planning at high risk industries and occupancies. Depending upon the duration of our daily training, we also will have lunch back at our station or at the training site. Perhaps we will order out or prepare the food ourselves after a brief stop at the store. We may have the afternoon to ourselves or we might train all day. When the afternoon is free, many of the guys will study for promotional exams or for courses that they may be taking on duty or on their own time. Keep in mind too that we often have visitors that drop by for a tour with their kids or for fire related advice. Quite frankly, there are also times when we will sit around the kitchen table and just talk or perhaps review calls that we have been on to improve our skills.As the day comes to an end, we usually cook dinner in the firehouse followed by more training in some cases or basically relaxing and doing nothing. Then at 10:00 PM, we can sleep in our beds until we are awakened at 7:00 AM. After a cup of coffee, the crew will then mop floors, remove the garbage and clean the bathroom and kitchen. Then the new guy puts the flag out and we eagerly await our relief so we can eventually go home after a little socializing in most cases.You have to remember though, that most career firefighters will respond to many calls during their shift. All of the aforementioned activities are often interrupted by calls which regularly disrupt the orderly scheduling of shift activities. Most of the time these calls are resolved quickly as working fires actually take up a small percentage of our time. Still, alarm activations, car fires and motor vehicle crashes require a response whether or not they are false alarms or relatively minor incidents in terms of damage or injuries. Departments with ambulances are even busier, although EMS responses are increasingly common for fire suppression companies as they are often called for a quick response or to assist the ambulance crews. Some nights you sleep uninterrupted, but most nights do not allow for a full night's sleep. It is also necessary to understand that most paid departments are full time because of the call frequencies, otherwise they would be volunteer. Furthermore, the size of the city or department does not always dictate the call volume for a particular station. Other factors such as population density and demographics play a much larger role in call volume, as much as the number of firefighters per capita.In conclusion, I will admit that there are times when we can relax a little between calls, but it is not the norm in a progressive department. On top of that, firefighters can be compared to your car insurance. Nobody wants to pay the premium if they don't have accidents, but they surely want to have it when they need it. Our job clearly does not lend itself for comparisons with the majority of other professions that are based solely on productivity. Most of us love our jobs with our heart and souls, but it can be very disruptive to the overall quality of our lives, as well as our physical and mental health.

Not necessarily. I’m a firefighter who has asthma and it rarely stops me from doing my job. I’m on a daily inhaler and my asthma is well controlled. As long as my spirometer tests check out ok I’m able to recertifications on the SCBA every year.It depends on how well it’s controlled and what causes you to flare. Speak to your doctor and see what they say.

Because we have local and state firefighters already. And, as another noted, we have state operated National Guards to fulfill that role when needed. Firefighting isn’t a certification you just get and forget. There is annual training and recertification requirements that have to be kept up with. Our soldiers have their own jobs to do.