Help me pick my MOS
- Thread starter qwjune
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Towards_the_gap said:
Ding, ding, ding.
4 years in the Mo and got to pick up some nasty bits during. None of that prepared me for my first few weeks as a firefighter, and I have learned to never believe I am past "the worst you can see"
Oh, and if you can't have a sense of humour about things then never mind applying to either, IMO.
Z
ZeroDark30
Guest
C.G.R said:
spot on with that reply!
Firefighting outside the military is a different process & is very competitive!
You would have to play the waiting game & pay to play/try out.
First you would have to wait for a posting for a full time position (could be 1-4 spot with thousands of applicants). Most of the time the dept already knows who they want to hire (usually from their volunteers/ paid on call).
i find that the Canadian forces firefighting course to be really good, they teach you alot and the courses are ifsac approved from what ive heard.
You also save alot of cash because something like avionic firefighting is a really costly course to take.
you can get your seals/certs online for cheap but you wont get the hands on training like you do at Lakeland or Texas.
Training Division & firefighteracademy.com is where you can get most of your certs like Firefighter 1 & 2, Hazmat, Pump Ops etc. without paying an arm and a leg.
Then you have to get your EMR or first responder or medical responder cert (depending on your province) because you will be doing medical calls.
you want to be even more competitive then get your paramedics (if medical stuff isnt your fortay i suggest EMR level).
Then to be even more competitive you can try and get other courses done like high angle rescue, swift water rescue, confined space rescue,
vehicle extraction, industrial fire, wildland firefighting, fire inspector, fire investigator, incident command, aircraft rescue ARFF.. etc.
Driving- Air breaks endorsement, class 3 and sometimes they even ask for a class 4 (see Alberta and BC..Ontario i think its a DZ).
You can do wildland & industrial firefighting (oil riggs and companies usually up northern Alberta).
they are seasonal jobs tho.
If you have aircraft rescue- you have a shot at the airport
you want to be firefighter you will have to pay to play!
recruiting can be costly, just writing an aptitude test is already 200$ and up, your medical ($40-$80), physical test (another 200$ and up).
There are alot of solid guys and gals out there that have been trying to get on for 5 years plus!
If you can get into Firefighting in the Canadian forces then consider yourself very...no wait...extremely lucky!!
Whether you are in the forces or emergency service (fire, ems, police etc), you are putting your life on the line as collateral for the other life.
You are responsible for your safety, your partners safety and getting the job done safely. There will be days where everything goes south on you!
I'm not here to discourage you from applying outside,
but be prepared to pay to play and hurry up and wait !
your best bet is to join a volunteer dept close to home!
Some volunteer Depts pay for your NFPA level 1 & 2 courses as well as other supplementary courses (even volunteer Depts you would have to wait for intake).
get the experience, dish out the cash and play the waiting game....because to get full time its like winning the lottery !
I heard that the only way to get into firefighting in the Canadian forces is re-mustering (when the firefighter spots open up).
I went to the recruitment office awhile back and i asked about firefighting & everybody looked at each other all lost. ???
The openings im guessing are only offered internally because on the outside nobody knows when the Forces hires for firefighters.
I recently heard that the next opening for Firefighters is in 2 years
I've heard of civilian firefighters having departments on bases. They supposedly recruit to the general public ?
DND firefighting i think its called?
Is there a Firefighter Thread on this board ? I couldn't find one using the search option.
and whoever doesn't like their firefighting job/spot for the Canadian forces i'll gladly and kindly take it off your hands ;D
cheers
Will weigh in with my two bits here,
My brother is a civilian firefighter, and it took him over 20 years to get a full time position. 20 years of waiting for openings to apply, taking courses, upgrading, and keeping ahead of the constant changes in requirements, he even had to get certified in typing of all things for one dept. Some of his training he went to texas to do and was a good experience for him, the rest was just dogged determination to do what it takes while working and raising a family.
In my opinion no trade in the CF will give you the breadth of certifications, and experience to make you competitive. The exception being a CF firefighter. As has been mentioned you may apply to enter that trade from within the forces but it is also very competitive, but why should the CF make the considerable investment in you if civvie firefighter street is where your heart is at.
On a final note, there are some grammar Nazis here who will slam people for crimes against spelling. Written tests form part of the civilian fire dept screening so if that is an area you are challenged in prepare for it. Lower scores on the written exams kept my brother on the wrong side of the cut. I only mentioned that because I notice someone made a point of it.
My brother is a civilian firefighter, and it took him over 20 years to get a full time position. 20 years of waiting for openings to apply, taking courses, upgrading, and keeping ahead of the constant changes in requirements, he even had to get certified in typing of all things for one dept. Some of his training he went to texas to do and was a good experience for him, the rest was just dogged determination to do what it takes while working and raising a family.
In my opinion no trade in the CF will give you the breadth of certifications, and experience to make you competitive. The exception being a CF firefighter. As has been mentioned you may apply to enter that trade from within the forces but it is also very competitive, but why should the CF make the considerable investment in you if civvie firefighter street is where your heart is at.
On a final note, there are some grammar Nazis here who will slam people for crimes against spelling. Written tests form part of the civilian fire dept screening so if that is an area you are challenged in prepare for it. Lower scores on the written exams kept my brother on the wrong side of the cut. I only mentioned that because I notice someone made a point of it.
Towards_the_gap
Sr. Member
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 230
d_edwards said:
I'm just going to counter this..... I was a combat engineer Sgt who applied and was hired by a civvy fire department first attempt, 8 months from application to drill school. So there ARE trades that will give you the experience to make you competitive. And it wasn't luck, out of a class of 26, 6 were ex-military.
I am curious if your combat engineer experience was the sole source of your training and experience.
My opinion was based on a knowledge local requirements. Such as class 1 drivers permit, emr/emt training, etc.......
These reqs will vary from dept to dept.
My opinion was based on a knowledge local requirements. Such as class 1 drivers permit, emr/emt training, etc.......
These reqs will vary from dept to dept.
Z
ZeroDark30
Guest
mariomike said:
Beauty!!!
Thanks Mate !
On a side note some fire depts have a soft spot
For CF members. Majority of the chiefs were once
Members of the CF.
Cheers
- Reaction score
- 1,512
- Points
- 1,260
ZeroDark30 said:
Even today?
When I joined the Department of Emergency Services it was still being run by the '46ers ( men who had served in the war ).
They hired us - not HR, and they trained us - not the colleges. That, I believe, inspired loyalty to the organization.
Make sure you pick something you are interested in. I was the clerk for the guys doing occupational transfers. Your trade has to be open to transfer out of and the trade you want has to be open to transfer into. I've seen a lot of people pick a trade thinking that when the trade they really want opens up they'll just transfer into it. It's a long process if it is possible. Talk to the recruiters, see if there is a career drive in your area and talk to the guys about their trades. What they like about it and what they don't. I'm not sure if others would be open to this but what trades are you looking at. I'm sure you could get a lot of pm's about what people like and don't like about the trade they were or are in.
My son is now on his POET course for ATIS, I had him talk to 3 people about it. One hates it (I don't know why he picked it if that was the case) the other 2 love it and said why they love. He got a lot of information before joining. I was RMS (clerk) and my husband is MSEOP (trucker)
The one guy at our fire hall is a military fire fighter but it took him 2 years to get it. Also 2 MSEOPS at the hall drive and operate the fire trucks.
My son is now on his POET course for ATIS, I had him talk to 3 people about it. One hates it (I don't know why he picked it if that was the case) the other 2 love it and said why they love. He got a lot of information before joining. I was RMS (clerk) and my husband is MSEOP (trucker)
The one guy at our fire hall is a military fire fighter but it took him 2 years to get it. Also 2 MSEOPS at the hall drive and operate the fire trucks.
Z
ZeroDark30
Guest
mariomike said:
Im not surprised.
Even when i was taking my Fire Rescue courses it was paramilitary.
My Fire Rescue instructors were in all the Navy, Army and Air force. Good instructors and they put in the work to see you succeed.
- Reaction score
- 265
- Points
- 980
mariomike said:
No, likely not. The kid is proving he likes to yap a lot is all.
Military experience is not a pre req and I am rather doubtful that it would get you much more of a look than any other career. Dedication is dedication. Then again, with hundreds of FT FDs across the country, I am certain some tend to weigh mil exp more. Individual experiences may vary
Zerodark,
While wildland is indeed seasonal, industrial is by no means a seasonal gig
I understand the excitement over getting in, but engage the reading bit a little more than the typing one.
- Reaction score
- 1,512
- Points
- 1,260
Scott said:
I am familiar only with what I observed of TFS ( well over 3,000 full-time members ) at funerals, parades and various City functions.
Also, TFS and T-EMS share a combined HQ and academy ( chiefs, deputies, recruiting, communications, planning, training etc. ) all under the same roof.
I saw lots of emergency services medals worn by the two services. But, very few military ( not since the '46ers retired ).
If either service keeps statistics of how many members are ex-CF, I have never seen them.
Towards_the_gap
Sr. Member
- Reaction score
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- Points
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I like to call OFS '6 CER' or '6 Fd Amb' due to the amount of ex-combat engineers and medics are on the job.
- Reaction score
- 1,512
- Points
- 1,260
Towards_the_gap said:
Ottawa employs 868 full-time firefighters and 425 volunteer firefighters.
Toronto Emergency Services does not employ volunteer firefighters or part-time paramedics. All members are hired as full-time only.
To get on the TFS "enhanced" hiring list, applicants must have one or more of the following four qualifications:
1.OFM/OAFC Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program Certificate
2.National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001: Firefighter I & II Certification
3.Ontario Firefighter Certification (OFM)
4.Full-time Structural Firefighter experience
People can join as volunteer firefighters in Ottawa, and other communities, without those qualifications.
Because volunteer and part-time work ( as firefighters or paramedics ) does not exist in Toronto, it may explain why a lower percentage of current and former CAF members have joined our Emergency Services.
Z
ZeroDark30
Guest
Scott said:
Well At least Im not trolling people
While military experience isn't a qualification
It does look good on a resume. I do agree with you that Life experience does play a factor in the recruitment
Process. That said I'm not encouraging anyone to join the cf to get into a municipal fire dept.
I do praise the CF firefighter classes because they do train their guys right
I do read actually. I'm posting my experience as a
POC fire fighter, (wildland and industrial experience)My chief and lieutenants were all in the cf.
Industrial fire fighting can be seasonal depending where you work.
If you work for an oil company like shell or suncor ( in fort mc Murray)
You are working in a fire hall situated within the industrial compound.
If you work for let's say scott safety or fire master (again northern alberta) you drive
to frac sites or oil drilling sites for various companies that contract you.
Usually the winter season is busy and there isn't much work during spring break up and summer.
If you have your high angle rescue or confined space certs you can get on some gigs.
Well that's enough of my yapping
Cheers
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