The quick answer is that I’ve been busy doing all sorts of things, most of them fire related in one way or another. I’ll get into the details later, but this quick post is to talk about the future of this blog and my intentions. I intend to be a better blogger, and here is what that means: I will post much more regularly, though they will not alway be the long, heavily detailed posts I’ve written in the past. Those are the reason I fell off the radar recently.

My posts going forward will be more like this; fast, to-the-point quips on what’s happening and what I’ve been doing to keep my journey on path. I also intend on changing the homepage of the site to reflect my new approach, but that’s coming soon.

Before I conclude, I should tell you that I have completed my own fire academy at this point and am now working as a resident firefighter with the Cordelia Fire Protection District in Fairfield, CA. This is a volunteer position, but it is a major stepping stone and accomplishment for me. I am a firefighter.

Plenty more on that soon, but for now I’ve got to run. Stay tuned….

Q:

Josh,

Great blog, first off. I am 28 and live in SF. I am taking the San Francisco Paramedic Association EMT-1 [Basic] class this spring. I understand that the first step into the SFFD is the written test. However, how does one best prepare for this test (when it does happen…which is in a few years, I imagine)? [Should I] take fire tech classes at a local college?

Can you go to the fire academy before gaining an appointment? What really strengthens an application and also what is a good step-by-step process?

Thanks again – and good luck!

Brian

A:

Brian,

Thanks for writing. If I understand correctly, you’ll be taking your EMT-Basic class during the coming spring semester and and then considering fire tech classes in the ultimate hope of joining the SFFD. Is that correct?

I may be misunderstanding your questions, but here are the answers to what I think you’re wondering:

1. Getting your EMT is definitely an excellent way to start. It’s what I did too, but I will tell you this – make sure to take a CPR/First aid class first. These are the two that are likely required before you can take the EMT class, though the SFPA may include it in their curriculum.
- CPR for the Professional Rescuer (American Red Cross)
- CPR Healthcare Provider (American Heart Association)

2. The SFFD is currently hiring and interviewing, but if you didn’t apply during the last application process you’ll have to wait until they do it again, which probably will be a few years from now (but who really knows). I just tested for SFFD two weeks ago, along with thousands of others. Competition is big for a department like SF.

Preparing for any fire fighter exam and interview process is the same for almost every department, big or small. You’ll want to do a couple things: Review any material they provide you, know the names of all major chiefs and fire officers in the department, know the history and as much as you can about that particular department, and the city/community which it protects. You’ll also want to practice interviewing with anybody who can help you. Practice in the mirror and learn what you can from the many online fire resources out there. You do not need to pay for interview coaching – just read, research, learn and practice.

3. Taking Fire Science classes and attending a fire academy are huge steps toward getting a job. Departments will see this and know you’re serious. You do not need to have any appointments or jobs lined up to go to an academy. For my academy, we had to have taken 3 fire technology classes, our EMT certification and have passed the CPAT.

4. To strengthen your application and enhance your image to hiring departments there are many things you can do. Here are a few good ones.
Volunteer somewhere (anywhere you would enjoy)
Get fire experience (work for CDF one summer or get involved in a reserve or volunteer fire department)
Become involved in the community (again, whatever you enjoy, but show that you’re a real part of the community you live in)
Work in a related field (the least money I’ve made in the past 10 years is right now working as an EMT. I’m not doing it for the money; I’m doing it for the experience)
Take classes, get your Firefighter 1 certificate and/or your Fire Technology degree (this shows longer term commitment to your goal)

5. You asked about a step-by-step process to go about this. That will vary for everybody, but ultimately you have to do what will work best for you. My approach was to do as much as I could at once. To illustrate this, I took my EMT, 4 fire science classes and a basic dysrythmias class in one semester. It was brutal and I lived in my books. It has been a real challenge and I’ve sacrificed a lot to do it, but I’m glad I did. I went farther faster. That won’t work for everybody. Again, do what’s good for you.

I hope this helps. Let me know what you decide to do, and if I fully answered your questions.

p.s. You may want to read this post I wrote on getting an education for the fire service.

- Josh

Q:

Q:Josh,

Thanks for the great information and also best of luck with the SFFD process!

In terms of the EMT, I see that CCSF (City College of SF) offers this course at around $280 and the SF Paramedics Association is 5x that. Is the SFPA regarded as more prestigious? What is the benefit of going there versus CCSF?

Also, what have you heard about the CCSF Fire Academy. It would be more convenient for me to go there as opposed to somewhere in the East Bay – what are your thoughts?

I understand that the application process for the SFFD is simply a written exam, and then you are sorted based on your score. With that being said, why does building your resume strengthen your chances (per your blog postings)? Theoretically, can’t someone off the street score 100% and then someone who has done 5 years of EMT, the First Academy, etc. score less and the individual with the better score advances?

How difficult is it to get into the Reserves here in the City, from what you have discovered?

Thanks, you’ve been helpful, and good luck again!

Brian

A:

Brian,

I’m glad to hear I’ve been helpful. That really means a lot to me!

When it comes to getting your EMT, forget about prestige. Most schools that offer the program are good; and employers, whether they be a fire department or an ambulance company just aren’t all that concerned with where you got certified. The fact that you are certified is what counts. The ultimate key is that you study hard and learn what they’re teaching. On that note, I’m personally not a fan of the very fast, and very expensive 1 month or 1 week programs. Having been through a full semester EMT program, I just don’t believe a person is going to truly soak up everything you’re supposed to learn in such a short time.

That’s not to eliminate those “quickie” options entirely…. If you have the money (they’re very costly) for such a fast-paced program, you will learn all the essential basics. Plus, what happens on the job is often different from what you learned in class, so if you can pass the national registry exam and get a job quickly, you might want to sharpen your skills on the job.
Like with most things, the best way to learn something is to do it for real.

I say go to city college where you save money and the location is convenient. CCSF has a good reputation anyway.

Your question regarding resumes is an excellent one, and you are right about the exam sorting candidates by score. They (and very many fire depts.) don’t want anything to do with resumes until you’ve passed a significant chunk of the hiring process. Nonetheless, if you make it to the oral interview they’re going to want to see a resume, and having a good one ready is going to be a great benefit.

The last thing you want to do when you should be practicing your interviewing, is struggling to write a decent resume. Your resume will be looked at, and having it decked out with volunteer experience, applicable jobs and community involvement is going to set you apart from competing candidates at this very significant stage in the hiring process. Don’t let your resume be your weak link; have it be the extra mile that puts you ahead of the competition.

You asked: “Theoretically, can’t someone off the street score 100% and then someone who has done 5 years of EMT, the First Academy, etc. score less, and the individual with the better score advances?” The answer of course is yes… theoretically. Realistically, no. I can go on and on about this, but I’ll spare the details and leave it at this: I believe anything is possible (You or I might win the lottery), but million to one chances aside, we have to work hard for what we want.

Getting into the San Francisco reserves is tough. There are long lines, but it’s definitely possible. Unfortunately, I don’t know quite enough about it to make any truly definitive statements on the topic, but I’ll learn what I can and let you know.

Keep in touch!

- Josh

For those of you who want to get your own journey started, here’s a list of CA State Fire Training facilities & programs :

Day 3 –  Union City Fire Department Captain, Ricky Hurtado ran this evenings class and packed our heads full of information on the topic of fire behavior.  I can’t begin to transcribe all the notes I took that night, but I can comment that Capt. Hurtado was an excellent instructor and knows how to lecture so that you don’t fall asleep.  He’s interesting, full of knowledge, but grounded and effective in connecting with his students.  I look forward to seeing more of him in the academy.

Day 4 –  Here was a biggie.  Day 4 was a Saturday and retired Chief Joe Robinson was with us for 10 hours (not counting breaks and an hour lunch) of fire prevention and investigation education.  Whooooo, it was a long day at information station!  The most amazing thing about it is how Chief Robinson can pull it off.  Anybody who can effectively lecture on a single topic for such a substantial amount of time is a dedicated man in my book.

As an instructor Joe Robinson (who I’ve discussed in other parts of this blog) is a downright wealth of information packed into a single human being.  He gave us such a massive information dump, there would be no way to retain it all, had it not been for his extremely organized and to the point Powerpoint presentations.  Chief is also a very courteous and laid back guy with a subtle sense of humor.  It seemed obvious to me that he enjoys teaching and appears to be doing a good job of keeping busy while loving retirement.

Day 5 –   Another of my previous fire instructors, San Jose FD Captain, Don Torres, ran Tuesday’s lecture covering ICS (Incident Command System) in a through and to the point manner.  He had to as there was a ton of information to cover in only 4 hours.  Taking notes was a challenge, but my approach was write down key words and points and review them later.  Most of all I wanted to make sure I was hearing what Mr. Torres was saying.

If you happen to be a student at Los Medanos College, I highly recommend taking ‘Building and Construction for Fire Protection’ with Captain Torres.  He’s a fun teacher who appears to me to be at the top of his game.  He also let us know that we could earn our ICS-100 certification through FEMA online.   FEMA offers a study at home course and certification for this and other progams.  If you haven’t done it, you might want to spend some time on that.

Day 6 –  Communications was the topic and Dave Watson (also known as “The Punisher”) of Walnut Creeks Engine 1, was the instructor.  This was an interesting night because unlike all the previous days, this evening was broken up by groups of us going to the 911 dispatch center in Pleasant Hill.  Dave had Firefighter Nick Grillo assisting him that night.  Grillo (Captain Mike Grillo’s son) accompanied us to the dispatch center while Watson stayed back and lectured/Q&A’ed with the remaining cadets.

At the 911 center, the very friendly (for some reason I expected them to be grouchy) dispatchers explained what all the bells and whistles did, and details about how dispatchers work.  I was amazed to learn that their schedule is just like the firefighters.  They’re currently working 48/96′s which basically means they’re on for 48 hours straight and off for 4 days afterwards.  Some love it, other hate it.  Either way, it’s pretty amazing.  When we were there, there were only 3 dispatchers working (and I assume there was one sleeping somewhere).  Very interesting experience.

Listening to the calls come in, you get a better understanding for why firefighters struggle with the information they’re given by dispatch.  It’s simple – dispatch is essentially relaying the information they’re given from whatever panicked Joe calls in, and often they have to relay that information super fast in order to get to the plethora of other calls that may be flooding their lines.  It’s a tough job and one I hope to become more acquainted with in the future.

Before I conclude Day 6′s wrap-up, I should do my own relay job and tell you what Firefighter Dave Watson told us about his “Punisher” nickname.  The story is a simple one, and not so focused on the nickname itself.  Apparently during the last LMC academy, Watson must have been pretty hard on the group because that night they dubbed him “The Punisher”.  The next morning Dave showed up for work at the fire station and everybody there knew all about his new nickname.  Not even 24 hours had passed and he was getting phone calls from others in the service joking with him about his new tag.

The moral of the story Watson explained goes like this…. “Telegraph, Telephone, Tell-a-firefighter”  The point here being, news travels fast; really fast!  Especially in the small world of the fire service so think before you act or speak.  He joked that firefighters are worse than high school girls when it comes to gossip and if you make a mistake, everybody will know within hours if not minutes.  Fortunately for Watson, being nicknamed “The Punisher” is pretty cool, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.

It was my hope at the start of this blog that I would be able to write a post for every day of the academy.  That is clearly not going to be possible, but I will try and stay on top of things at least in blocks of days.  Today’s post will be on Day 2 of the academy, but in this posts and future posts  I’ll generally focus on a few things: What we’ve covered in class; class/training instructors;  personal wins/losses (blunders); other highlights.  In addition, I’ll also try and get the quizes we’ve taken so far posted on the quiz page so you can test your own firefighter knowledge.  Remember – anything less than 70% fails.

Day 2 – This was the actual first day of “class”.  Day 1 was our 10-hour orientation.  In this class Captain Grillo covered the history of the fire service from 24 B.C. to current day.  There’s a lot that we covered and I’d love to post the notes here, but that would take a lot of time I don’t have.  That’s a project for later, but I can tell you a few highlights regarding the history of the firefighting and some of the interesting trivia that goes along with it.

• The earliest recorded history of firefighters was in Caesar’s Rome.  The “Familia Publica”, made up of 600 slaves (not like the African-American slaves of American history.  They were more like servants of the commonwealth.) stationed around the city and kept watch nightly for fires.  They put them out by throwing buckets of water on them.
• The Corp of Vigiles eventually replaced the Familia Publica and served Rome for about 500 years.
• The very first fire pump ever was called the Siphona Syringe (invented by Ctesibus and Hero the Alexandrian) which was basically a giant syringe full of water which was pumped by multiple men onto a fire.
• Former Captain of the Romain army, Florian, became known as “Florian, Patron Saint of Firefighters”.
• Dalmatians, the fire service mascot was originally used to keep horse teams on path and calm at the scene of fires.
• Ben Franklin is commonly referred to as “America’s First Fire Chief” as he started the first fire department in Philadelphia, PA.
• Boston, MA created the first paid-on-call Fire Department, let by Thomas Atkins – America’s first Fire Captain.
• The word ‘curfew’ comes from the french saying “couvre feu” meaning “cover fire”.  In Medieval England the curfew bell was rung meaning it was time to cover and extinguish your fire, so that homes would not catch on fire in the night.
• Andrew Gratacap invented the first fire helmet made of leather with the primary purpose of keeping water out of your eyes.
• Cincinatti, OH (1853) is credited as being the the 1st paid, full-time Fire Department.
• San Francisco’s Daniel Hayes invented the 1st hydraulic aerial ladder in 1870.
• In 1973 America’s growing fire problem was finally explored in depth in the monumental “America Burning” publication.  It’s conclusion was that our fire problem which is worse than any other industrialized country, stems from our own apathy.
• 345 firefighters die in the terrorist attacks on 9/11.  6000 people died in total.
• Today there are approximately 33,000 fire departments in the U.S. and 1 million firefighters (two-thirds are volunteer)
• The are approximately 2 million fire calls per year in the U.S.
• A popular saying in the fire service goes “200 years of tradition, unhampered by progress.”
• “Semper Vigilans” is the motto of the fire service.  It means “Always Vigilant”.

Class went smooth.  Nothing significant to tell beyond the

To begin the orientation, Captain Grillo gave us a brief intro to the names, departments and specialties of the many firefighters (with a wide variety of titles and roles) who will be instructing us over the course of the semester.  He also introduced us to Brittany Sylvia who is a previous LMC Fire Academy graduate, and now helps run the physical training aspect of the academy.  She claims anything she’ll be having us do, she’ll be doing right along side us.  I believe her.

Aside from getting the obvious certificate of achievement for completing the fire academy, and the likely achievement of earning our Firefighter 1 cert. (3 fire courses and the academy), we’ll also be getting two other significant certifications.  The first is a State Fire Marshal certification in Wildland Interface, which is highly valuable in California.  Second Captain Ed Macumber will be certifying us as HazMat FRO (Hazardous Materials – First Responder Operations), which is also huge!

We reviewed our textbook (BIG, Expensive, and the origin of my blunder) and it was explained that anything less than a minimum of 70% fails the academy.  That’s referring to the 10 quizzes we’ll be taking plus the midterm and final.  Also, there about 400 hours of class time of which we may miss a maximum of 18.  More than that and we’re out.

We reviewed a lot more “little details” and then headed outside to learn how to march.  Only 2 or 3 people in this academy have prior military experience which is surpising, and it made learning how to march all the more exciting and new.  I have to say, aside from the 90° sun beating on my bald head, it was actually a lot of fun.  Also, I now know where my boots are going to be giving me blisters.

Before the marching actually began we learned about grouping our battalion into formations and different stances.  At one point during Capt. Grillo’s explanation of standing “At Ease”, he called me a “short-cutter”.  I was completely bewildered at why he would call me this, except that at times he picks on random people to tease them.  Still, this seemed a little harsh for teasing.  I decided I would ask him at the end of the day.

The marching can be tricky at times.  If for a moment you lose your cadence with the other cadets, it can be very hard to get back into it without being spotted.  The key as I see it, is to keep a strong focus on the beat of the feet, while maintaining a comfortable awareness of where your surrounding cadets are.  Once that’s in place you’re better off if you just fall into the zone and rhythm of the march.  That’s when it becomes fun.

Fortunately, we were a worthwhile troop and without too much trouble, our marching convinced Captain Grillo to let us conclude before the heat caused us to completely sweat stain our brand new uniforms.  Back in the sweetness of air conditioning, we got a quick lesson on how to shine our boots, which it sounds like we’ll want to do before every day of the academy.  Finally, Brittany concluded class with some candid Q&A and were excused.

Once we were excused, I approached Capt. Grillo and asked him “Sir, do you really think of me as a ‘short-cutter’ or was that just a joke?”  His lack of immediate response was telling and crushing, and finally he replied.  He told me he got a call from “a bookstore” telling him that “one of his students was trying to take a shortcut”.  Again, I was baffled, but quickly realized what he must be referring to.

A week prior to this, I had gotten on our textbook publishers website and filled out a form for a “review copy”.  Doing this same thing for my EMT class, I connected with that publishing companies sales people who told me about a student price I was able to get through them.  This saved me a lot of money, and I was hoping to repeat the experience.  As it is, I am currently dirt poor.

Unfortunately what happened, was rather than informing me about money-saving options for purchasing their textbook, the salesgirl called Capt. Grillo and told him that one of his students was trying to take shortcuts.  The salesgirl did email me asking if I was employed by the school.   I responded telling her that I wasn’t an employee.  I told her I was a student, and a very poor one at that.   Lastly, I explained that I was simply hoping she may be able to help me out with the cost of the book.

I don’t think this is the message she delivered to Capt. Grillo.  I told the Captain that I was looking for a student discount and that the last thing I’d want him to think of me as was a “short-cutter”.  He told me “OK, prove me wrong” and walked away.  I hate this.  I hate that a misunderstanding or a lack of knowing the whole story has now reduced my reputation to that of a short-cutter, and on the very first day!!  I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.

I ordered my text book on Amazon and am worried it won’t be here soon enough.  We have our first quiz in less than a week and I need to study!

Before I explain what I’ve learned about this process, I want to first say that school is not for everybody and that doesn’t mean you’re out of the game.  Many of the worlds most influential people never got a college degree and sometimes have very little formal education.  Take a look at Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.  Even George Washington never had a formal education.

Of course the times are changing and we’re not all computer geniuses.  For those who know that school is the last thing they want to do, know this – Too Bad.  You will have to do some, but it can be minimalized.   Here’s the breakdown:

CPR – The very first step and probably the easiest (though hugely important!) is becoming certified in CPR and use of an AED (Automated external defibrillator).  This should be done through one of two programs/organizations:

• CPR for the Professional Rescuer (American Red Cross)
  
• CPR Healthcare Provider (American Heart Association)

These courses are usually offered through local adult schools, community colleges and through the organizations themselves.  They are relatively cheap, and can be accomplished usually in a single day class.

EMT-B – You can be assured that without certification as an Emergency Medical Technician, you’re almost guaranteed not to be hired.  This is an absolute must!  Plus, it is a very difficult class.  I began studying 4 months ahead of time and it paid off with me graduating 2nd in my class just barely behind a nursing student.  Don’t get freaked out though – you don’t need to begin that early.  Just be prepared for a challenging course, and again – this one also meansa lot!  Not only will you use the skills you learn here through out your entire career (80% of calls firefighters go on are medical related), but what you learn may likely be the difference between you saving a life or not someday.

Many of my fellow classmates took this class on it’s own or only one or two other classes at the same time.  It is challenging and time consuming and should not be taken lightly.  If you can get through this class, and you will have to in order to become a firefighter, the rest of your classes should be cake.

Fire Academy & Firefighter 1 Certificate – Here’s where the minimum schooling comes to it’s end.  The firefighter 1 certificate can usually be attained by passing your EMT class, taking only a few fire classes and getting through the very hands-on fire academy.  This highly regarded certificate does not even require taking prerequisite courses which saves you tons of time, money and “formal schooling”.  If you’re the homework-hater I mentioned earlier, this is the route for you.  It will take work, but the EMT class will likely be the worst of it.  Between two school semesters and maybe a summer session, you can have this certificate for under $2000, within 1 year. 

Associates of Science – Fire Technology – Some of us nerds just aren’t satisfied without the full monty.   For others who already have their prerequisites out of the way, it just makes sense.  Getting the actual college degree in fire technology shows hiring departments that you’re dedicated and educated; and for those like myself who already have a degree, getting this degree may mean taking two or three more classes than the FF1 cert would take.

To clarify, I went to school 10 years ago and got a degree in business.  To do that I had to take all my prerequisites which transferred to my current school.  With those out of the way, getting my A.S. Fire Technology meant taking 5 fire classes, the EMT course, and completing the fire academy.

Fire classes – Every school is different, but here’s a quick breakdown of the classes I took at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, CA.

• Fire 101 – Fire Protection Organization – Taught by Ret. Captain Edward Macumber, this class is your basic introduction to firefighting and fire technology.  It gives you a well rounded, broad perspective look at everything you’ll learn in the other fire classes and is a great way for somebody unsure about a career in fire to decide whether or not they want to contiue the pursuit.   Capt. Macumber was an absolutely fantastic instructor and quite possibly the best and most well-rounded of all the instructors I’ve taken class with.
• Fire 102 – Fire Behavior – Formerly titled ‘Fire Chemistry’, I took with Captain and fire academy instructor Mike Grillo, who explained the name of the class was changed because the word “chemistry” seemed to be scaring students away from the class.  This class focuses on the nature of fire as predictable and manageable phenomenon.  How fires start, grow, and proliferate are explored in depth and detail as Mr. Grillo lends his version of humor and expertise to the matter.
• Fire 103 – Fire Detection and Suppression Systems – This is an interesting class made even more interesting by the highly entertaining, and very down to earth, Captain John Kelleher.  Captain of the El Cerrito Fire Department, Kelleher’s frank and honest anecdotes and storytelling ability made learning about sprinklers, standpipes and extinguishers an incredible experience.  He draws from real life experiences and connects with students in a way that makes it easy to relate.  If you’re fortunate enough to be a part of one of his classes, don’t miss it!
• Fire 104 – Building Construction for Fire Protection – Another down to earth instructor is San Jose Captain Don Torres.  His class is one of the more challenging for those of us who haven’t grown up doing capentry projects with dad.  While fascinating and educational, Fire 104 is a technically oriented class which will require learning about the different types of both residential and commercial construction and how they affect fire behavior.  This class is very interesting and highly applicable to the real life fire situations in which your life will be at risk.
• Fire 105 – Fire Prevention – This class taught by the highly accomplished retired Fire Chief, Joe Robinson covers fire prevention in both theory and application.  Beginning with the invention of Rome’s Vigiles up to todays fire service and the industries that plays roles in affecting it, Chief Robinson covers all aspects of of the prevention topic with accuracy and depth.  He provides real life stories and discussion in a straight forward objective manner.

I’ll talk more about my EMT class in a future post and will also share my experience with the CPAT and it’s requirements.  In the meantime, test your knowledge of the fire sciences in my fire quiz section and let me know how you do!

The purpose of a resume is to say “This is who I am!” in 30-60 seconds.  That’s it!  That’s all you get!  Long winded explanations how you did your job and why you were so great are best saved for the interview.  The resume should highlight the path you’ve taken up until now, you’re educational achievements and any other forms of skills or successes you’ve had.

When writing any kind of resume, but especially a firefighters resume, you want to punctuate the most applicable and relevant items first.  This means just what I said – “first”, as in put them at the top.  If you take a look at my resume you’ll see that while I have no experience directly relevant to firefighting, I am enrolled in the Fire Academy and with the academy I’ll be completing my degree in Fire Technology.  For this reason, I put my education at the top of my resume.

Being that I am 32 (33 in three weeks though), I followed Education with Experience because the Captains and Chiefs reading my resume are going to want to know what I’ve been up to.  This won’t be quite the same for a early to mid-twenties person who’s been going to school.  If that’s you, you might want to consider other skills you may have.  Anything technical or mechanical is highly appreciated by hiring fire departments.

Do you work on cars, know a trade like plumbing or carpentry, or just enjoy fixing things?  Find a way to highlight that and put in a skills section closer to the top of the resume.  You don’t have to make it sound so formal or stuffy.  Just tell them what you do.  Remember, a Hobbies category on your resume is perfectly acceptable, especially if you’re younger!

On my resume I have an Objective statement and a Summary.  Both of these are optional, but a good idea to include if you can fit it.  If you have an objective statement, make sure to customize it specifically for the department you’re applying to.  (i.e. To gain employment as a professional Firefighter with the San Francisco Fire Department).  This means modifying your resume every time you apply somewhere.  On that note, make sure to keep your resumes in a folder of their own and figure out a good way to keep organized.  I almost never delete old resumes, but I maintain an organized and methodical filing system for them.

In truth, while your resume speaks volumes about you, and usually is your first impression on an interview panel, resumes are unfortunately not held to the standard that corporations and other business hold them.  This is because firefighting is a government job and the interview process for firefighters is frequently standardized.  This can result in less attention being paid to your resume.  I know this sounds contrary to what I’ve been telling you, but it does not lessen the degree to which having a strong resume can help you.

Your resume is a paper representation of you.  Make it as good as it can be.

Contact me if you have any questions, and be sure to check out the list of fire interview questions!

Los Medanos college runs a good fire academy, though there are of course the true “elite”.  Butte College is known for having possibly the best fire academy in California (though maybe it’s the best in Northern California).  One thing about Butte is that you don’t need your EMT cert to go there.  This is because they put you through their own EMT certification, not to mention an intense, rigorous, and very well respected academy.

I am quite happy to be attending LMC regardless.  Lately I’ve been told by a few people including Mr. Grillo that upon graduation of the academy, doors really begin to open.  This is the kind of thing I want to hear as it is easy to get down on the idea that the economy is in the tank and nobody is hiring.

Just two days ago I was at L.N. Curtis & Sons buying gear for the academy and I met Sharon Oliver, Training Officer for the Alameda Fire Department.  Myself and a fellow cadet spent some time talking to her and I’m quite glad we did.  She too had some very positive and motivational words for us.  She reiterated what Captain Grillo told us, that opportunities will abound after graduating from the academy and that fire departments will never stop hiring.  She went to reassure us that while there are a few layoffs taking place right now, it won’t be very long (1-3 years is the impression I got) before a good healthy hiring upswing takes place.  She highly recommended we get our paramedic license under our belts.

In the end, I feel better.  I’m excited for the academy and I’m more excited at the prospect of what may come when it’s over.