Why Becoming A Firefighter In Florida Is More Than Just A Hot Job!

This Guide Will Provide You With All Of The Information You Require, Regardless Of Whether You Now Live In Florida Or Are Planning To Relocate There In The Near Future.

The Process Of Becoming A Fireman In Florida Is, With A Few Notable Exceptions, Quite Comparable To The Process In Other States.

To Become An Emt, You Will Need To Satisfy A Predetermined Set Of Minimal Qualifications, Pass Tests And Written Exams, Go Through The Application Procedure, Demonstrate That You Can Handle Recruit Training, And Survive The Probationary Period.

You Might Be Thinking That Is A Lot, But Stay With Us Because We Are Going To Break It Down For You!

Why Did You Choose Florida?

To Tell You The Truth, Florida Actually Boasts One Of The Nation’s Greatest Employment Rates For Firemen Relative To Other States. In Addition To Its Pleasant Climate, It Is Often Regarded As One Of The Best States In Which To Settle Down And Spend One’s Retirement Years.

With That Out Of The Way, Let’s Talk About The Fundamental Prerequisites For Becoming A Fireman In The State Of Florida.

Requirements Bare Minimums

Before You Can Submit An Application To Become A Fireman In Florida, You Will First Need To Ensure That You Meet The State’s Minimum Standards.

To Put It Another Way: If You Do Not Satisfy The Following Requirements, It Is A Waste Of Your Time To Submit An Application. If You Do Not Possess Them, You Will Not Be Given Any Consideration.

Make Sure That You Include These Standards On Your Resume Before You Send Out Any Applications For Firefighter Jobs In Florida Because They Are Mandatory For Every Single Fire Station In The State.

18 Years Of Age And Older

You Must Be At Least 18 Years Old To Participate In This Activity. Although There Are Some Agencies That Require Applicants To Be 21, The Standard Minimum Age To Become A Firefighter Is 18.

There Is No Upper Age Limit To Become A Fireman; Anyone Of Any Age Can Apply. If You Have The Necessary Qualifications, Fitness Level, And Experience,

You May Still Be Accepted For A Fire Department Even If You Are In Your Late 40s Or Early 50s. This Is Dependent On The Department.

Diploma From High School

Before You May Apply To Become A Fireman, You Are Required To Have Completed Your High School Education. A General Education Diploma (Ged) Will Also Be Accepted In Its Place.

American Citizenship

In Order To Apply, You Need To Either Be A Citizen Of The United States Or Have The Legal Right To Work In The State Of Florida.

A Valid License To Drive In The United States

If You Want To Apply To Be A Fireman In The United States, You Are Going To Need A Valid Driver’s License. In The Event That You Do Not Already Own One, It Is Something That You Will Be Required To Get Before Submitting An Application. 

Even Though Not Every Firefighter Is Expected To Operate The Firetruck, Having A Driver’s License That Is Currently Valid Is Nevertheless Needed Of Them.

Free From Previous Legal Trouble

A Comprehensive Background Check Is Required Of Every Candidate For The Position Of Fireman. This Includes Your Record Of Criminal Activity, Your Credit Score, And Your History Of Using Social Media.

In Light Of This, It’s A Good Idea To Go Through All Of Your Social Media Profiles And Delete Anything That Could Be Considered Offensive To Other People. This Includes Requesting That Friends Remove Any Posts They Find Objectionable When Appropriate.

If You Do Have A Criminal History, You Are Need To Show How You Have Changed Or How You Are Currently Changing In Order To Pass The Background Check. 

Excellent Physical Condition

When Applying For A Position As A Fireman, You Really Need To Demonstrate That You Are In Good Physical Shape. You Will Be Disqualified As A Candidate If It Is Determined That You Are Medically Or Physically Unfit To Perform The Duties Of The Position.

The Training Of Firefighters, Including Recruit Training And Training At The Fire Academy, Entails A Significant Amount Of Physically Demanding Activities, As Well As Exercise And Hands-On Training.

This Is Due To The Fact That Firemen Are Required To Be Physically Fit, Quick On Their Feet, And Capable Of Quickly Moving In And Out Of A Building While Frequently Dragging Heavy Gear And Equipment At The Same Time.

Keeping This In Mind, It Is In Your Best Interest To Start Getting Ready As Soon As You Possibly Can. If You Believe That You Are Not As Physically Fit As You Could Be In Terms Of Your Endurance And Your Overall Strength, Then You Should Get Started As Soon As Possible On Improving Your Fitness Level.

Technician In Emergency Medical Care

In The State Of Florida, Prospective Firemen Are Required To Obtain Their Emt Certification. You Will Demonstrate That You Have General Knowledge And Skills In Treating Emergency Patients If You Obtain This Certification, Which Stands For Emergency Medical Technician.

This Encompasses Providing First Aid In An Emergency, Performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Dispensing Medication, Managing Allergic Reactions, And Other Similar Procedures.

The Training To Become An Emt Can Take As Long As Six Months To Finish. No Matter Where You Decide To Receive The Training, You Will Still Be Responsible For Bearing The Costs Associated With It.

Being A Certified Emergency Medical Technician Is One Of The Minimal Prerequisites For Becoming A Firefighter (Both A Volunteer Fireman And A Professional Firefighter/Career Firefighter).

Other Requirements Include Having Previous Experience In The Field. In The Event That You Do Not Already Possess An Emt Certification, You Should Make It A Priority To Earn One Before Submitting An Application.

You Will Not Be Considered For The Position If You Do Not Have An Emt Certification. 

Both The First And The Second Firefighter

After Obtaining Your Certification As An Emt, The Next Level Of Training That You Will Need To Complete Is Firefighter 1. Take Note: In Order To Enroll In Firefighter 1, You Will First Need To Have Your Emergency Medical Technician Certification.

You Will Learn The Fundamentals Of Firefighting As Part Of The Firefighter 1 Training Program, Which Is The First Step In Becoming A Firefighter. Particularly In The State Of Florida, Having This Qualification Is One Of The Prerequisites.

Classes, Lectures, Physical Examinations, Manipulative Evolutions, And Live-Fire Drills Are All Part Of The Education And Training That Students Must Complete. In Order For You To Graduate From The Program, You Will Have To Put In A Minimum Of 206 Hours Of Training.

To Give You A Basic Sense Of What The Program Will Entail, It Will Cover Topics Such As Fire Science And Fire Behavior, Forcible Entry And Extrication, The Use Of Equipment Such As Ladders, Ropes, And Fire Hoses, And Effective Teamwork.

You Are Able To Move On To Firefighter 2 Once You Have Completed Firefighter 1. To Reiterate, This Is One Of The Prerequisites For Becoming A Fireman In The State Of Florida.

You Will Receive In-Depth Training As A Fireman In Fireman 2, Which Will Include A More Sophisticated Approach To Putting The Fundamental Firefighting Abilities You Picked Up In Firefighter 1 To Use.

When You Have Finished Fireman 2, You Can Confidently Say That You Have The Skills Necessary To Work As A Fireman In A Real-Life Setting.

It Is Important To Keep In Mind That The Training Required For Firefighter 1 And Firefighter 2 Will Require Payment In Addition To Your Application.

Qualifications That Are Not Required

Training As An Emt As Well As A Firefighter 1 And 2 Are Necessities In The State Of Florida. Your Application Will Also Seem Better In Other States Because You Already Have These Qualifications Under Your Belt.

If You Want To Really Stand Out From The Other Applicants When You Apply To Become A Recruit At Any Florida Fire Station, You Can Take Your Training To The Next Level, But Only If You Chose To Do So.

Volunteer Firefighting, Volunteer Work With Charities Or Any Other Activity Related To Public Service Can Count As Optional Training For Firefighters, As Can Training To Become Paramedics (The Next Level Of Education After Emt Training).

Even Though Doing This Will Cost More Time And Money On Your Part, It May End Up Being Worth It In The Long Run Because It Will Increase The Likelihood That You Will Be Hired More Quickly.

Naturally, The More Qualified You Are, The Better Your Chances Will Be That You Will Ace The Application Procedure And Be Approved As A Recruit. The More Qualified You Are, The Higher Your Chances Will Be.

How To Fill Out An Application To Become A Firefighter In The State Of Florida?

You Are Able To Begin The Application Process To Become A Fireman In Florida As Soon As You Have Obtained The Basic Qualifications, Which Include Certification As An Emt, Fireman 1, And Firefighter 2.

You Could Already Be Familiar With A Local Fire Station, Perhaps One That Is Situated In Close Proximity To Your Current Residence Or The Future Location Of Your Family. Take Into Consideration That Not All Fire Departments Are The Same, Since Some Fire Departments Are Significantly Different From Others. 

The Majority Of The Time, Fire Departments In Florida Will Conduct Hiring Processes In Groups, As Opposed To On An Individual Basis.

Send Your Application To Multiple Fire Departments

As Was Previously Said, Fire Departments Do Hiring In Waves. Because Of This, You Should Be Prepared To Face A Lot Of Competition Throughout The Recruiting Stage, Regardless Of The Location In Which You Apply For A Job Or The Time Of Year In Which You Decide To Apply For A Job.

Before Beginning The Application Process, It Is Important To Ensure That You Have Achieved The Highest Possible Level Of Mental And Physical Preparation, As Well As Qualification.

It May Take Some People Several Months, And Even Longer In Rare Cases, Before They Are Accepted Into The Fire Department Of Their Choosing.

Because Of This, It Is A Good Idea To Submit Your Application To As Many Different Fire Departments As You Possibly Can. Your Chances Of Getting Recruited Will Undoubtedly Improve As A Result Of This.

In Addition, If You Are Approved By More Than One Fire Department, You Have The Option Of Choose The One That Seems To Be The Best Fit For Your Own Needs And Preferences.

Therefore, You Should Ask Yourself How Flexible You Are In Terms Of Where You Want To Work And Where You Want To Live In Florida. This Is An Important Question To Ask Yourself. 

Instruction Of New Members

You Will Be Formally Accepted As A Fireman Recruit As Soon As A Fire Department Decides To Take You On As A Firefighter Recruit. This Will Come With Further Training As A Fireman, In Addition To A Salary For Working Full-Time.

However, At This Point, You Will Not Be Regarded As A Professional Firefighter At All.

Even If You Already Have Your Firefighter 1 And Firefighter 2 Certification, You Are Still Required To Complete The Necessary Recruit Training That Is Very Similar To The Training For Firefighter 1 And Firefighter 2. This Is The Case At Any Fire Station.

The Positive Aspect Is That You Will Be Well-Prepared, And The Financially Beneficial Aspect Is That You Will Continue To Be Compensated Throughout The Duration Of The Program.

A Period Of Probation

You Will Be Hired After Completing The Recruit Training, And Then You Will Be Expected To Complete The Probationary Period. When You’ve Reached This Position, People Will Start Referring To You As A Professional Firefighter. Many Congratulations To You!

Probation Is Required For All Newly Recruited Firemen And Can Last Anywhere From One To Two Years, Depending On The Circumstances.

Your Performance During Probation In Terms Of How Effectively You Are Putting Your Talents To Use And Collaborating With Others As A Member Of The Fire Department’s Team Will, In General, Be Subject To Supervision.

Because Of This, The Only Person Who Can Determine Whether Or Not You Are Prepared To Become A Full-Fledged Professional Fireman Is The Supervisor Of Your Department.