Career in Firefighting
 

I have some questions regarding a career in firefighting:

1) Are firefighters in demand right now?

2) Will they be in demand in the next 5 years

3) What kind of qualifications do I need?

4) What is the starting salary/ salary after 5 years of service?

Thank you

Firefighters are in demand........ However, if you are a white male, they will not accept you as a firefighter - in the newest recruitment campaign, they actually said "White Males Need Not Apply."

http://www.richmondreview.com/portal...=843312&more=1

^^^^ do you know why?

i mean police officers, yes. due to the contact and the amount of people with multicultural people here. White males are not in favor but firefighter...???? i can't see how they really need to communicate to the public during a fire.

According to the article, it was because of discrimination... I mean, if you look at the whole of B.C.'s firefighter stats, 90% of firefighters are white. Any other company, that's racial discrimination, and also not being an equal opportunity employer.

What I'd like to know is how they plan on getting Sikhs to wear the helmet over their turbans.

I know this isn't the right thread to argue this but I hate that type of hiring for any profession. Hire the best person regardless of sex, race, or sexual preference period.

Oh I completely agree.

Affirmative action is a good topic to discuss in the employment forum. It's all good by me.

Along the same lines, I don't agree with making exclusive privliges for women golfers to play in the PGA - or women ice hockey players to play in the NHL. In compairison to other women - they are great, head & shoulders above the rest. In compairison to the rest of the world....they don't belong in the same league. Compairing Anika Sorenstan (sp) to Tiger Woods - or Cassie Campbell to Sydney Crosby - only hurts the opportunity for other women to succeed.

Along those lines, if white males are the only people able to pass fire fighter requirements, then I don't see why they need to hire inferior ppl - just because they are different.

Any websites in which I can find more info about?

i can understand why they want to hire more minorities.. it doesnt make sense that they rather not hire white males who have been doing the job fine since the beginning. dont get me wrong, im not trying to single anybody out, it just doesnt make any sense.

like said above, it seems right that the police need to hire more minorities since a lot of the citizens now speak a language which isnt english.

because white male is almost the minority in vancouver, haha.

but this does make me sick how people cannot come to this country and learn how to speak english.

no offence, but get out

hey it's the same in the military, how are u supposed to wear your full nuclear, biological, chemical suit, helmet, and gasmask with your beard, and turban?

don't ask me. i don't know. but apparently they have a way.

if you are looking for information to train as a fire fighter go to the justice institute of B.C., thats where they train cops firefighters and so on.

http://www.jibc.bc.ca/

And like I said before, if you're white, don't apply in Richmond (which is now getting sued for racial discrimination).

It is a long hard road to get into a career as a firefighter. They want you to do a lot of volunteering and have high qualifications. One of my best friends has taken the fire fighting school at the JI, got his class 3 so he could drive the fire truck, has some high level of first aid, and has been volunteering in the fire department for a couple of years now. Even with all that he doesn't figure he will get in for another 3 or 4 years.

As for the race thing, I think a lot of people just use that as an excuse as to why they don't get a job. I am a white male and I applied to the RCMP when I turned 19. I was told by pretty much everybody that they don't hire white males or young people, yet I was done training and on the job when I was 20. If you want to do it just build your resume and make them want to hire you.

i just think people are blowing this way out of proportion. of course affirmative action is discrimination... no one will deny that. but the reason affirmative action is put into place because there is an inherited discrimination against women and minorites. so yes i feel bad for the white males that are just as qualified as a the women who will get the job, but seriously people, the minorities have been discriminated against for years. all this is trying to do is level the playing field.

just so you all know, they arent lowering the standards for women to get into the department. they still have to pass the EXACT same tests that the men do. in fact, richmond is now going to use the CPAT test... which is actually harder, in my opinion, than the test they were doing before. the media has taken things way out of perspective. its ridiculous.

as for why the FD needs women and minorities is simple. they work for the city. FDs do A LOT of volunteer work. they are at countless events, they need to communicate with the public and they need the support of the public.

ever since the whole sexual harassment thing blew up fire fighters in richmond have been given a black eye. they get sworn at in the streets.... the public is not backing them right now and they NEED a change.

now that being said. yes i am female and yes i want to be a fire fighter. however, i will NEVER work for richmond. not because of the past problems, but beacuse if i got a job with them now everyone, esp the fire fighters, would not believe i am capable of doing the job.


oh ps. BeefCake4000
check out this site and search through the posts.... lots of good info, http://www.firehall.com/forum/index.php

) Are firefighters in demand right now? yes and they will be for the next decade. all the baby boomers are about to retire.

2) Will they be in demand in the next 5 years. yes

3) What kind of qualifications do I need? google vancouvers fire fighter website and look it up

4) What is the starting salary/ salary after 5 years of service?
depends on the city you work in.... starts at arounf $45000... after 5 years maybe $55000. if you want more money you need to be an officer. they can make up to $90,000. anf cheifs can make $150,000.

sorry one more thing....

100% of richmonds new recruits wont be minorities/women. ive been to the hiring process and there are MAYBE 2 women, and like 1 minority. so richmond needs to hire 7 ppl this year, i bet half will be white males.

and since when did being the most physically fit mean you were the BEST qualified???
there are soooooo many other areas that important to being a fire fighter.

the way everyone is reacting, its like they would rather have an average brained super strong person than a fairly strong brilliant person (man or woman). just beacsue you can bench 350 lbs doesnt mean you are they best fire fighter. if the female passes the same fitness tests as the men and passes the same written tests then i dont see a problem with hiring that women over a man with the same tests scores. just for the time being until they get a few more women/minorities in the department.

so are my chances in being part of the police department shortened?? if im white? and chances are higher if im chinese?

No.

My buddy is chinese and it took him more than a year after he finished his training before anyone would hire him. So I don't find all of this necessarily true.

You need to get your class 3 w/ air brake endorsement...

You need to be in tip-top physical shape..

You need to have CPR with at least 7-hours of instruction..

Clean criminal record, and drivers abstract..

Taking your NFPA 1001 is a big help, they like a background in the construction trades. Volunteering is good too.

good luck, it's tough to get into.

Then why did they reject about 30 white males that DID apply - some of them with more than 5 years experience?

probably because they have never been in a fire. I dunno about you, but if I were anywhere in the world during a fire, i'd rather have someone that can lift 300lbs then someone that can lift maybe 100lbs and speak my language to rescue me

I dont know??? there could be many reasons, i am not familiar with these 50 who were "rejected". i know that a white male can and should apply. they will not have their resumes thrown back at them.


anyway, these women still have to pass the SAME physicals as the men. its not like they would hire a female who cant do the job just cuz shes a female. if she cant do the job she wont get hired.... end of story.

I don't think thats what anyone is saying at all. The argument is they should hire the best person for the job regardless of their sex or what minority they are. If the best person is a women who is capable of doing whatever physical things are needed doing and is brilliant and a wonderful fit for the job hire that person. Why overlook someone who can move faster, carry more and is smarter then say someone else who gets hired because they are male and not a minority?

..... If you're a firefighter with five years plus experience, chances are you've been in more than just one fire.

People get hired for office jobs without being in a fire

Victoria Fire Department
http://www.victoria.ca/common/pdfs/f...kg_jun2006.pdf

BC's First Female Firefighter
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...1-526a3916c991

North Vancouver Fire Department
http://www.cnv.org/c//apps/careers/F...rmation_05.pdf
http://www.cnv.org/c//apps/careers/F...ecklist_05.pdf

Richmond Fire Department
http://www.richmond.ca/safety/firerescue/hiring.htm

Coquitlam Fire Department
http://www.city.port-coquitlam.bc.ca...ortunities.htm