Becoming a Firefighter

If you think that firefighter training is just as easy as any type of physical conditioning type of training out there, then you’re very much wrong. In fact, how to become a firefighter entails a kind of minimum requirement that you must meet. Usually, it’s age (18 or 21, depending on your state), education (high school diploma or an equivalent), clear vision and physical fitness, and that’s just really the tip of the iceberg.

You have to enroll yourself in a program, or firefighting school, which have their respective minimum requirements as well: which usually entail passing a CPAT (Candidate Physical Ability Test) and an aptitude exam. Some schools have firefighter training programs that entail full-time classes that span weeks to months, often subjecting their students to real-time simulations of what it is like to be in a fire. This form of training is believed to teach and reinforce students’ physical endurance, and mental capacities to handle fiery situations under extreme stress.

Other programs are a more convenient and practical, providing alternative venues for learning, such as online classrooms for theoretical courses, reinforced by a much rigorous physical training program – both of which, one can do at their own time and at their own circumstances.

In choosing between the two, know that there is no difference in terms of the training and education that you get as both are accredited by a common regulatory body that assured that the proper skill set is provided for – the only real difference is that one is more convenient.

Article submitted by Training Division.Start on that heroic journey towards a fellowship with the SFFMA, Training Divisionprovides comprehensive firefighting and EMT online programs that will give you the skill set that you need.