r/Firefighting

I thought they were relatively low center of gravity

What’s your favorite move when you’re dropping hose off your shoulder?

What’s your go to when you’re setting up inside a tight stairwell?

I’d appreciate any advice on how you handle the hose

this is probably in the wrong place, so..my bad.

I just graduated college and work full time. I’m on the pre med track. I’m thinking of jumping
Into an FD volunteer corps as fire police AND getting EMR cert to get both non clinical and clinical volunteering hours. EMT is great, but I don’t know if I have the time yet with my job. Firefighting is a maybe.

the reality is, call volume depends on the department—it’s different for everybody. Some depts might welcome my hybrid role, some might say it’s not worth it. But is this a silly idea? I’ve always wanted to jump into an FD corps, but I’ve also wanted to be realistic about what I can contribute while I prep for further education.

I’m not a firefighter in the US so please forgive me if I’m wrong and don’t mean to offend. I’d like to be educated. It seems that states seem to differ on the qualifications needed to become a firefighter. It doesn’t seem to be an easy transfer from state to state. Surely fire acts the same regardless of state you’re in? Also atmospheric pressure (give or take altitude) to get the pump to work and drive it to the job is the same. Fire behaviour, chemicals, road traffic collisions as well. I understand messages to dispatch will be different. How do people feel about this as a whole. Is it more over complicated than it needs to be or is it a good thing?

A while back I asked about suggestions for tanker refurb must haves/don't do it's. You all had great suggestions. A lot of them we included in our want list. We went through and came up with a game plan but no one around us has any interest and/or time available to refurb a 97 Tanker. So we pivoted.

We are being offered a 24 Foutz 3000g tanker for little more than what we planned to spend on the refurb.

Anyone running Fouts and what are the overall thoughts on it? Advantages? Disadvantages? Issues you've come across? Any and all I put is appreciated

Hello everyone. Long story short, I'm trying to move back to CO and land a job as a firefighter. I'm currently building a spreadsheet with various data about the department and comparing it to where I'm at now (HTX) to see if it makes sense based on my priorities.

I have FF1&2, hazmat awareness, ops, and tech (may have lapsed), paramedic, PALS, ACLS.

What are the general reputations of departments, both in the mountains and on the plains?

Any suggestions on departments to check out?

Coming from bigger city experience (ATL and HTX) to a smaller department, what should I know that I may not understand based on my background?

Thanks in advance and stay frosty!

Departments Ive looked into:

Red, white, blue;

Arvada;

Brighton Fire Rescue;

Thornton;

Mountain View;

Monument Fire District ;

Summit Fire;

Longmont;

Boulder Fire Rescue ;

Fountain Fired Department;

South Metro;

West Metro;

North Metro;

Career FF/Paramedic in a busy system. Back in 2014 we responded to a dog actively assaulting a 5 year old. We had to physically get the dog away from the child and his grandmother who was just on a tear. It was violent, gruesome, and still lingers in the back of my mind that dogs are capable of such things. It messed me up. To the point that my house trained dogs were kept outside and away from my kids for some time. He had a very low GCS, was hypotensive, had puncture wounds everywhere, mangled face and lacerations exposing his skull in numerous parts. We sang the ABCs and other fun songs while he drifted in and out of consciousness and I got my interventions in place. He made it and months later I met him and he was all fixed up, happy, like if nothing ever happened. He was super grateful and gave me a Lego firefighter which I still have to this day. Fast forward to today, after not seeing him since I was invited to his HS graduation. This career has had its ups and downs but all BS aside this makes it all worth it.

Feeling deflated right now. The town I work for just voted down a new fire station that we’ve been campaigning hard for months for. I work my ass off for this town and it feels like they just don’t care.

Our one and only manned station was built 60+ years ago and is falling apart. We’ve tried for a new station over the past 10 years. The past 2 have been the most serious; building committee, architects, site studies, whole 9 yards. It was just voted down by today’s town ballot. I’m disgusted by it all and don’t know if I should continue my career here.

We already work on a shoe string budget, 4 firefighter/emts for a pop of 13k. We cross staff the engine/ladder/tank and two ambulances. Our volume is 2k+ calls a year. We’ve grown from a call/vol department to a full time/combo over the past decade, but nothing significant has changed. Hell, the ambulance covers wages of 2/4 ffs and still people complain. We’re understaffed and living in a carcinogen-laced station that was only designed for housing apparatus. Yet the town would rather not pay the extra taxes to keep us safe.

Why even bother? There’s hundreds of other towns that treat their firefighters with decency, right? Why should I bust my ass with OT, public education, volunteering and all the fucked up shit I see in this job.

Anyone have similar experiences or insight? I’m heated right now and ready to move across the country to somewhere that cares. Do cities/towns like that still exist?

Hello, a question I’ve always wondered is how do you guys treat structures that have a lot of cartridges (bullets) I side a residential fire. I’m a deputy (retired) and some time ago we had smoke getting pushed through our AC in the middle of the night. All my weapons and ammo are stored I side a safe that is rated for a 45 minute direct fire incident. It turned out to be an AC motor that burnt up but I thought we had a fire of some sort in the walls or attic.

So to my question, I told the guys I had the ammo in the master bedroom safe and told them if the house goes up then beware of the ammo that might discharge from the heat. Told them let the house go if they needed to but just make sure they were safe. Because this is Reddit I’m positive they would have done what they needed to without my help but in my region we have a great relationship with fire and we go above and beyond to help each other out. They would have definitely stayed in past what they should have if it meant saving my home without putting themselves in much more danger.

So anyways just curious as to what the protocol is for houses that have large quantities of ammo inside. Thanks

In my years with the fire department, I’ve learned one thing: most fires that result in injury or death didn’t have to happen. They are rarely like the ones in Hollywood movies, filled with explosions and massive walls of flame. More often, they are caused by small, inconspicuous everyday mistakes — the kind we push aside with phrases like, “It’ll be fine.”

I’ve been in smoke-filled apartments in the middle of the night, in homes where smoke detectors were missing or broken, and in stairwells so cluttered that every second spent escaping felt like an eternity. And almost every time, I think to myself afterward: “If they had only known, it never would have come to this.”

That is exactly why I’m writing this article. Not to scare you or to wag a finger, but because I want to show you some of the most dangerous fire safety blunders I see time and time again — mistakes you can avoid with very little effort. If you change just two or three things in your home after reading this, it could be the difference between a close call and a total catastrophe when an emergency strikes.

Let’s talk about the five biggest mistakes that can cost lives — and what you can do better starting today.

My new department is having me drill by advancing 150' of 1 3/4 while flowing out of a combi nozzle with 200gpm at around 100 psi at the tip. Once I get to around 125' out I struggle moving it at all any further while flowing. They are all saying I should be able to move it and that they can all do it. Am I missing something? They have had me do this kneeling, crouching and standing. Is this just pushing me to see how far I'll go or is this something I should be able to do relatively easily? Thanks. I am a brand new FF and on the older end of a new recruit.

Working a side job? Relaxing? Teaching? Home projects? What are you up to?