14 Feb 2023 | 4 mins
Overview
  • Thinking about becoming a firefighter? 
  • Here are the first steps you should take.

 

Firefighting is one of those careers that heaps of people dream of doing as a kid. Unfortunately, somewhere throughout our teenage years, most of us decide we’re not made to be firefighters, and the thought gets buried alongside ‘astronaut’, ‘zookeeper’, and ‘secret agent’ in the graveyard of broken dreams.

However, becoming a firefighter isn’t one of those things that has to remain a childhood fantasy. For many, it’s an achievable career goal to set, and we’re gonna give you the run-down on how you can make it happen.

Firstly – what is firefighting?

Contrary to what Hollywood may have led you to believe, firefighting isn’t all about rushing into blazing infernos in order to sling some beautiful person over your shoulder and force your way back out.

The work is varied, challenging and rewarding. In addition to responding to emergencies, you could find yourself doing things like:

  • Fire prevention and investigation
  • Community Education
  • Carrying out building inspections and ensuring compliance with fire safety regulations
  • Attendance at fetes and other community events (remember when a fire engine would rock up to the school fete?!)
  • And wayyy more

It’s a physically and psychologically demanding job, and it requires quick thinking, teamwork and physical and mental endurance.

Why be a firefighter?

There are endless perks to being a firefighter.

The most obvious, of course, is the rewarding nature of the role. You keep the community (sometimes even the country) safe, and you get to go to sleep after every shift knowing you’ve spent your time making the world a better place. The community knows it, too, and firefighters are treated with a lot of respect for the often heroic work they do.

However, there are more benefits to the role than you may know.

For starters, the hours are super flexible. You work a 10/14 roster, which consists of two 10-hour days (8am-6pm), two 14-hour nights (6pm-8am), and then four days off. The shifts may be longer than most other jobs, but you’ll be reaping the benefits every time you hit your extended weekend!

Why else should you become a firefighter? Well, the country needs it! It’s an essential service, and - as we saw earlier this year – Australia is a country that couldn’t survive without them!

Combine that with the fact that it’s a career that actually requires and encourages you to stay fit and healthy, and you get to work with an amazing team, and you’ve got yourself a pretty incredible career!

How do you make it happen?

You can’t apply to become a firefighter until you’re 21, however, even if you’re still too young there are a bunch of things you could (and should) be doing now to get yourself ready for when the time comes.

The first thing you need to do is get your driver’s licence and a current first aid certificate (if you haven’t already).

When application time comes around, you’ve gotta pass the Physical Aptitude Testing (PAT). Firefighting is an inherently physical occupation, and many tasks require high levels of physical endurance, strength and power. But don’t let that scare ya – you’ll be surprised how quickly you can get into tip-top shape once you start training. You got this! 

If you’re serious about becoming a firefighter, then you can work on things like your strength, endurance, balance, power, and claustrophobia (legit, they test that).

But it’s not all about working out and getting strong. Firefighters need to be quick-thinking and hard-working. To pass the application process, you need to show that you are capable of, or have experience working in high-pressure situations. Having some life experience (i.e. travel or having worked in a variety of places) can go a long way in proving these traits, so don’t be afraid to live a little in the meantime! (who can say no to that?)

Cool, what’s my first step?

If you’re interested in the super rewarding career that is firefighting, then you definitely need to check out your state's fire service's website. They’ll be able to provide you with a bunch more info on what life as a firefighter is like, as well as how you can go about pursuing it as a career!