[AmberB]

Hello! I've always had a nagging idea to become a firefighter..where I live its combined FF + Rescue (Montgomery County, MD). My concern is being able to pay my bills, and I really want to jump right into a career position. Is this possible and is it looked down on by guys that have served in volunteer positions before switching? I know very little about the overall culture and am trying to learn!

Thank you for your advice!

[Old Fire Gal]

Hello, Amber --

How career firefighters view volunteer firefighters, or whether they think all career firefighters should start out as volunteers, varies from place to place and person to person.

If you have a fire department where the typical career path is to become a volunteer firefighter and then move into a career job, people who have done so may look down on those who haven't. On the other hand, there are many fire departments where career firefighters look down on volunteer firefighters in general, and would make fun of any new career firefighters who had a volunteer background. Neither situation is fair, but both of them exist.

If you are concerned about what the culture is like in Montgomery County Fire & Rescue with regard to career and volunteer firefighters, it's best to talk with some of the firefighters there. My own guess would be that a department that has something like a thousand career personnel must hire lots of folks who don't have volunteer backgrounds. But that's just a guess. If this is something that's going to bother you, check it out locally.

-- Old Fire Gal

[AmberB]

Thanks for your advice Old Fire Gal! I appreciate it and I will stop in at the station by my house and talk to some of the people there. You're probably right that they hire a lot of people without prior experience since this area is large and has a lot of houses, office buildings, and highways (that are constantly having wrecks, ick). It wouldn't bother me persay, I just don't want to offend others who have done things "a certain way" and I didn't do it that way if it is something that is largely ingrained into the culture. So talking to the people near me is the best idea.

[firething]

A lot of the county-wide depts. in that area seem to have very organized and professional human resources departments that could discuss what they look for in candidates. Calling them might be another avenue.