Becoming A Firefighter

2015 Words5 Pages

Honor in Service: Firefighting “Every firefighter knows that he is always susceptible to this type of tragedy. They go to work every day knowing that they are doing something so positive, that people really respect them and appreciate them (Essen).” Firefighters are individuals who risk their lives in a variety of different ways. They are put in situations to put out fires, and give aid to those during an emergency. The training required to prepare them for almost anything that could take place during an emergency. Although much schooling isn’t needed to become a firefighter, you must receive the proper training to become an EMT or Paramedic. The reason this schooling is needed is because a day in the life of a firefighter is unpredictable, …show more content…

There are two paths from which you can take to be a firefighter; becoming an EMT, or a Paramedic. Becoming an EMT is the most basic, and is needed to become a firefighter. To become an EMT it takes approximately 6 months. During this time you will learn the basics from how to treat a sprained ankle to how to save someone's life who is going into cardiac arrest. The cost varies from $500-$1000 and most of the time is paid for by the employer who is requiring you to have the training. EMT’s are critical in the transportation of patients to hospitals where they can receive better and more professional care. While they are able to administer some medicine through IV’s and capsules, they are unable to perform injections or make sutures. Paramedics on the other hand, are trained much more. Their training (in classroom, and in the field) takes about 1000 hours to complete, taking two years at the minimum. The three main differences are “administering blood transfusions and injection, cleaning wounds and applying sutures, interpreting lab results and X-rays.” (Jurling). This is very helpful, and although it is not required by fire departments at the moment it is predicted that it will be in years to come. Possessing Paramedic training is also extremely more sought after, and in turn paramedics are paid much

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