“When you're going through stressful times, and you work together as a team to complete a task and it's successful, there's no feeling like it.”
The life of the modern firefighter isn’t standing in a line passing buckets of water, nor is it usually extinguishing a towering inferno. Lincoln, Nebraska-based fire captain Kelsey Romshek says 80-90 percent of the calls his station receives are emergency medical issues these days. That’s why he advises aspiring firefighters to come into the industry with an EMT certification.
Once you’re in, firefighting work days are a unique combination of structure and freedom. Yes, there are morning briefings and equipment checks, but much of the days and nights spent in the station belong to the employees. “Every day is different,” Romshek says, but there’s just one constant: be ready to roll when the call comes in. Hear more from Romshek in his video.
My Advice
Come into the industry with an EMT certification.
Firefighting can be a career! With great pay, great benefits, and variety, it’s an amazing option.
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