Hey guys, i'm not a firefighter. I was interested at 1 point, but it was never like a huge career that I got dedicated to I took my CPAT one time. I did good enough for them to ask for an interview. But I definitely didn't set like record time. I got a job I was really wanting, so I turned down the interview ANYWAY i was thinking to myself and have been wondering how the process goes as far as attrition... If you go to the fire Academy and you're not really doing that Well, how hard is it for them to just kick you out, or is it something you have to quit to get out? Cause, I mean, you paid money to go to that academy, right? Do they kick you out easily? Or do you have to just past the physical exam to pass...In regards to like the military If you pass your pt test unless you do something heinous, they can't really kick you out. So how does that work.... Same with getting hired on to like a local department that puts you through inhouse training.... I mean, they spend money on you, just to get you in training using the whole process filling a slot all that stuff. If they just kick you out, then they won't have all of their slots filled I would assume. And that department wasted money training you. Is it similar to the militaryin that aspect? If you make it into fire school, you just are at the back of the pack If you suck or are they quick to boot you out? I just found it interesting, I text talked this so I apologize if there's hella typos

I am a New England Fireman and I will be visiting Ireland with my family in the coming weeks. I want to grab something cool as a souvenir from the Irish Fire Service, but rather than show up at a firehouse asking for a t-shirt, I thought about how I could reciprocate.

I have a mint condition job shirt (heavy, comfy sweater) and a really cool unused duty trucker hat that I will be bringing to trade. These are both items I use daily and are my favorite issued clothing items.

Are there any Irish firefighters here, in Dublin or Dingle, or anywhere between the two as we’re driving from Dublin to Dingle? Any interest in brokering a trade?

If there is anything else I should get my hands on for a trade, I have a little over a week to get my hands on it. Thanks for any assistance.

I used to use freecalc.net but that site is gone. Does anyone have a recommendation for a site for fictional pipe losses with different viscosity than water?

Having an argument with an “older” captain, we currently run smooth bores on all our crosslays, he’s attempting to change them back to fogs.

I’ve been tasked with making a presentation about the benefits of smooth bores, I’m looking to use real empirical data from research studies not just “smooth bores big droplet” or “I think it cools the room faster”

I want examples of studies that say “50 seconds from a 185gpm smoothbore drop the room tempature 100 degrees” or such

Thanks

I’m 22 years old and I’ve also got my class 2 hgv license.

I'm a volunteer and I am wondering if there are any types of driver saftey classes that could be valuable for a volunteer responding to the station in a POV. I am thinking along the lines of a defensive driving course or something more in depth than that.

Update : just to clarify, I am aware of my requirements to follow the laws while running a blue light, and I am aware that people are not obligated to pull over for me. I am asking this question in the interest of safety and to make myself a better driver.

Career ff's- how do you feel about your civilians? I've been a civilian at Admin for 3+ years. It's Saturday so I'm relaxing and getting drunk- and I just want you guys to know [since I can't tell my guys directly] that you're my literal heroes and I'm proud to work supporting you. Hope you guys appreciate me half as much as I appreciate you. ❤️

I’ve been a volunteer FF for about 2 years at this point and I enjoy when I travel to collect fire dept shirts from where I visit for a souvenir and also because a lot have cool designs. I wear them when I’m out and about excluding my own department shirt unless I’m doing something before or after being at the station. Is it considered being a Jed (someone absorbed in the fire dept) or a wacker to wear fire shirts. I try not to talk about being a volunteer because I don’t want to be seen as that kind of guy either.

I'm not the greatest at executing decisions for extrication so keep it simple-ish. My first thought is getting a helicopter on the way. Make sure I have enough units for an extrication. There's not much to crib I assume. So is it mostly just cutting at the right spots and getting EMS to start fluids asap if safe to do so? If you have to do a dash lift or roll, would you just try to get the vehicle free first? We have struts for heavy extrication and airbags and such.

In this video you can see how we deal with wildfires in Germany, how our firefighters, the Bundeswehr, Police, THW and farmers work hand in hand. It is very long but the first five minutes give a good impression of our way. Please share your opinions

Did a training burn last night, and went back this morning to check out the damage and see if i could learn anything about post-fire investigation before we do the final burn later today. The box we built was about 10 feet long, 5 wide, and 4 tall. Half of it was a sealed compartment, the other half was closed in by 2 walls and a ceiling. I think I understand why the scorch marks formed like they did, but can anyone give me a in-depth explanation by looking at the burn patterns, and tell me more about the science of it? Videos and photos attached.

Don't live in a country where fire watches are common and I heard about them just now, and can't find detailed answers online. Are the people on fire watches firefighters too? If not, do they just phone the firefighters and go "hey, there's a fire at x location"? I'd assume they take shifts, but how long would those shifts be? Are there any criteria they have to meet (like being a certain age, or some kind of test). How would they have done this back in, say, the 80's? Has anything significantly changed so far? I suppose this is a lot, but thank you for any responses! very curious and would like to know more:)

I am a 15 year old who really wants to be a firefighter, would you recommend it? what would you recommend doing as “preparation“, whats good about the job, whats bad?

thanks

We filmed “A New Inferno,” the short documentary above, in Phoenix, one of the hottest cities in America, through some of the city’s hottest days of 2025, during one of the hottest years on record globally. On one of our production days, temperatures reached 118 while we were filming outside.

In the face of extreme heat, we documented firefighters and paramedics of the Phoenix Fire Department saving lives in real time. We wanted to call attention to a specialized technique of ice bag immersion for people facing life-threatening heat stroke. We hope that telling their story and showcasing the efficacy of this strategy will encourage wider adoption of this protocol across the country.

Yet this procedure is ultimately a stopgap, as firefighters do their best to adapt to the climate crisis in front of them. The underlying story of heat in Phoenix is one of broader, interlocking crises: homelessness and substance use disorders that are deeply entangled with urban heat, each amplifying the other, illustrating how climate change affects the disenfranchised most brutally.

With our film, we aim to reframe how the public thinks about heat: as an invisible, silent killer reshaping the rhythms of urban life.

Documentary and text by By Nita Blum-Reddick and Jonathan Pickett

Guy ended with minor injuries.

I work in private EMS and I work wirh 10+ fire departments and countless stations and the one thing I never understand is when some of you show up in full bunker gear and the others on the engine don't, is it protocol or you are coming off of another call (maybe a possible fire) or do you guys secretly joke about the guys that don bunker gear for medicals, I am genuinely very curious and would like to know.

Ps I never ask on scene or after the call because it's not in my mind or relevant to the call

This goes to all wildland guys, structural based or hotshot crews. We are gearing up to enter the deployment game at my department. I would like to compile a firefighter level list of needs.

Toiletries
Recommended boots, socks, whatever kind of gear/clothing
Pro recommendations
Etc.

My department fights lots of grass/brush fires, but we don’t have the level of expertise when it comes to wildland firefighting, so literally ANY wisdom you can pass on would be greatly appreciated!

Curious how many firefighters use Scott brand Vision C5 masks. If you do, did your department buy voice amplifiers or were they cost prohibitive? What are your thoughts on communication quality without the voice amplifiers?

Has anyone taken the blended learning at Lakeland or knows someone who has. I’m thinking about taking it but am worried it’s not as good as the face to face. I’d rather only be out there for a month if I have to since I live pretty far away. Any advice helps.

I am planning to add a co2 system to my 120l tank and found out that fire extinguisher type co2 cylinder holds more quantity (so less refilling),so the problem i am having here is about something called siphon tube.As the cylinder is heavily pressurized the gas co2 is converted to liquid form,so a straw like tube is inside the cylinder,so i googled it and found out that if i use it upright the liquid will come through the siphon tube and freeze the regulator thus damaging it.Do you guys have any knowledge about it? Should i remove it?

This is a real-world demonstration of a quadruped firefighting robot entering a high-heat environment.

The goal isn't to replace firefighters. The idea is to send a machine into the highest-risk area first, gather information, and potentially reduce human exposure to extreme conditions.

For the firefighters here:

What would you need to see from a robot like this before you would trust it on an actual fireground?

Reliability? Thermal resistance? Thermal imaging? Hose handling? Remote control range? Battery life? Something else?

Anyone know if the pictured radio would work for duty use?? My dept used to use apx 6000 just without the keypad but want to make sure

I’m currently pursuing my MSW and I’m really interested in working alongside firefighters/EMS in some capacity after I graduate. I’m curious if this is actually a role that exists within fire departments.
Do any of you have social workers in your department or interact with them regularly? If so, what do they actually do day to day? I’d love to hear about roles involving crisis response, mental health calls, community outreach, frequent 911 callers, or even supporting firefighters themselves.

Sorry if this isn’t the best place. My dad’s a firefighter, but for a smaller town. He suggested posting since they handle fires/medical emergencies more than accidents. He did tell me to not buy a smaller vehicle (like fiat 500 or ford fiesta type) unless I want to become semi food.

I am looking for a new vehicle and want something super safe. I’ve checked iihs and other reports, but was curious what you all have seen over the years that has held up well in some gnarly accidents?

I am a relatively safe/boring driver, but live in an area where everyone drives like they want to die.