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Structure Firefighting Part 1

Structure firefighting is the more general form of firefighting and is what most people think of when the term firefighting is mentioned. Although the main focus of structure firefighting is not to fight wildfires, most departments still send out strike teams with engine crews to help fight wildfires. 


What people mistake the most about firefighters is that they are only there to put out fires. This was true at one point when firefighting first began but firefighters have evolved to become responders to a lot more than just fires. 


The job of a firefighter is not all glory and saving people from burning buildings. Don’t get me wrong; that is definitely a part of the job, but in a single community, that doesn’t happen daily. But things like car accidents, heart attacks, and other medical emergencies do happen quite often. 


According to the NFPA in 2021 out of roughly 36 million calls 29 million were medical calls and only 1.3 million were fires. The remaining included false alarms, mutual aid, hazardous materials, other hazardous conditions, and other things. 


Most people assume the only people who show up to medical calls are EMTs/ Paramedics in an ambulance, but what most people don’t know is that to become a firefighter you have to achieve a certificate to become an EMT. Some bigger departments even prefer firefighters who also have their paramedic certification. 


Firefighters are usually the first to arrive at a scene. In the case of a car accident, they are in charge of directing traffic, confronting the victim(s)/ providing medical care if needed, and cleaning up the road to make it safe for other passing vehicles. 


Just like in wildland firefighting, there are different jobs within a fire department for a variety of different problems. Including being a firefighter you can specialize in certain areas of firefighting. Just like the military, there are ranks among the firefighters called a chain of command. This keeps everything organized and gives everyone a specific task to complete. 


When you are first hired at a department you start a probationary period. This is so your coworkers and superiors can teach you, evaluate you, find out what kind of worker you are, and if you are a good fit for the job and department. This goes for all ranks including chiefs and usually lasts 6 to 12 months. 

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