Has anybody on here taken the firefighter, but has not passed it yet? I have. I took the test about 4 times and failed it. The written test is tough. I would like to start or join an online prep study group. I need motivation, test taking tips, and sample exam questions. Any takers?
Tries At Becoming A Firefighter
- Thread starter sop
- Start date
While many of us on this forum are FFs or have been, you might find more advice on a FF forum.
http://forums.firehouse.com/
http://forums.firehouse.com/
Alright thanks. I 'll visit it, but I still need motivation.
Foxbat
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I assume you are talking about NPQS FF-I.
I took written exam about a month ago and practical last week.
Do you have Essentials book? It will help you answer most of the questions on the exam.
Also, look for preparation classes for FF-I in your area; although they usually focus on practical skills.
As far as motivation goes...
- Some departments require all members to have FF-I cert;
- Some departments require it just to apply; there is a combination department in my area that requires FF-II just to apply for a paid position;
- FF-I is nationally recognized, so if you move to another state, you won't have to take essentials class again;
- It helps your department to get more money in state grants;
- It gives you and your comrades confidence: if you pass it, you have certain skills/knowledge level.
I took written exam about a month ago and practical last week.
Do you have Essentials book? It will help you answer most of the questions on the exam.
Also, look for preparation classes for FF-I in your area; although they usually focus on practical skills.
As far as motivation goes...
- Some departments require all members to have FF-I cert;
- Some departments require it just to apply; there is a combination department in my area that requires FF-II just to apply for a paid position;
- FF-I is nationally recognized, so if you move to another state, you won't have to take essentials class again;
- It helps your department to get more money in state grants;
- It gives you and your comrades confidence: if you pass it, you have certain skills/knowledge level.
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FTRPO
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Geez AJ. Lol I couldnt stop laughing. You always seem to tell it like it is.
EMTinNEPA
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This is an EMS forum. Take it to a Fire forum.
Sasha
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This forum also has a lot of fire fighters and in some parts of the US Fire Fighters ARE EMS.
As to the OP, hate to be a debbie downer, but if you have failed so many times, maybe you're just not meant to be a fire fighter, or maybe you need to retake the class at a different location.
reaper
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Sasha
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Fixed it for you!
Actually, no, you messed it up. Let me fix it again for you.
You knock the EMS based fire systems, but that's a major part of my home state's EMS we have ALS respond to each and every call. I'd take EMS based fire ALS over pure EMS BLS any day.
I'm not saying that we have ALS because of fire, but if that's the way we can get it, so be it! Let's try not to debase a group of providers. Although I have only a small picture of my local EMS, many took fire standards so they could make a living in EMS.
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When I started my 911 EMS job we were required to take Hazmat OPS and Awareness level training which was being taught in conjunction with a fire I and II class.
While I know many great fire instructors, the instructors for these two sections were mostly worthless, so, while I did pass Ops and Awareness, it was no thanks to their efforts.
Without really knowing your situation, I'd assume that you might need a different class and better study habits.
And I'm not going to trash on you for posting on this board. Or question your future as a firefighter....have a great day!
While I know many great fire instructors, the instructors for these two sections were mostly worthless, so, while I did pass Ops and Awareness, it was no thanks to their efforts.
Without really knowing your situation, I'd assume that you might need a different class and better study habits.
And I'm not going to trash on you for posting on this board. Or question your future as a firefighter....have a great day!
Sasha
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It wasn't to be mean, it was honesty. Unfortunately life isn't like a lifetime special or disney channel movie. Just because you want something, doesn't mean you're going to get it. If after four failures you've got to think, is it me? Am I really meant to be a fire fighter? There's no shame in that. Perhaps it's just a matter of needing to retake the class at a different location, or perhaps it's not something s/he is meant for.
Crap...I see where this is going...
comparing fire based ALS to a BLS third service is not a good comparison. Let's compare ALS third service configurations versus Fire based ALS.
While we're at it, lets compare the efficacy and cost of fire based ALS first response with third service ALS, versus Fire based BLS first response and ALS third service transport...
/soapbox
After four failures you need to evaluate what you're doing wrong, I won't argue with that.
The whole argument is pointless, it is not an apples to apples comparison.
Most (easily 90%) of all US based Fire/EMS thinks they are there to save the lives of "true emergencies" with an algorithm and skills based approach to care.
Non fire service providers want to be true critical thinking medical providers and such an idea is not conducive to the labor union mentality of no matter how bad you mess up it is not your fault and you are not responsibile for what you did.
No I don't think you see where it is going at all.
The state of Florida has managed to provide ALS service throughout the entire state. A large part of it is Fire based EMS. Whatever service is providing the ALS, the citizens of Florida still will get more than JUST BLS period.
Ridryder911
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True, but how good of ALS? Which is the worst of the evils? Good BLS or crappy ALS?
R/r 911
Sasha
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Bad providers are not limited to, nor a requirement of the fire service.
Would you prefer it was all volunteer BLS?
The population make-up of the large Florida cities can not depend on BLS alone.
At least the state has shown it can be done even in a state as large as Florida that also doesn't have state taxes coming from personal income. We also have a large portion of the state that are not considered upper or even middle class. Yet, they are still entitled to receive ALS care.
Granted the over zealous expansion to have all FFs be Paramedics has been a problem but hopefully the future will bring improved education reguirements and better medical oversight. However, the Paramedics in the county and private services also come from the same medic mills as the FFs. Right now it is the low education requiements and not who provides the service that is the problem. Regardless, the state Paramedics still can have a large scope for their medical directors to institute into protocols unlike other states such as California. Although, CA residents get the benefit of having Critical Care RNs on almost every CCT.
We still have some FDs that have blazed many trails throughout the history of EMS. We were doing 12-leads long before most and recognized the importance of the most appropriate facility to take a patient. Many of our FDs continue to be major players in the advancement of EMS. Some of them had us old dogs with college degrees in EMS from the 1970s to get them started on a good path.
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JPINFV
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True, but I'd argue that EMS based fire service attracts them, especially if they require all fire fighters to be paramedics or make paramedic a promotion rung. Simply put, when you force someone to become something they don't want to be (say, becoming a paramedic) to reach their goal (becoming a fire fighter), then they are going to be bad at what they do. I am more than willing to say that the average paramedic who becomes a fire fighter so that he can work in EMS is going to be a crappy fire fighter for the exact same reason.