A Career Passion

Most people who apply to our department have a long history of working to become a career firefighter. They have seen that perseverance and dedication equals success. Firefighting is a career, yes, but it is also a passion for those who are willing to do what is necessary to meet the qualifications and get in the door.

At Fire District 7, our applicants must have a year of volunteer or professional firefighting experience to even be considered. Furthermore, they need to be IFSAC certified, which guarantees a minimum level of firefighting skills. Finally, they must be certified as an Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic. For the majority of applicants, this means working toward their career goal for years.

To them, the application process isn’t the beginning of their dream; it is the means to an achievement. Once the application is turned in to the district, waiting for a response is stressful. A single significant error or omission can cause the application to be rejected. But there is nothing to increase the pressure like a letter inviting them to the next step of the process, the written assessment.

Testing for Success

A District 7 firefighter’s written assessment is specific to the job of firefighters. For the weeks prior to the exam, the applicants pour over the industry standards for both firefighting and emergency medical service, gleaning the important facts of all aspects of the combined disciplines.

The hours of examination are difficult. The worst moments, though, come in the days following when the applicant anxiously monitors their mailbox, waiting for their test results and hopefully a letter inviting them to a physical fitness assessment.
Pushing the Physical Limits

Working out is often a way of life for firefighters. This discipline comes early in the process, as prospective firefighters learn the physical demands of their chosen career path. Still, working out consistently does not guarantee success in the physical exam. Easily, a third of the candidates can be eliminated during this timed test of strength and endurance. Although most people demonstrate adequate strength, unfortunately many wear out before they complete the physically demanding course because they lack the endurance.

Those that can do it, however, are rewarded with the immediate knowledge of their success. Success here, though, does not guarantee continuation to the oral boards. Only the top candidates continue on to the interview.

Put Your Best Face Forward

Firefighting isn’t just about physical skill and book knowledge. Prospective firefighters must have the ability to communicate well when they and people around them are under stress. In fact, communication skills are incredibly important to the job. To explore that piece of the profession, the firefighter candidate comes to an oral interview where they personally present their qualifications, and answer questions from a board of fire officers. Candidates that pass their oral board receive a letter informing them of their final rank in the testing procedure. As jobs become available, they can expect an invitation to a Chief’s interview, the point of final evaluation and selection.

Assimilation, the Final Goal

For those that are hired, years of investment finally pay off. Passing a complete medical examination is the last obstacle before their first day of probation. It is at this point they realize that Fire District 7 and our community have high expectations.

Probationary Firefighters

At 7 a.m. the first day, the recruits begin a new life in which they are assigned to the training division. Their next 10 weeks are spent in intensive and physically demanding training. Here, they focus on hands-on instruction, physical fitness and classroom education intended to prepare them for District 7 methods and procedures. During this period, recruits are continually assessed for their ability to apply and retain the skills and information they have received. New firefighters consistently performing at satisfactory levels are placed into fire companies under the supervision of a company officer.

The Long Grind

The final ten months of probation are a grind, without question. Along with their normal daily shift responsibilities, the probationary firefighters are required to turn their attention to the 400 page Fire District 7 probationary book of activities, drills and assignments they must complete in order to become a District 7 firefighter. Their next months are filled with memorizing the streets of the entire district, learning maintenance, operations and locations of all the equipment on each apparatus, memorizing district policy and procedure, learning hose evolutions and ladder skills, fulfilling reading assignments, completing workbook tasks and studying many other essential elements of their job. On each and every point they are assessed. Only those that are able to successfully and satisfactorily complete the entire probationary book will pass probation and receive their promotion to firefighter.

Fire District 7 is proud of our firefighters and the excellence that they represent. Completion of probation is not the end of their rigorous training. Every day you will see your firefighters out in the community improving and developing skills to better serve the citizens.