need help

[cincyfire8709]

hello everyone. im currently 18 years old and am attending a community college in fire service technologies. after two years i will have an associates degree in applied science, level 2 firefighter, and will be a EMT-Basic. there is something that i have that could render me being a firefighter. about six monthes ago i was caught with possession of marijuana and also with a smoking device. i quit over five monthes ago and never want to go back to it, but i want to know how this might look on a background check and if it will effect me getting hired.

how will this effect my career?
can i get a job as a firefighter?
can i pass a background/polygraph test?
is this looked at as a problem during an oral board?
How do people in the fire service look at this?

please help if you have any information on this

[btrotta]

Hear those crickets chirping? The deafening silence for the week since your post. That should tell you something.

Will it affect your ability to get hired? Absolutely.

Will it make you unhireable? Short term, probably. Long term, maybe, maybe not.

A lot will depend on what happened with the case. Did you fess up, admit your mistake, learn from it, and vow to not do it again (and mean it)? Or did you say it wasn't yours, you were holding it for a friend and get pissed off at the people who caught you instead of yourself for being in that position in the first place?

You will be asked about your criminal record on every application. Make sure you put it on each an every application. If you don't and they find out about it during a background investigation, you can expect to be dropped from the hiring process.

Some departments will see the arrest and toss your application in the trash. Others are willing to see if you've learned from your mistake and corrected the problem.

Expect to be queried in depth about the arrest, and your actions since then, at any interview you may get. They're going to grill you harder than the DA or the cops did. After all, they have to decide whether they can trust you with a couple of million dollars worth of city property or to go into people's homes.

Your best bet now, is to forget about being hired in the next couple of years. Keep your nose clean. Stay away from any illegal drug use. Work on making yourself a more attractive to a department by getting fire and EMS certs, taking fire science classes etc. You might even volunteer to take regular drug tests to prove to folks that you've stayed clean.

Even for the best candidates, getting hired is an uphill climb. Your arrest has made that task a lot harder, but not an impossible one if you stay out of trouble from now on.

[powerhourcoug]

hello everyone. im currently 18 years old and am attending a community college in fire service technologies. after two years i will have an associates degree in applied science, level 2 firefighter, and will be a EMT-Basic. there is something that i have that could render me being a firefighter. about six monthes ago i was caught with possession of marijuana and also with a smoking device. i quit over five monthes ago and never want to go back to it, but i want to know how this might look on a background check and if it will effect me getting hired.

how will this effect my career?
can i get a job as a firefighter?
can i pass a background/polygraph test?
is this looked at as a problem during an oral board?
How do people in the fire service look at this?

please help if you have any information on this

Hi Cincy -

I think another contributing reason in lack of responses is this is an often regurgitated question/subject people are tired of answering. If you take the initiative to do some research on these boards you'll find answers to your questions.

I'd reccomend starting with a post regarding a "former gang member" on this very board just a few weeks ago. You may find it to be very uplifting.

Thanks (and keep your nose clean) -

PHC

[clancyxdogg]

I'm not encouraged by the fact that you know nothing about spelling, punctuation, or grammar except how to spell "marijuana".

On a slightly more serious note, I'm not sure I'd continue to major in firefighting in college if I had the same chances as you do for landing a job in the field. Maybe Ohio is different, but around here you'd have a better chance at hitting the lottery, especially now.

BTW, I found the "former gang member" thread more nauseating than uplifting. It's more of a comment on quota hiring than understanding, forgiving hiring boards.

Good luck.

[mpullen32]

In my opinion you should still be able to get a job in the fire service. The federal government hires people that used marijuana when they were younger. Be honest about your mistake, own up to it, and move on. Don't let your past mistakes bring you down. It's in the past, nothing you can do to change it now. Show them that you have changed and prove that you committed to your career.

[ffbam24]

Yeah, since you quit about five months ago, give it another month.
Six months should be more than enough time to show you've put it all behind you and that you are entirely committed to a drug free career in the fire service.

Stay clean. Don't do any more stupid sh!t and in two years time you might actually be marketable.

Good luck,
bam

[CaptBob]

Most agencies want to see 5 years clean. Then comes the psych. How many times did you use the herb before you were caught. 50? 100?