MA scores are out, list is made... What's next?

[Future Jake]

I scored a 93 on my exams, not too good from what I hear. I do not have any EMT certifications So I know that's next to do on my list. Is that REALLY important to get BTW? I am not a Veteran and have no Experiance. Besides that, what's next? I wait, hoping for a call someday for an interview? How does that process go? I know there is an oral review, what kind of questions do they ask? Any pointers in that category,or the whole interview for that matter? What can I expect? When do departments hire? Can I work as a PT firefighter by submiting an application somewhere? What else can I do to prepare myself for the day I get the call? Your replies will be greatly appreciated, I thank you ahead of time.

Future Jake

[Jonnee]

That isn't a great score.



http://www.firehouse.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118200

[RLB211]

We're in the same boat my friend. I am a basic and am last on the residency list for my city. It's time to play the waiting game. On the HRD site they let you know if you're getting an interview notice in the mail. It's under applicant issued certifications. I'm near completion of paramedic school so hopefully it will bump me up a bit. As far as you go..get on that EMT course ASAP. Don't waste anytime as most FD's require new hires to have EMT or paramedic.

What city do you live in/have residency? Most city's including mine have a reserve roster where they hire you in a "less than full time" position. Once a permanent full time position opens up people on the reserve list are contacted first. You can look around to some call fire departments or even the jobs forums on this site to look for hirings in MA. Good luck.

[jaydenloose08]

help

hey i've been a firefighter in florida since 06 and was workin for charlotte county but then i decided to go to Iraq and I ended up being one of those guys that got hung out to dry by WSI so no im jobless with no where to go so this is the part where i need some help cuz i dont know what im supposed to do, cuz my pregnant fiance is from Mass and she just came back up her, and me being a good man said ok screw it, im leavin florida to come up here and be a man and take care of my fiance and baby. well i have Florida fire certs, but i also have proboard fire 1 and 2. i only have floida EMT license, but proboard HAZMAT Ops, and i have a few more classes but there are only floida certs. so if some you boys from mass cout help me out and let me know do i have to file for resiprocity or however u spell it, and if i do, how do i do it. . help me out boys, and gimme a shout on my email [email protected]

[RLB211]

Call the MA DFS. and they willl lead you in the right direction. Are your certs national? if so you could have an even better chance up in NH. they recognize national EMT levels and pro board fire 1 and 2. they have reciprocity for both. MA OEMS doesn't do reciprocity so if you wanna skip retaking an emt course i'd challenge both exams. http://www.mass.gov/? pageID=eopsterminal&L=6&L0=Home&L1=Public+Safety+A gencies&L2=Massachusetts+Department+of+Fire+Servic es&L3=Department+of+Fire+Services&L4=Training+(MFA )&L5=Certification+-+MA+Fire+Service+Certification+System&sid=Eeops&b= terminalcontent&f=dfs_mfa_cert_cert_faq&csid=Eeops


the link above is the ma DFS's training council page and you can find answers to your questions there.

[tms122]

I scored a 93 on my exams, not too good from what I hear. I do not have any EMT certifications So I know that's next to do on my list. Is that REALLY important to get BTW? I am not a Veteran and have no Experiance. Besides that, what's next? I wait, hoping for a call someday for an interview? How does that process go? I know there is an oral review, what kind of questions do they ask? Any pointers in that category,or the whole interview for that matter? What can I expect? When do departments hire? Can I work as a PT firefighter by submiting an application somewhere? What else can I do to prepare myself for the day I get the call? Your replies will be greatly appreciated, I thank you ahead of time.

Future Jake

I hate to say it, but with that score I wouldn't be concerned with interviews, or waiting for a card for that matter, you probably don't have a chance. I'd work on getting in shape for the PAT if you had trouble there, or read some kind of test prep book if such a thing exists to better prepare for the 2012 exam. If you're hellbent on being a firefighter, do a little traveling and take some tests in other states.

[RLB211]

New Hampshire holds there firefighter exam annually. The application for the 2011 test should be coming out real soon and the exam is held in May if I remember correctly. Try up there future jake.

[Andyboyfire]

I scored a 93 on my exams, not too good from what I hear. I do not have any EMT certifications So I know that's next to do on my list. Is that REALLY important to get BTW? I am not a Veteran and have no Experiance. Besides that, what's next? I wait, hoping for a call someday for an interview? How does that process go? I know there is an oral review, what kind of questions do they ask? Any pointers in that category,or the whole interview for that matter? What can I expect? When do departments hire? Can I work as a PT firefighter by submiting an application somewhere? What else can I do to prepare myself for the day I get the call? Your replies will be greatly appreciated, I thank you ahead of time.

Future Jake

Not being a veteran will hurt your chances significantly, what city/town did you put for your residency?

[Denusa]

when you guys say scored 93 do you mean 93% out of 100 on tests ,or 93rd place by number of people in the line?
P.S. Im newbie :P

[Future Jake]

my residency is Quincy, MA... Do you guys know of any EMT courses I can take that don't hurt the wallet so to speak? I know that will help if I get some sort of certification. I am probably not going to move anywhere so I am going to go ahead and put that option on the back burner for a while. 93? Is that that bad of a score? I passed all 7 ELPAT events, I wonder where the score went down? Can I find out that info? I know the exam is changed every time but I'd still like to know. so 2012 is the next exam... I'm taking it, i know that but it's a bummer when I hear ppl say that my score is basically crap and it won't get me anywhere. I know ppl that work in MA FD's any help there...They're family?....Suucks.

[Jonnee]

when you guys say scored 93 do you mean 93% out of 100 on tests ,or 93rd place by number of people in the line?
P.S. Im newbie :P

They mean and it is 93. If the test is 100 or 150 questions, they made a 93.

In public school that is good for an "attaboy", but when you are trying to get hired, unless you get a 98 or better, no cigar.

Plus if the applicant has served the US in the military, they get extra points for being a Veteran. In some states you get extra points for being a resident. Some you have to be a resident to even apply!!

[tms122]

They mean and it is 93. If the test is 100 or 150 questions, they made a 93.

In public school that is good for an "attaboy", but when you are trying to get hired, unless you get a 98 or better, no cigar.

Plus if the applicant has served the US in the military, they get extra points for being a Veteran. In some states you get extra points for being a resident. Some you have to be a resident to even apply!!

In MA it's unconditional preference, not a point system as in many other places. They will consider all candidates within a certain category ahead of the next one. When they compile the list it goes something like this:

Children(or siblings?) of deceased and disabled MA firefighters, regardless of residence
Resident Disabled Vets
Resident Vets
Residents
Non-Resident Disabled Vets
Non-Resident Vets
Non-Residents

Needless to say, this is why people simply say join the military and move to community xyz when asked for tips on getting hired in MA. Otherwise, unless you ace the exam, you don't have a shot.

Not to get down on you Future Jake, but Quincy is a lot like Boston, you could have every cert known to man, but it's meaningless because at the end of the day you're at the bottom of the list with a low score on the exam. The fact that everyone goes through the same drill school negates to a large degree, the importance of prior certs. Since you passed everything on the PAT deductive reasoning should indicate that you fared poorly on the written exam. Look around online and find a firefighter's practice exam, it shouldn't be hard to find one like the MA exam. The MA practice exam might even be available somewhere still. Go through the practice exam and figure out which areas you struggled with and do whatever you can to improve your skills in that area for the next exam. I'm not one to encourage taking college classes for the sake of taking college classes(two very expensive economics degrees and it turns out I want to be a firefighter) but in your case you could benefit from the fire science program at Bunker Hill CC. I wouldn't go all in for the certificate or the Associates until you have a fire department job, but a couple low level courses would give you a slight edge in the next exam cycle. Politicking to get a fire department job is never a good thing and people will know that that's the only reason you got on. They'll know your name, they'll know where you were on the list and you'll be a pariah for however long you serve on the department, that is assuming whomever these connections are are willing to put their neck on the line for you. It's not Transportation or Water & Sewer, just knowing a state rep or a city councilor isn't going to get you on.

[RLB211]

http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/fstems/ I suggest keep checking in on this site. The exam application for NH will be out shortly as I remember it coming out on January last night. It won't hurt you future jake. If you really want to be on the job widen your opportunities. It's almost but not really like the MA civil service. NH provides you with a test preparation manual should you decide to purchase it. Most if not all of there questions on the state exam come directly from this manual so it's strongly suggested. It won't hurt you. Just helping out

[thesavage]

Lowell, ma - got my score

I got my score the other day...finally! I got a 98 on it and I rank 23rd on the list with 13 ties in my rank. Basically when I count down from the top I am 33rd. The first 15 or so are vets but I was also told that for every four that are hired one must be a minority.

Did I get that right?

I also heard there may be a reserve list you get hired onto, any information about that?

Thanks!