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You have been an active member of the greatest profession in the world. You have been there when it was rough and when it has been rewarding. But now you cant seem to make it go any further. you are stuck in the same position,not making any money,not getting out of it what you have put into it.After a long painful thought,it has been decided to call it quits. This is excatly what has happend to me and several other that i know. The job market for firefighting is tight. very hard to get in. The thing that kills us the most is that when it is time for the hiring to take place,the people that get the jobs are the kids that are fresh out of high school, little or no knowledge if the job. the only reason they are getting hired is due to the fact that a test determined that they are the best candidate. A TEST!!!! Everyday there are thousands of more than qualified people out there getting passed up per say because they didnt do well on a civil service exam. The killer is with this is these people have the time in,either as a part-time or volunteer, these people have the training,the time in the fire service and they know what it takes. But they are getting passed up because of a goddamn civil service test.Now for all the long timers out there, ask yourselves this question how do you feel about your safety and the safety of your crew when you see a f.n.g with absolutely no time in the fire service. Has no idea what a flash over is,no clue what to do with a cutters edge, cant figure out his scott,thinks r.i.t is a rock band! These are the people that the wonderful civil service commisions all over the united states are hiring.and why because they scored #1 on the test. But at the bottom of the list is the guy with the most time in,works his *** off day in and day out, not getting any younger.lives,breaths,sleeps,eats firefighting.We all know that most people out there just arent good test takers,is it fair or safe to hire a "kid" with 0 time, just because he scored better on a test? when do the qualified applicants get a chance? These are the reasons why many of us now are leaving the fire service. we cant wait around for the jobs anymore. been passed over time after time because we didnt score high enough. Doesnt matter the training we have,the expieriance we have,or the knowledge. we get shafted because of a goddamn test.and after well over 25 test and interviews ect, myself and several others have decided to call it quits before we reach the point of age. It may seem like crying the blues, but think hard about your cities hiring practices. look at who they are hiring, see how long it takes to train an 18 year old, with no time in the service. then think "do i really want this kid behind me on the line?" scary isnt it? I hate to leave the one thing i ever truely loved. but i like so many others can no longer afford to wait any more. Be safe
Perhaps you are missing the point, it isnt about "money" it is about qualified people getting the job. if it was money i was after i would have never chosen this profession. The simple fact of the matter is unqualified people getting the jobs over the people who have put the time and effort into it only because of politics and a civil service test
[ 08-22-2001: Message edited by: E-14 ]
Perhaps you are missing the point, it isnt about "money" it is about qualified people getting the job. if it was money i was after i would have never chosen this profession. The simple fact of the matter is unqualified people getting the jobs over the people who have put the time and effort into it only because of politics and a civil service test
[ 08-22-2001: Message edited by: E-14 ]
IT IS LIKE A LUMP OF CLAY YOU CAN MOLD THEM INTO WHATEVER YOU WANT. BESIDES IF THEY HIRED KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE WHO WOULD I TEACH?
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