summary of mil FF info

[payton185]

I have read a ton of threads and Iam looking to summarize what Iam looking at and hope to get a few questions answered. Iam living in Saint Louis, Missouri

I am a 35yo ex AD Army....i left as an E-4 in 1993...I was Infantry (11B). Iam looking to renter the reserves. The Airforce Res. said no due to rentry code RE-2...so unless I can get this changed I have to consider army guard or Army Res....I am currently seeking a career change to a civilian FF so how important is it what branch I choose?

Is it correct to say that all branches of the forces get the same school and training in the school at Goodfellow. So why would one branch be better than another from the start? I would love to get lots of training and action but we know this isnt always the case as a reservist so why would this really matter to a certain extent.

Upon leaving Goodfellow-
You will recieve IFSAC (International Fire Service Accreditation Congress) certifications for Firefighter I/II, HazMat Operations and Awareness, and Airport Rescue and Firefighting. Is there anythning left out that I would receive upon graduation.

Is Goodfellow teaching EMT of any sorts in its 4 month school or would I need to continue that on my own locally?

I do not qualify for the city of Saint Louis by age...but all the other muncipal area fire departments have different age requirements any place to see this in a summary form by state or city? I would be willing to move to get in due to my age...I am not old but damn they make it hard...lol....is there a listing by states or cities that also show if the DOD school tranfers over to civilian area fire departments.

Thanks for everyones time and help.......

[gunnyv]

First, the Air Force is head and shoulders above the other services for fire training. I have heard very few Army FFs who are happy with the current state of their MOS, and the closest Marine FFs are in PA, and they probably won't be able to get an age waiver for you.

The schooling is the same for all of DoD. It matters which service you join because of the way your unit will be used/funded after you report in. The Air Force has significantly more funding and training for FFs than Army/Marines, and those services will spend more time on military training (weapons ranges, field exercises, etc) than the particular job you joined for. Goodfellow does not offer EMT. The training reciprocity varies by state/city/dept.

DO NOT JOIN THE GUARD / RESERVE TO GET A LEG UP ON HIRING!! Trust me, the city/town does not want someone who will get deployed soon after hiring. They will find a way to exclude you-in your case, your age will work against you already, don't take the double whammy. Also, while some smaller depts will hire you with the training you have, many more will want you to go to their academy. IFSAC.org and NPQ list accredited training agencies-it does not tell you depts.

http://www.ifsac.org/Handbook/ACCREDITED_LEVELS.pdf

http://www.theproboard.org/agencies.htm

In my opinion, you should get your EMT/Paramedic and worry about the fire school later.

Good luck.

[payton185]

well thanks for the info and opinion, I appreciate your time and links....anyone else wanna add their two cents....?????

[payton185]

problem is my reentry code of re-2 code makes me ineligble for air force reserves....and being i was army Active Duty ...airforce AD doesnt want us...grrrr...Iam appealing the re-2 code as we speak...

[shortimer52]

Go Army Reserve, if your near Houston (and I see your not) we are opening up two more FF units and we need people. If not still go Army Reserve, right now there is a $15,000 reenlistment bonus for 6 years, I don’t know if that would apply to you or not.

I have a list at home of the Army FF reserve units here in the U.S. if you want it, but shoot me an e-mail. It doesn’t need to be posted publicly IMO.

DO NOT JOIN THE GUARD / RESERVE TO GET A LEG UP ON HIRING!! Trust me, the city/town does not want someone who will get deployed soon after hiring. They will find a way to exclude you-in your case, your age will work against you already, don't take the double whammy.

This is a very true statement. It took me almost a year to get on a FD and I think its b/c of the reserves. I’ve been told by many others that this at times dose not work in your favor. Now im about to get laid-off and its back to the same old crap. Send 10 applications out get 1 call back. I’ve been trying to get on a DoD job for who knows how long, still have yet to get a call back. Then again it just might be my luck, who knows. If this is what you want to do then go for it. Remember its not a cookie cutter situation, every one experiences are different. Some people walk right in and get the job while others like me have to keep looking.