Today is the world fire-fighters day.
Fire-fighters today have varied roles; it could be urban environment, rural, forest whatever.
Fire-fighters could be volunteers or career.
Fire-fighters are seen in industrial spaces, defence sector, motor sport or other. The basic requirement is dedication, commitment and sacrifice. No matter which country we reside in fire-fighters are the defence against a common threat the fire.
Fire fighting uses the principles of engineering and sciences to rescue people from risky scenarios.
They also deal with avoidance of fire, reduction of casualty by ensuring safety measures in parlance with the altering standards of living.
As an industry fire fighting is pretty challenging, as it deals with preserving lives of people around. There has been tremendous progress in the field as people are getting conscious of the hazards and want to take preventive steps. There has also been expanding due to people learning emergency fire fighting on volunteer or career basis.
There are various options and prospects for fire fighting to grow in new directions. It’s no doubt risky but it also helps to save people’s lives. Fire fighting is usually perceived as government enterprise, but there are private enterprises too. With fire fighters training, one can get engaged in other businesses and industries like
Chemical, combustible products, manufacturing companies like petroleum refineries, textiles, and fertilizers. The possibility is enormous.
Basic skills required:
- Communication skills, they should be able to communicate situations in a crisis to fellow fire fighters, and must be able to respond to emergencies.
- Courage as they face life threatening risks every day.
- Decision making ability should quick and keen as they are dealing with emergency and every minute counts. Critical thinking under stress becomes very important.
- Physical stamina the disaster scene may extend for long periods of time, evacuating, or finding the victims and rescuing takes time and endurance.
- Physical strength is also required to deal with instrument and wreckage moving at a disaster site.
Work environment
Volunteer and professional fire-fighters share similar responsibilities. The national fire protection association says 69% of the fire divisions are operated totally by volunteer fire fighters. Fire fighters run the maximum risk of injury and infection due to the nature of the work they do. Since their work exposes them to crumpling floors and walls, traffic accidents, and over exposure to flame and smoke.
Work hours are long and erratic. Though on an average they work 24hr. Shifts and are off the subsequent 48hrs. Sometimes the shifts are 10:14hrs that is 10hrs work and 14hrs off.
Safe guarding the security of the employees and creating awareness through seminars, in the industrial sectors making people aware of how to use safety gadgets posters on safety and emergency fire management are all part of the role and responsibilities of a fire fighter.
As a fire fighter there are various career opening and growth that is possible.
- Fire safety officer
- Fire safety instructor
- Fire safety engineers
- Design engineer protection.
- Estimation engineer fire protection.
- Fire alarm technical
- Fire protection technician.
To become a fire fighter high school certification is essential and preferably some emergency medical training. The candidate has to go through written and mental tests which are followed by practical training and basic emergency medical specialist certification. At the entry level fire fighters get few months of training at the fire academy run by the fire department. The teaching is both classroom and hands on. They study the fire fighting and prevention methods. Dealing with narrow buildings, emergency medical technique. They learn handling normal fire fighting equipment like axes, saws, fire extinguishers, ladders. Once they join the academy the cadets need to complete a provisional period.
In India the remuneration for a fire fighter is about 15,000- 20,000Rs. /month while in some countries it could be somewhere between 65k-80k per month.
Institutes conducting these courses:
- Council of Education and Development Programmes (CEDP skill Institute) Mumbai.
- National academy of Fire safety Engineering (NAFS) Nagpur
- Institute of Fire and safety management Dehradun.
- National Institute of Fire Engineering and safety Management, Jaipur
Reference.
Parwatisingari's Weblog 