Fireman Vs Firefighter

Getty Images1. “We don’t fight many fires anymore.”If you hear a fire engine or truck racing through your neighborhood, it’s only natural that you’d think smoke and flames. Residential fires in the U.S. Caused about 3,000 deaths, 17,000 injuries and about $11.7 billion in property damage in 2011, according to the (USFA), a unit of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.But thanks to improvements in fire protection, firefighters actually have fewer fires to fight these days.Of the vast majority of fire and medical 911 calls in the country, about 80%, are for medical emergencies. In Orange County, Calif., just 2% of the Orange County Fire Authority.Still, the nation’s 1.1 million firefighters stay busy, remaining “jack-of-all-trades” rescuers when it comes to car crashes, trench and water rescues.The decline in fires is great news for public safety.

The number of fire deaths in the civilian population have decreased from 14 per 1 million in 2001 to 11 per 1 million residents in 2010, a drop of more than 20% according to USFA and half what it was in the late 1970s. But have set the stage for battles in many cities over the budgets for fire departments, paramedics, and other emergency responders.Emergency-call volumes in many cities are increasing as populations rise. Between 2003 and 2013, the population of Washington, D.C., climbed by more than 80,000 people, or 15%. But the city’s fire staffing is stagnant or even reduced, with as many as 100 front-line currently unfilled positions in addition to another 100 eliminated,.One cost-saving strategy employed by many city governments is the “rotating brownout,” where firehouses are closed temporarily.

As a woman firefighter, you'll undergo the same training and have the same. You must also be able to provide first aid, treat sick or injured.

Brownouts have stirred controversy. In Baltimore, local residents blamed a brownout for the deaths of a mother and her two children in a 2011 fire that broke out just down the street from a closed firehouse.“Rotating brownouts always end in disaster,” says Ed Smith, president of Washington D.C’s firefighter union. “In our business, ‘seconds count’ is not just a catchphrase.” he said.

If you ask a local how to become a firefighter, many will tell you they started asa volunteer. Departments will often have openings for people to do a wide range of volunteer services,including community service. You may help around the station or staff a table at a community fair. Avoluntary role not only will help you build vital professional contacts in the field, but also introduceyourself to the local firefighting community. This connection may prove indispensable in entering this ahighly competitive field.