This is one of those questions that will get kicked around a lot.  You’ll always hear people talking about how old so-and-so is and how he didn’t get hired because of his age. Well, how does one know that if they weren’t sitting on the interview panel?  Fire departments are unpredictable and sometimes it’s hard to figure out what their reasoning was for not hiring you.  Some people might say that fire departments only hire young candidates, or that they at least have a better chance of being hired.  Another rumor is that fire departments like to hire older candidates, so the cities don’t have to pay out pensions for thirty years or they have more life skills and would be more loyal to the fire department and not leave after two years.  There are all kinds of potential reasons as to what age of firefighters a department will hire.  It really depends on the structure of the fire department and their long-term goals.  If you are still concerned or are not sure if the fire department you wish to be hired at hires older firefighters or younger firefighters, you can research the ages of the firefighters that have been hired over the past five years and see what the average age is.  You may find your answer surprising, don’t listen to others you really have to believe in yourself and know that any fire department would be lucky to have you working for them.  I have heard of recruitments where, out of four firefighters hired, one of the firefighters was only eighteen years of age and another was forty-four.  So, you see, age may work to your advantage and it’s hard to say if age was even a factor at all.  It just depends on the hiring department.  If you’re someone who is valuable and possess skills that a fire department is looking for, I don’t think age will be a factor.  

If you’re a young individual and you’re worried about your age then there are things you can do to demonstrate maturity.  You can take an interest in fire prevention to demonstrate that you understand being a firefighter is more than just fighting fires or you can take on an active roll in your community to show that you like to get involved and you have developed invaluable interpersonal skills.  Sometimes you have to think outside the box and make your concerns your strengths.  Don’t be telling yourself that you won’t get hired because you’re to young or old, let the fire department determine that for themselves.  All you need to worry about is offering that fire department your full potential and being proud of who you are and your accomplishments.

Tip of the Month
It’s important to obtain the minimum education required.  Otherwise there is no point in even thinking about getting hired on a fire department.  It is also a good idea to have something else to fall back on, like a trade or a degree in case you are not immediately hired by a fire department.  You may also find the urge to pursue another career after ten years of firefighting.  It is always a good idea to think ahead and have something else to fall back on.