One of the first things you’ll learn when you investigate fire careers is that there are great opportunities for advancement in this profession. But if you’re interested in obtaining the top job in this field, you’ll have to know how to progress from rookie to chief.
First of all, what exactly are the responsibilities of a fire chief? A fire chief is the top dog in the department and one of the best fire careers. He or she is responsible for keeping the department running efficiently, professionally and effectively. Some of the duties include hiring, firing, evaluating, promoting, keeping up company morale and making executive decisions.
Fire careers are a great choice for someone starting out in the workforce. A career as a fire chief means that you first have to become a firefighter, which is a great fire career in itself. Becoming a firefighter is no easy task. You have to be in excellent physical shape, have well developed problem solving skills and be able to handle crisis situations with a cool head. You also have to undergo a rigorous training regimen and pass a stringent certification exam to become a firefighter. After that, you need to concentrate on honing your skills as a member of a firefighting team. If you want to move up the ladder of fire careers, you must be the best you can beat your job. Most fire chiefs are promoted to the position from within the department, or from nearby fire departments. So, to advance in fire careers you must make establish a great reputation as a true professional. Get along with your fellow workers and work hard, developing solid relationships within your fire department, as well as with those nearby.
Once you’ve put in a few years doing the best job you can and establishing yourself as a solid rookie firefighter, you can then start to make your move up the ladder of promotion in fire careers.
In order to have a career as a fire chief, you must be able to do ten things at once to handle all of your responsibilities. With fire careers, the first line of importance is to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations. That means you must be sure that your fire department runs like clockwork, with all equipment working perfectly and all of your workers prepared, trained and ready to respond with professionalism at a moment’s notice.
As the fire chief you will have to supervise fires and other emergencies such as car accidents to ensure that your team is doing the best job possible. You will have to work alongside your fire team, while being the ultimate authority in charge of the situation. A skilled fire chief has great people skills and knows how to instill discipline without damaging morale within the department.
To have a fire career as chief of the department, you should have excellent communication and organizational skills. Your administrative duties will include overseeing policies, preparing reports, making evaluations and working with other officials and within your community.
